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CONTENTS
About GPSC
Previous projects of US-Japan Foundation
School to school exchange programs
Leadership development
Program development
 
School to school exchange programs
Exchange programs between Mihara Junior High School attached to Hiroshima University and Martin Middle School
1.Location of the schools
2.The year of concluding the agreement of a sister school relation
3.Process and outline of the exchange program

4.Details of the exchange program
  (1)“Global Partnership schools: Creating schools with global partnership”
     〜Between Martin Middle School and Mihara Junior High School〜
  (2)“Let’s exchange our folk tales using picture-story shows.”−Let’s hear impressions
     about the stories from friends in the world.

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(2) “Let’s exchange our folk tales using picture-story shows.”−Let’s hear impressions about the stories from friends in the world.
 
1) Objectives and aims
Our students and the students at our partnership junior high school create picture-story shows of their own countries’ folk tales, and exchange them.
@ To learn about each other’s culture from the picture-story shows. (Ways of living, ways of thinking, natural and geographical conditions, history, and so on.)
A To learn and improve English translation and comprehension skills.
B To understand how picture-story shows, picture books, and folk tales are constructed. (Scenes, a story teller, logic of writing, and so on.)
C To work together to create a work and introduce a work sent from the partner school.
   
2) Contents
 
@ Students visit the “digital picture book website” and read folk tales from the world. http://www.e-hon.jp/
A Students suggest to the partner school the idea of “creating picture-story shows of our own country’s folk tales and exchange them.”
B Students visit the “Japanese folk tales” in the “digital picture book website,” read the English-translated tales, and comprehend the English contents by comparing the Japanese version and the English-translated version.
C Students decide which story to base their group’s picture-story show on.
※Japanese folk tales on the “digital picture book website” that are already translated into English should be excluded.
D Students understand how picture-story shows, picture books, and folk tales are constructed.
E Students decide an organization, a plan, and role divisions.
F Students make picture-story shows.
G Students send their picture-story shows to the partner school with a letter.
H Students read picture-story shows mailed from the partner school and translate them into Japanese.
I Students hold a show of “World’s picture-story shows” to introduce and appreciate different picture-story shows with friends. (Using picture-story shows distributed among groups)
   
3) Steps and contents of the exchange
We posted picture-story shows made by our students to the website as part of the JEARN’s Falk tale project, and created The Picture Story Show website (http://www2.jearn.jp/fs/1151/index.html). We asked the public for their opinions about the picture-story shows and what they think should be improved. We also asked them to introduce their own countries’ folk tales and old tales.
With the help from the International Student Center at Hiroshima University, we also asked international students at the university for their opinions about the picture-story shows. We got responses from the following.
@ Martin Middle School (USA)
A Katherine High School (Australia)
B Radford College(Australia)
C Schools joining JEARN (N.Y. and others)
D International students at Hiroshima University
E Others
   
4) Outcomes and issues for the future
We received many responses from students at Martin Middle School about the picture-story shows. The majority said “the drawings were pretty, and it was interesting to see animals to be main characters.” Many of the responses were compliments about the drawings, which indicates that they liked light touches of the drawings which our students drew with colored pencils. On the other hand, the majority of the critical comments was that they could not follow the development of the story line and did not understand the meaning of the story, such as “I don’t understand the development, the story is difficult to understand, I can’t see why the story ended like that.” This result reflects our students’ lack of English skills as well as poor use of Japanese expressions. However, since our objective of the first picture-story show website was “to clarify what we should be careful about in order to improve picture-story shows and introduce Japanese picture-story shows in English, as well as to learn what should be improved,” receiving many responses was encouraging for our students. Receiving these comments, students revised the picture-story shows and managed to complete them.
Furthermore, many students at Martin Middle School introduced popular folk tales in America, many of which our students had never heard about before. Therefore, our students read the letters with a great interest, and many of them wrote a reply letter.

  (Material 1 Top page of the picture-story show website ※Some parts were omitted.)
Produced by Mihara J.H.S in the 7thgrade students
紙芝居サイトのトップページ

  (Material 2 E-mails that we received)
(Australia 1)
はじめまして。わたしはニコです。わたしは十三さいです。わたしは中学二生。おはなしをよみました。とてもおましかったです。一ばんすきなおはなしはthree cardsです。ありがとうございました。Hello students, I enjoyed your stories very much.The three cards pictures are very good and detailed!
(Australia 2)
はじめまして。わたし は Chloe さん です。十四 さい です。ちゅうがく に なん せい です。お はなち を よみま し た。一ば ん すき な おはなし は fire raccoon dog とthe rolling rice ball.Your stories were great! I loved them! You are all really good at English.My friends and I found them really fun and interesting to read. We enjoyed reading them thoroughly. You are all really talented drawers, your pictures were very colourful and pretty to look at.Your translation of the stories were very good, and the wording you used was flowing and easy to understand. I liked all of your stories they were great!
ありがとうございました。
(From Ed in N.Y.))
The picture shows are great, very expressive and colorful. I have known some of these stories before, but they came alive when I saw your students' pictures. I hope your students will tell us about drawing these pictures? What did you learn and what are you trying to share with us outside Japan? What do these stories tell us about Japanese history and culture? I would love to hear from your students. From Ed New York City

(From Martin Middle School) ※The following is a part of letters that we received.
 
▲Opinions about folk tales   ▲Introducing stories told in America
 
▲An event in America 1   ▲Introducing the student’s favorite event
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