Buncee Blog

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” — Mahatma Gandhi

This quote is the central theme behind Buncee Buddies: Celebrate Peace 2016. This #bunceebuddies cycle, inspired by the U.N. International Day of Peace on September 21st, 2016, aims to connect classrooms across the world, from sea to sea, as students learn cultural awareness, think critically about peace, and make new friends.

What is Buncee Buddies: Celebrate Peace 2016?

Buncee is excited to host “Buncee Buddies: Celebrate Peace 2016” this fall. The project aspires to connect classrooms from around the world, in order to explore how they can celebrate the U.N’s International Day of Peace all year long. Students and teachers worldwide can create Buncees responding to the prompt below, share them with their “Buncee Buddies,” then meet their Buddies via video chat to discuss. The project will conclude with a concert, starring Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could! Learn more about the concert here.

Haven’t tried edu.buncee.com yet? Head to our YouTube channel to learn more.

Once you’re signed up, we will partner you and your students with other classes to digitally “meet,” brainstorm ideas, and exchange Buncee creations!

Buncee Buddies: Celebrate Peace 2016 Prompt

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi

• What does this quote mean to you?
• How will you spread the mission of peace on earth?
• What can you do TODAY to start this process of change?
• How can you and your classmates work together to bring peace to your community?

Buncee Buddies: Celebrate Peace 2016 Project Steps

1. Between August 26th and September 30th, fill out the Buncee Buddies form to register your class for the project.
2. Upon submitting the form, you will receive an email from us. This email will contain instructions on signing up.
3. If you sign up for eduBuncee Plus, you can create your students’ Buncee accounts. See how to create them here. If your students are under the age of 13 and sign up for eduBuncee Free, you will need their parents’ email addresses to send them a parental consent form. This is in line with the COPPA guidelines, which Buncee is in compliance with. Learn more here.
4. Between October 3rd and 4th, you will receive an email with information about your partner classes. Partners will be made in groups of four. You can coordinate with each other to decide how you’d like to connect. You can connect all at once or pair off in groups of two!
5. Start your project with a Mystery Skype! At the core of Buncee Buddies is the goal to exchange Buncees in response to the prompt. To take the project to the next level and address all four pillars of global competence, check out the ideas in the section below.
6. Coordinate with your Buddies to share Buncees and connect before December 23rd. You can share your Buncees with your partner class via email. Each student can email the partner directly, or each student can copy their share Codes in one classroom document that you email your partner teacher. See how to share your Buncee here:  howtoshare_bunceebuddies_peace2.
7. Share your creations on social media with the hashtag #bunceebuddies.
8. Join us in February 2017 for a Buncee Buddies concert starring Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could! You can learn more about the concert here, and we will be sharing more details on the event throughout the project.

*Fill out this form if there are any questions!*

Between October 3rd and October 4th, a spreadsheet of the information gathered from all submissions will be emailed out to all registrants. On that spreadsheet, you will find out who your Buncee Buddies are and their contact information.

Buncee Buddies: Celebrate Peace 2016 Standards

Buncee Buddies addresses the four pillars of global competence from the Asia Society, “the leading educational organization dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among peoples, leaders and institutions of Asia and the United States in a global context.”

 Investigate The World: By participating in a Mystery Skype to begin the pen pal project, students are prompted to research and ask questions relating to geography, culture, and language. Responding the the prompt above will require students to research global and local issues surrounding peace.

Communicate Ideas: Students will need to take into account language and cultural barriers when creating their Buncees to send to the Buncee Buddies. They will need to use media literacy skills in order to effectively communicate their ideas. Video chats will also require students to take into consideration their Buddies’ point of view to effectively communicate.

Weigh Perspectives: After seeing their partner’s responses to the prompt, students can compare and contrast their own classroom’s responses with those of their partner. While discussing the partner’s responses, teachers can prompt their students to take into consideration perspective, point of view, and history of their partner’s country.

Take Action: Response to the prompt can lead to actionable items that will promote peace in schools and communities, both locally and globally. Students should discuss with their partners how each class can take ethical and creative action to initiate change!

Take Buncee Buddies To The Next Level With These Collaboration Ideas

• Start your project with a Mystery Skype! Keep the location of your Buncee Buddies a secret and have your students prepare strategic questions to ask your partner class. Then, have them guess where your partner class is from!
• Incorporate two projects into one! Take part in Global Read Aloud with your Buddies, and dedicate a Skype chat to discussing what you learned from the book. The 2016 book contenders that keep in line with the theme of peace, friendship, and justice are: The BFG by Roald Dahl, Pax by Sara Pennypacker, The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall, and All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely.
• To address the pillar of weighing perspective, compare and contrast the responses to the prompt with those of your class and those of your Buddies. Discuss perspective, culture, and the history of each Buddies’ country.
• Celebrate the project with your partner classrooms by participating in our live Buncee Buddies concert! Learn more here.
• Why not Periscope the actions you take as a result of the prompt? Whether your class decides to have a bake sale for a Humanitarian organization, an assembly on peace, or something else entirely, share your actions live with your followers.

Buncee Resources

• See how to share your Buncees and upload your students’ accounts here: howtoshare_bunceebuddies_peace2 and Uploading Student Accounts video
• Check out the hashtag #bunceebuddies and #bunceechat on Twitter for ideas.
• Read an article on last year’s Buncee Buddies project to see how Stephanie Suter from NY and Rositsa Mineva from Bulgaria connected.
• Head to the Buncee Gallery to see featured Buncees and public Buncees for inspiration.
• Live Training: Sign up here for live training with the Buncee team.
• Support Page: Here you will find a link to live chat, FAQs, and our contact information.

We are thrilled to have you join our mission: to discuss international peace, make new friends, and celebrate cultural learning!