Travel with Me: A
Guide for
Students
Project URL:
http://teachersnetwork.org/teachnet-lab/ps115/travel/webpage/index.htm
How it works:
Students create a double-sided travel brochure, with three columns on either side, that
highlights at least three places of interest in the Caribbean island of the student's choice.
They research a Caribbean island and design their brochure, add a cover
page and short descriptions of places of interest to the students;
insert
clip art; scan drawings, photos, and maps; and include relevant telephone
numbers and e-mail addresses. The purpose of the project is to develop strategies for researching and evaluating
material through the integration of technology, social studies, English
language arts, and mathematics in the final project presentation to the
class.
Standards addressed:
Students listen, speak, read, and write for information and
understanding; use knowledge from oral, written, and electronic texts;
collect data, facts, and ideas developing relationships between the data; and
interpret, apply, and transmit the information in the form of a persuasive
travel brochure. They use the social communications of others to enrich their
understanding of people and their points of view, and employ a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate
their understanding of geography of the world in which they live--local,
national, and global.
Materials
used:
Required materials include computers with Internet access and Kidspiration, Kidpix, MS Word and MS Publisher
software, a color printer, a scanner, pencils, crayons, markers, highlighters,
paper, folders, and index cards.
The students:
The student population is mainly from the Dominican Republic and their
ages range from nine to thirteen years old. They are of average intelligence
and their computer skills vary
from beginning to intermediate levels. They work in small groups, paired by
ability-- beginners with
intermediate learners. They are
all English Language Learners and are bilingual.
Overall value:
The program's best feature is the opportunity for the students to see their written,
drawn, compiled, and researched work displayed in a neat,
comprehensive brochure that they can display and hand out to friends and family. They can use this same concept in the future to
create a job or career for themselves. Students will gain confidence
in their abilities. Affective studies have shown that a positive self-esteem contributes significantly to a student's motivation
and productivity in class.
Tips:
Invite a neighborhood travel agent to visit the classroom and discuss his\her
occupation. Invite students to make their own drawings of the sites and
maps, and have them bring their own personal
photographs from home. Ask parents for permission to use the photos in
the brochures and for Internet use. Make sure the partners in each
group are working well together and
dividing the work equally. Provide enough time to revise and complete the work. Check on the
children that are not keeping up with the rest of the class and
suggest before- and after-school time for completion.
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About the teacher:
Rosemary Del Valle is a bilingual staff developer training new and experienced elementary school teachers in bilingual literacy and English
as a Second Language methodology. Fabio A. Marrero is the Technology Coordinator
for P.S.115 Manhattan. He assists elementary school teachers with the integration of technology in the curriculum areas.
E-mail:
fabiomarrero@hotmail.com
Subject Areas:
Social Studies
Language Arts
Grade Levels:
4-6
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