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Backyard Naturalist
Young people learn about their local flora and fauna on their way to becoming well-informed naturalists through this Xpeditions activity. Utilizing this
knowledge, participants explore their backyards, conduct fieldwork and learn in a
real-life context. An excellent way for learners of all ages to get acquainted
with nature, Backyard Naturalist highlights both preparatory learning
and applied fieldwork to broaden young people's science/inquiry,
literacy and geography skills, simultaneously. Variations for younger and older
Xpeditioners are provided, as well as suggestions for parent and educator
involvement.
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CD/DVD Cover Creator
Young people can create their own CD or DVD covers with this interactive tool from ReadWriteThink. The CD/DVD Cover Creator allows users to type in text and illustrate CD or DVD covers and related booklets for liner notes, etc. Designing covers for books, music and films that they explore in the program or for media they produce, is a great way for youth to celebrate their work-and take pride in what they have accomplished. A tool tip sheet, with pointers and activity ideas, is also available.
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Culture Clues
In this Xpeditions activity, participants use photography to document visual
clues that help them examine and interpret the cultural make-up of their
communities. Young people are encouraged to think about cultural diversity in
broad terms and to find that diversity within their own neighborhoods and
communities. Combining photography with social studies, Culture Clues presents
a great way to delve into issues of identity, culture and geography. With
age-appropriate variations, both younger and older Xpeditioners can showcase
their findings by combining written descriptions with their pictures.
Suggestions for parent and educator involvement are also included.
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History in Household Objects
In this activity from EDSITEment, young people become more familiar with a dimension of their family history by looking around their own homes to find objects that are no longer in use. They act as historians, interviewing family members to learn when and how these articles were used in the past. This activity is flexible and can be implemented in different ways to engage young people in historical thinking and storytelling, and to connect their lives at home with academic learning.
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It Takes a Rookery
In this Xpeditions activity, learners of all ages begin to explore the notion of
community. They first study emperor penguins and other animal communities,
then apply what they have learned to determine how they can participate more in
their own communities. This draws a direct connection between behavioral
science and the learners' interactions with each other. Because this activity
is completed in steps that build on each other, It Takes a Rookery can
be done all at once or broken into parts. It is flexible enough for various
afterschool formats. A number of online resources are provided to promote the
use of media and technology in learning.
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Population Pasta
Population Pasta, from Xpeditions, helps young people investigate
population statistics. Using different types of pasta to represent numbers of
people, learners of all ages are encouraged to experiment with graphs, maps
and other visual tools to illustrate the population patterns of various
countries. Combining the fields of geography and statistics, this activity
opens up a dialogue in which young people begin to compare and contrast
different countries. Additional activities using online resources are
suggested, with variations by age, as well as tips for parent and educator
involvement.
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Soundscape: A Sense of Sound
In Soundscape: A Sense of Sound, an Xpeditions activity, young people
explore the ways in which sound contributes to a sense of place. After
listening to the sounds of three communities in the United States, they
investigate the sounds that represent their own communities. The project
integrates storytelling and problem solving while coupling historic and
geographic content. This activity works for afterschool learners of all age
ranges and presents a wonderful opportunity for parents to get involved.
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Story Map
This Story Map interactive, part of the ReadWriteThink collection of student materials, is designed to assist learners in writing and reflecting on what they read. To work with this tool, young people focus in on the key elements of character, setting, conflict and resolution depicted in a story. This interactive tool can help them develop and refine their own story ideas as well. It is a great resource to keep in mind for afterschool sessions that feature storytimes or creative writing.
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