Walking Tour
If a tour that is applicable to where your students live then consider the use of a walking tour. After a adjusting for weather, time of year, age of your students and other logistical issues, if a tour is possible there may be knowledge to be gained. With the notion that it must be fun or the students will quickly get off track, consider what can facilitate fun for the class. The facilitator of the tour plays a large role so choose wisely. If unable to find the right guide then make clear objectives for the tour and look for a carrot at the end - ice cream? Also, a mission for the students may keep all on track. For example, if a monument or building is being debated for construction in your community then introduce this problem to the students and then explain why the tour will gain knowledge so they can submit a proposal to city officials a suggestion. This forces the class to play a role in a real life problem.
Finally, the unfortunate consideration of logistics needs to be weighed. For example, if a mode of transportation is used that is not available at all times to your students then they will not consider revisiting because a barrier will always be in place. This is important for my AFJROTC classroom because it is crucial that they see themselves as citizens of the community. The awareness of the community that surrounds them makes for a better prepared person and a more knowledgeable citizen.
For my students I am going to coordinate a visit to Wallops Island, VA. Wallops Island is used by NASA for research and rocket launches. It was established in 1945 and since its opening over 16,000 launches have occurred at the facility. Today it is the premiere facility used by NASA for sub-orbital launches employing over 1,000 full time employees. (NASA: Wallops Island) It is located just south of Delaware on the eastern shore in Accomack County, Virginia. It can be reached from my school in less than 2 hours by car. Fortunately, I have the ability to take a school van that holds 8 students and Wallops Island has walking tours available for groups of 8 or more. If my numbers get larger I will seek the support of a parent to drive another van.
I have always wanted to take a small group to this NASA facility and this unit has motivated me to make the arrangements. I will arrange for the trip to occur at the end of our unit when we are discussing space exploration. Prior to leaving we will look at the facility and the location on google maps and discuss why that location was chosen by NASA. I do know that is not a very populated area. The entire county of Accomack VA, is just over 33,000 and has not changed much from that number since World War II. It is also not too far from Naval Air Station Norfolk VA so possibly there is some military support involved. It is also not too far from support agencies at Washington, D.C. Hopefully the trip will reveal more about the location selection and its involvement with the community it resides in. My students are very active and after walking the facility I plan on stopping in town for lunch to learn more about the community around Wallops Island and see if my students observe any connections.
Comments: