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A
Journey
To Alaska
Project URL: www.teachersnetwork.org/teachnetusa/kreeve/alaskaVT.htm
How
it works:
Students are invited to take a virtual trip to Alaska. Before starting out,
they check the climate online at: http://adn.com/weather/.
There are about five stops along the trip with planned activities at
each stop. To remember their trip, students copy and paste photos from http://dced.state.ak.us/tourism/student.htm
(the official student information guide to Alaska) into a drawing
document that they save in a folder on the desktop. These and other
photos are used to make a scrapbook page about Alaska. Another
activity includes posting a fact about Alaska on an eboard--an online corkboard at
http://AlaskaCOM.eboard.com.
(The password is "snow".) After reading the postings on the
e-board,
students post a new fact that they learned from the Student
Information Guide to Alaska: http://dced.state.ak.us/tourism/student.htm
or the Kids Corner web pages: http://mms.gov/alaska/kids/.
Students also design and print a t-shirt using transfer paper and an
inkjet printer. Then they get the chance to shop online to be outfitted
for an Alaskan dog-sled ride. Students discover that learning with computers
and the Internet is fun.
Standards addressed:
Students compare how people in different communities adapt
to or modify variations in the physical environment, apply
critical-thinking skills, communicate effectively, and use
problem-solving and decision-making processes. They read and
comprehend, read to gather
information, write to record ideas, and use available technology.
Lastly, they identify the mathematics in everyday situations.
Materials
used:
A computer with an Internet connection is required, along with an e-board membership at http://eboard.com
($29.00 or view mine--login: Alaskacom password: snow), KidPix
drawing
software to create a scrapbook page and design a t-shirt, transfer
paper, journals, and an Inkjet printer.
The students:
Students should have some basic knowledge of computers,
specifically word processing and drawing software.
This program is intended for third through fifth grade students but
can be adapted with middle school students. Students can work on this
project individually or in cooperative groups.
Overall value:
In A Journey To Alaska, students undertake a memorable
journey without
leaving their classroom. They are given the opportunity to visit stores
and "shop" online. They learn and share unique facts about
Alaska. Students enjoy creating a scrapbook page and designing a
t-shirt representing their travels. They problem-solve with facts
about Iditarod, the famous dog races. This program teaches that the pursuit of knowledge is
fun--thereby helping
kids to become lifelong learners!
Tips:
I found it helpful to create an e-board or cork board for students
to post to at http://eboard.com.
I have a friend living
in Anchorage, Alaska. He has posted pictures about Alaska to the
e-board and the students ask him questions about Alaska.
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About the teacher:
Karen Reeve is an elementary computer teacher at Wainwright
Elementary in the Houston Independent School District. She has been
teaching for 24 years and is in her 15th year as a computer teacher.
Karen is a member of the Texas Computer Educators Association and has
presented her computer lessons to teachers at the state TCEA conference in Austin in 1998,
1999, 2000, and 2002.
E-mail:
kreeve@houstonisd.org
Subject Areas:
Social Studies
Technology
Grade
Levels:
3-5
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