stephanie suarez
Talk to as many people from the country I visit and learn their customs and values.
I am primarily a reading teacher and I often read books aloud to my students. It has been my custom to purchase picture books from the countries I visit, even if they are in a different language, such as the books from the GEEO trip to Peru. I read the books to the students, show them the Google Earth program that lets them understand where the country they are learning about is in relation to our school, share photos of the famous landmarks I've visited, and teach them a bit about the country and its people. The unit runs about a two days and often there is a reader's response or short quiz at the end. The goal is to learn about places others than where we are or our family is from. I then conduct a project where children research a country they'd like to travel to and learn about it through various media applications. They practice note-taking and then they create either an infographic or a travel brochure for a traveler. The details often include geography, language, currency, flag, government, landmarks, and a brief explanation about the wonder of that country and why it would be nice to visit. They may even research a cause that country is known for such as the work being done to stop the poaching of Rhinos in South Africa.
I may need to find book shops near our place of lodging or on route to the neighboring countries or see if the books I would enjoy reading are available in the states if we don't stop at a place where I can purchase some. I'd also need to ask for a stop on our route ahead of time.
