Comic Strip Scavenger Hunt

Who doesn't love reading the comics?  The comics are a great educational resources for activities like sequencing, plot, character analysis, story structure study and so much more.  The Comic Strip Scavenger Hunt is a short activity to introduce the structure of comic strips. After searching through the comic strips to find the answers to the questions, children then get to use their own creativity and draw their own comic strip.  Free PDF download below.

Comic Strip Scavenger Hunt

Climate Zones Activity | FREE Educational Resource

There are so many climate zones in the United States and each one has its own unique features.  Your children can create a Climate Zones Encyclopedia Entry for a climate zone of their choice or extend the activity and have them make a climate zones book.  They can share the book with siblings, friends, or parents.  This activity could also be extended to include all the climate zones found on Earth.

Here is an informative video if your children need a refresher.  https://youtu.be/pR2_s0dCNn4

Example

Activity Directions:

1. Choose one of the following climate zones for your activity:  Humid Continental, Highlands, Tropical, Mid-latitude Desert, Semiarid Steppe, Humid Subtropical, Marine Westcoast, Mediterranean
2. Write or type a 100 word description of your climate zone.  Your intended audience is children so be sure to use words they would understand. You must include the climate zones location, typical temperatures, rainfall patterns, and vegetation.  
3. Create an illustration for your climate zone.  Be sure your illustration matches the information in you description. 
4. Paste your illustration and description on to construction paper.  Be sure to write the name of your climate zone as well.

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Teachers...... here are a few standards if you need them.

Benchmark SS.B.2.3.2: The student knows the human and physical characteristics of different places in the world and how these characteristics change over time.

Benchmark SS.B.2.3.6: The student understands the environmental consequences of people changing the physical environment in various world locations.

Benchmark SS.B.2.3.8: The student knows world patterns of resource distribution and utilization.

Benchmark SS.B.2.3.9: The student understands ways the interaction between physical and human systems affects current conditions on Earth.

Around the World Geography Project | FREE Educational Resource

Let's make learning Geography a little more fun with a project!  Imagine you have an unlimited amount of money to travel around the world.  Where would you go and why do you want to visit that particular country?  Children will have a blast watching the movie Around the World in 80 Days, tracking the travels of the characters, and then planning their own journey.  I created this project when I was teaching middle school Geography and my students really enjoyed it. 

Start with a little background review including the name of the main character, Phileas Fogg, the trip timeline, and how they will travel (trains, steam ships, hot air balloons, no airplanes).

There are a few different versions of the movie out there. I used the original version.  While watching the movie, have children plot the travels of Phileas Fogg and his friends on a map.  *See FREE download below*  In the original the stops included London, France, Spain, Saudi Arabia / Middle East, India, Hong Kong, Japan, San Francisco, Omaha, and New York.  

Now it's time to plan your own adventure!  Children choose ten stops around the world.  For each stop they must select two locations of interest and one land form they would like to visit and explain why they would like to stop there.  

Checkout this student sample below!

A great extension activity is to have children create a poster of their travels.

Download a copy of the project paperwork here --->

Around the World Project

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Teachers ... here are the Sunshine State Standards and student objectives for classroom use.

Benchmark SS.A.2.3.1: The student understands how language, ideas, and institutions of one culture can influence other (e.g., through trade, exploration, and immigration).

Benchmark SS.A.3.3.1: The student understands ways in which cultural characteristics have been transmitted from one society to another (e.g., through art, architecture, language, other artifacts, traditions, beliefs, values, and behaviors).

Benchmark SS.B.1.3.1: The student uses various map forms (including thematic maps) and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report geographic information including patterns of land use, connections between places, and patterns and processes of migration and diffusion.

Benchmark SS.B.1.3.4: The student understands ways factors such as culture and technology influence the perception of places and regions.

Benchmark SS.B.1.3.7: The student understands the spatial aspects of communication and transportation systems.

1.  The student will be able to use cultural clues from the movie, Around the World in 80 Days, to determine the travel location on a physical map.

2.  The student will conduct research identifying ten countries to visit on an around the world trip and points of interest for countries of their choosing. 

3.  The student will be able to explain why they would like to visit the destination they chose for each country on their around the world tour.