Most of us are aware of women’s history month in March and poetry month in April, but did you know that October is Explorers’ month?! Studying explorers is a great opportunity for some deep and meaningful discussion with your students about exploration and discovery, the impact it has on the indigenous people, the concept of claiming and owning land, and so much more. Even better still, The Walking Classroom allows your students to learn all about explorers while they’re outside and on the move! Our Program 4 and Program 5 curriculums both have podcasts that tie in perfectly with this timely topic!
Program 4:
The indigenous people of the Americas were greatly impacted by the age of exploration. Giving students an opportunity to listen to podcasts about these incredible civilizations is a great way to get students thinking about exploration from a different point of view and thinking deeply about how there are two sides to every story.
-The Maya (4-#69, Combined-#57)
-The Aztec (4-#70, Combined-#58)
-The Inca,(4-#71, Combined-#59)
-Native American Mound Builders (4-#72, Combined-#96)
Program 5:
While most students know the name Christopher Columbus, he certainly wasn’t the only explorer in his time. Program 5 has several podcasts on individuals who made their mark during the Age of Exploration. Fast forward in history (or simply skip a few podcasts ahead), and you can cover Westward Expansion too! And don’t forget, exploration doesn’t have to be earth-bound nor is it limited to reality! The Exploring Alice (5-#83) podcast helps students understand how they are explorers of their own world on a daily basis, be it real or imagined!
Early Exploration
-Marco Polo (5-#78, Combined-#53)
-Christopher Columbus (5-#79, Combined-#54)
-Pedro Alvarez Cabral (5-#80, Combined-#55)
-Vasco da Gama (5-#81, Combined-#56)
Westward Expansion
-The Cumberland Gap (5-#31, Combined-#97)
-Davy Crockett (5-#32, Combined-#98)
-Westward Expansion (5-#34, Combined-#99)
-Lewis & Clark and Sacagawea (5-#35, Combined-#100)
-The Santa Fe Trail (5-#38, Combined- #103)
Out of this World
-Neil Armstrong (5-#82, Combined-#152)
-Exploring with Alice (5-#83)
Gem from the Field
Adopter and 5th grade teacher, Brittany Bermingham, did a wonderful unit on exploration with her students that incorporated The Walking Classroom! Brittany’s students listened to related podcasts and created their own astrolabes, a navigation tool used by the early explorers. Her class also did an activity involving plotting the coordinates of the early explorers’ routes. Learn more about her unit on explorers on her blog, The Art of Learning!
Learn about other Timely Topics here and be on the lookout for more ideas in future posts!
What topics do you like to cover during the month of October?
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