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Length
of time needed to complete:
Two hours of
teacher time for advance preparation. Two four-hour days on the river.
Resources/Materials:
Student
self-evaluation forms, canoes, life jackets, paddles, and cushions, chaperones,
canoe trailer and truck, school bus, and professional canoe guide.
Procedure:
1. The students are placed into groups
of two or three based on the self-evaluation forms completed earlier.
Chaperones and school staff members are also worked into canoe groups with the
students. The lists are posted in the social studies’ classrooms and on a
bulletin board.
2. Parent chaperones are asked to
volunteer, school staff members with canoe trip experience are asked to join
the trip, as are a select few community members. There are at least nine adults
present on each of the two canoe trip days.
3. Several years ago a grant was
written which allowed the school to purchase canoes, paddles, and life jackets.
The school has ten canoes, a trailer, 30 life jackets and cushions, and 30
paddles. These materials are used on the trip with supplemental gear and
equipment coming from the professional canoe guide.
4. A professional canoe guide is hired
for the two days for safety and logistical reasons. He is also able to provide
extra gear and equipment. He uses a kayak in order to be able to assist quickly
in the water where and when needed.
5. One school bus is needed to
transport students for each day of canoeing.
6. The eighth grade is split in half,
with the groups going out on opposite days. At the river each student receives
a properly fitting life jacket and a paddle. The professional canoe guide
reviews basic paddling skills and safety concerns with the groups again. Each
group must carry their canoe down to the river and board with adult assistance.
All canoes head out together with chaperones mixed in at the front, middle, and
back sections of canoes. A break is taken about half way through the canoe
experience to allow for people to stretch their legs. Upon re-boarding the
canoes, groups have the opportunity to switch places so the group members can practice
other skills. When the groups reach the take-out spot, they carry their canoes
and gear up to the trailers and assist with loading of the trailers and other
equipment.
7. Students will have journals on the
canoe trip and should be encourage to record descriptions of the different
sights, sounds, and visuals that they notice. Review the evening’s journal
assignments with students. After participating in the canoe activity, students
are responsible for writing a one-page journal entry in response to their
experience using the following journal prompt and writing assignment.
Journal Assignment:
Consider the following while completing a one-page
journal entry:
• How did you feel in the
canoe? Was this your first time on the river? Did you feel confident or
frightened? Why?
• Was the canoeing challenging
for you? Why or why not?
• What did you find exciting
about the trip?
• What interesting things did
you witness?
• Do you have a different
opinion of the river now that you have spent time exploring it?
• Any other ideas or comments.
Also, compose a short poem (at least 10 lines) about your experience on
the river or the natural beauty of the river.
• Your poem should be
grammatically correct, and you should not have any spelling errors.
• Your poem should be free-form,
although invented forms of poetry can be used.
• Your poem should have some
elements of poetry included (stanza structure, figurative language, sounds of
poetry).
• Your poem should be written on
one page of your journal and have no other journal entries on that page.
Assessment:
1. Performance and behavior on the river as
measured by chaperones and school staff members.
2. Journal response after river experience to
specific writing prompt.
3. Discussion of chaperones and school staff
members as to the success of the trip.