We’re halfway through the April Challenge- raise your hand if you’ve heard a student say they don’t have anything to write about yet!
Yeah, I thought so.
Did you know you can slice about things you experience digitally? Today, I invite you to take a field trip with no school bus, no volunteers, and no stress! Here are some fun opportunities for students to virtually embark upon and write about.
For the animal lovers…
San Diego Zoo Live Cameras take students into their favorite animal’s exhibit.
Slice about…
- the weather
- what the animal is doing
- what any spectators are doing (if visible)
- how it makes you feel to be there
- any facts you know about the animal
And imagine…
- what it smells like
- what it sounds like
- what the animal is thinking
For the art lovers…
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has an interactive #MetKids interface where kids can explore, click, and learn. (Tip: Make sure students know that an underlined word is a link to an image).
Slice about…
- What you see
- What you learned about it
- How you found it
- Your opinion about it
- What you could do with it
- What does it remind you of?
And imagine…
- What was the artist thinking?
- What does this remind you of?
For the outdoorsy types…
Yellowstone National Park has video hikes for students to follow.
Slice about…
- What you see that’s different from where you live
- What you hear. What could it be?
- A connection to another place
And imagine…
- Which animals are hiding nearby?
- What is the temperature outside?
- Who would you walk with if you were there? What would you talk about?
For the engineers…
If you’ve got writers who love to figure out how something works, check out the following videos of places previously unexplored destinations:
Follow an item through the Amazon warehouse as it prepares to be shipped
Follow a checked suitcase through the airport underground to the plane
Find your way through a candy factory as a piece of Smartie’s candy is made
Pretend YOU are the item, and slice about…
- What are you thinking?
- Do you know where you’re going and what is happening to you?
- Does it feel good? Does it hurt?
- What sights or sounds surprise you?
- Do you see any of your friends?
Have fun adventuring to new places, and please share any great slices of these adventures with us in the comments or through your class blog, linked on the Classroom SOLSC Homepage.
TWO WRITING TEACHERS 