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Rafe Esquith: Five Tips to Help Children Develop Their Natural Gifts

#1456. Explorer Interviews

Social Studies, level: Elementary
Posted Mon Dec 20 17:24:36 PST 1999 by Stacey Drucker (HiStacey@aol.com).
Guggenheim Elementary School, Port Washington, NY
Materials Required: reference material, paper, index cards
Activity Time: based upon availability of research time
Concepts Taught: interviewing, writing, research, notetaking, learning about an explorer

The students will work in pairs. They will choose an explorer to research (using at least three sources). They will take notes on the explorer's early life, preparations for the voyage (ships, crews, needs, etc.), the actual trip, and the discovery (and what came next). After taking notes, they will write questions and answers to use as an interview. One student is the interviewer and one is the explorer. They must convert their notes into a question and answer format. They then present the interview to the whole class. We didn't have time, but they could also dress up. My students showed a photo of their actual explorer.