| Educational Curriculum > Creative Problem Solving |
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A...My Name Is Alice and In My Automobile I'm Taking
Objective: Students will select from a given list the items they think would be most useful on a trip such as Mead and Mello's 1999 recreation or Alice Ramsey's 1909 drive. Students will defend their choices.
Curriculum Area: Problem solving/ critical thinking, Cooperative learning
Materials: Supply list (attached), paper and pencils.
Procedure:
Divide the class into small groups of three or four. Explain that Mead and Mello drove on a variety of roads from highways to small secondary roads. They will need to carry certain supplies with them just as Alice did when she made her trip in 1909.
Distribute the list of items and challenge the students to select the 10 items they think are most important to bring with them. Each item must be defended. In other words, students must explain why that particular item is essential. Point out that there are more than ten items on the list, but they must choose the 10 most important for them. Stress that there is no wrong answer as long as they can give a reason for choosing it. Set a time limit (suggested: 20 minutes). At the end of the allotted time, have each group present its list and reasoning. Allow discussion of opposing ideas. After all the groups have presented, allow teams a chance to change their lists if they have been convinced by their classmates' arguments.
Mead & Mello's Supply List:
1. Full-size spare tire
2. Tire jack
3. Tire chains
4. Cooler with water, soft drinks, fruit, crackers and other snacks
5. Laptop computer
6. Cellular phone
7. Digital camera
8. Video camera
9. Maps
10. Clothes with sponsor's logos/names on them
11. Warm jacket
12. Umbrella
13. Bathing suit
14. Extra batteries
15. Music CDs
Objective: Students will use map skills and logic to predict Mead and Mello's route.
Curriculum Area: Map Skills, Problem solving/critical thinking
Materials: Paper and pencil for each group, road maps of the United States, atlases, list of cities and states (see below)
Procedure: Ask a student to give verbal directions to a location in the school building, the principal's office, the library, etc. Ask another student if they could suggest a different route. Point out that there are usually several ways to get from one point to another. Explain that they are going to work with some information and a map and try to predict what route Sue Mead and Tara Mello took to get to San Francisco.
Group the children in small groups of three or four. Distribute the lists of cities and states. Explain that these are the cities, arranged by alphabetical order, that Mead and Mello will pass through or near on their trip. The list of states is all the states they will pass through. Explain that their task is to match the cities with the states and figure out Mead and Mello's route. You
might begin by having students identify some of the better known cities such as Albany and Cleveland. If necessary, teach them how to use the listing of cities in the atlas or on the map and the grid system for locating the cities on the map. Remind them that several states may have cities of the same name. For example, there is an Albany, Georgia and an Albany, New York. The students must decide which is the more logical city for Mello and Mead to visit. Remind the students that Mead and Mello traveled from New York City to San Francisco. After the children complete their predictions, share Mead and Mello's route with them so they can see how they did.
CITIES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER:
Albany
Ashtabula
Buffalo
Carson City
Cheyenne
Chicago
Cleveland
Coalville
Davenport
Des Moines
Ely
Erie
Eureka
Fallon
Fish Springs
Gary
Grand Island
Hayward
Iowa City
Kimball
Lagrange
Laramie
Moline
New York City
North Platte
Oakland
Ogallala
Omaha
Provo
Rawlins
Reno
Rock Springs
Sacramento
Salt Lake City
San Francisco
Sioux City
South Bend
Stockton
Syracuse
Toledo
Webster City
STATES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER:
California
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Nebraska
Nevada
New York
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Utah
Wyoming
CITIES GROUPED BY STATE:
New York
New York City
Albany
Syracuse
Buffalo
Pennsylvania
Erie
Ohio
Ashtabula
Cleveland
Toledo
Indiana
Lagrange
South Bend
Gary
Illinois
Chicago
Moline
Iowa
Davenport
Iowa City
Des Moines
Webster City
Sioux City
Nebraska
Omaha
Grand Island
North Platte
Ogallala
Kimball
Wyoming
Cheyenne
Laramie
Rawlins
Rock Springs
Utah
Coalville
Salt Lake City
Provo
Fish Springs
Nevada
Ely
Eureka
Fallon
Reno
Carson City
California
Sacramento
Stockton
Hayward
Oakland
San Francisco