Exploration Gallery Walk

The students in my 3rd/4th grade reading class have been studying early explorers throughout the trimester. They have read articles, novels, and researched about explorers to gain a deeper understanding on how exploration has impacted our history and why it is important to the development of our society. These were the key questions the students focused on as they completed activities throughout trimester.

As a culminating project the students had to take on the role of a modern day explorer. The students chose a location of interest and researched the following topics: geography & climate, products & trade, societal values, landmarks & attractions, government, and culture. Then the students chose artifacts to represent their location, and created a slideshow to justify why their artifacts were significant representations.

The first challenge for the students to overcome in this activity was learning how to find important and credible information, as well as putting the facts in their own language. Our LRC director, Mrs. Sayre, came in to teach a fabulous lesson on researching skills. The second hurdle the students had to tackle was learning how to take their researched information and use it to justify why their artifacts were good representations of their location. The students had to analyze their information to create logical explanations.

After the projects were completed the students held an Exploration Gallery Walk. The visitors had to make an inference on what location each student studied based on the slideshows and artifacts he/she shared.

Exploration Gallery Walk 

   

To conclude our unit on early explorers, the students went back to the two essential questions that were proposed at the beginning of the trimester. In groups they brainstormed thoughts to the questions, and then created a whole group response. It was a nice conclusion to our learning this trimester!

How has exploration impacted history?
Exploration has impacted history in many ways. Long ago during the time of early explorers some challenges the explorers faced were disease and illness. They did not have medicine. By exploring the new world, they discovered plants. They used these plants to make medicine. By coming to the new world the explorers were given new opportunities to better their lives, such as more efficient tools, jobs, and cures for disease. The people who came to the new world became very knowledgeable. The new world provided a new life for people. New governments, new leaders, and a new future of opportunities.

Why is exploration vital to the development of society?

• As we continue to make new discoveries, we can create better medicine, to help cure diseases that do not yet have a cure.
• We can improve mankind. For example, the more we discover and learn the more inventions we can create for those in need. What if we could find better solutions to helping people who are physically disabled?
• The more we discover, the more we learn, the more we can create new things.
• The more we discover unknown places the more chance we have at possibly overcoming the challenge of world issues, such as global warming.