The Bulldog's Adventure
I contacted Lisa and asked for more detail in regards to her project. After reading her response, her project reminded me of the "Flat Stanley" projects our 3rd-grade teachers and students at Ballard have been doing for many years. The thing I liked about the Bulldog's Adventure was that it was going to allow our students to see this similar project from a different point of view. Instead of being the person who begins the project, students are participating and collaborating with another class to help them complete their project. At the same time, they also learn about their own state and other places around the world.
The month of May can be, let me rephrase that, the month of May is one of the busiest months for a classroom teacher, yet I went out on a limb and wanted to share this idea with our Ballard teachers. I was hoping this would do one of two things: 1) allow teachers to see and hear about this opportunity or 2) inspire a teacher or two to participate. I did receive three responses from different teachers stating that they were interested in participating in this activity. I thanked them and wished them a fantastic summer break, while also sharing that I would be in touch at the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year with more details to follow.
Just like clockwork, summer break flashed in front of us for a brief moment and then we found ourselves back at school. In August 2017, I received another email from Lisa Davis. This email was addressed to all those who showed interest in her Bulldog's Adventure project. She shared the finalized planning stages and included a shared Google Doc that combined the directions and ideas for the project. The basics for each teacher/class were to contribute at least one slide to the shared Google Slide journal that shows a picture of the Bulldog in a significant location near their school (or in a classroom) and a short narrative about the picture. (Monument, landmark, a body of water, mountains, historical location, national park, etc.) You can also include a picture of your school on a new slide or picture of your class that is participating! Partner classes were also asked to mail the Bulldog to his next location which will be noted on the shared Google Sheet.
The originating classroom planned to log the Bulldog's journey on a large map with push pins and string while reviewing the travel journal (Google Slideshow) each week on the morning announcements (the originating school records their announcements). They also have been asking a weekly math question for the students to answer (ex. how many miles did the bulldog travel between point A and point B, if the UPS truck gets 10 miles per gallon of gas, how many gallons of gas did it use to bring the bulldog to his next location, etc.)
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| Lisa shared a link to the postcards she used for her map. Thank You, Lisa! |
Other possible activities that could be done with this project include but are not limited to the following:
- Use the Google Slideshow to share information about each location.
- Have a weekly math challenge related to the miles the Bulldog travels. (how many miles did the bulldog travel between point A and point B, if the UPS truck gets 10 miles per gallon of gas, how many gallons of gas did it use to bring the bulldog to his next location, etc.)
- Have students participate in a Genius Hour and research a location that they would like to know more about. Present some interesting facts about what they find out to their classmates.
- Make a travel board and include the interesting facts they researched as well as pictures of those locations students may want to visit!
- Participate in a Google Hangout with a partner school to compare and contrast communities.
Similar to May, August is nonetheless another time of the school year where there is definitely not enough hours in a day for teachers, administrators or parents. Yet, once again, I dared to do the unthinkable and reached out to the three teachers that had shared an interest in participating in the Bulldog's Adventure this school year. In this email, I shared the original and newly developed details in regards to the project and the tentative, most things are tentative for educators, Bulldog arrival date of April 2018.
Unfortunately, the Bulldog had a rough winter break and found a new home in which no one quite knows his address yet. So, as all teachers do (day in and day out), Lisa was flexible and made adjustments to her initial plans. She purchased a few more "Bulldogs" and readjusted the "itinerary" for the Bulldog's travels.
Here you will find a shared doc of all the different locations the Bulldog will/had travel(ed) this school year, here. (http://bit.ly/2rM4L48 )
Due to the fact that the Google Slide shares pictures of students around the world, I will not be sharing this part of the project. I did share it with each classroom teacher who participated in the project. Below are the slides from the two Ballard third grade classes (Jordison and DeHamer) created together.
