Thinkfinity Partner Resources for Afterschool

January 30, 2008

EDSITEment (5)

Memorializing Your Family in a Quilt K-3 (4-12) Part of lesson plan

http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=346#LESSON3

Here's an activity that's ideal for afterschool, found in a set of three lesson plans from EDSITEment. In the lesson, learners discover how people of different cultures and time periods have used cloth-based art forms to pass down their traditions and history. After conducting family interviews, young people construct their own or a group quilt from poster boardor whatever materials are at hand. The family interview is a great way to draw on community resources and add a cultural dimension to an afterschool activity. It also enables each person to contribute from her or his unique perspective, which is motivating for youth.

Meaning Behind the Mask K-2 Plan/activity

http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=314

Found on EDSITEment, this activity encourages learners to explore the cultural significance of masks, discuss the use of masks in stories, and then investigate the role masks play in ceremonies and special occasions in various African cultures. After hearing different African folktales, each participant designs a mask to represent a character in the story. Meaning Behind the Mask provides young people with a hands-on, creative experience, and it is an excellent activity for raising awareness about the social purpose and importance of cultural artifacts, and for drawing connections between cultures and societies.

Exploring Music and Movement K-6 Part of lesson plan (Lessons 3 & 4)

http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=252#LESSON3

In Exploring Music and Movement, two components of a five-part lesson plan from EDSITEment, the emphasis is on listening, multicultural understanding, and self-expression. In this set of activities, participants listen to a variety of popular, traditional, and ethnic American music, from the evocative sounds of Native American drumming to the lively sounds of zydeco music from Louisiana. Through this lesson, young people learn about musical instruments and the geographic and cultural context of music. Educators can then use the worksheet to facilitate a group discussion, eliciting the participants' impressions about and personal responses to the music.

Understanding Technology Today 4-6 (K-3, 7-12) Part of lesson plan

http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=408%20#LESSON1

The first of a four-lesson unit found on EDSITEment, Understanding Technology Today helps young people begin to think about what technology is and how it affects their lives. This lesson can be adapted for afterschool learners of all ages, guiding them in comparing and contrasting life and technology in the early part of the twentieth century with technology found in their own homes and experiences. In this way, young people gain a greater understanding of how far the fields of industry and entertainment have progressed since Thomas Edison's day and of how Edison's work was the foundation for technology they enjoy today.

Eyewitness to History K-3 (4-12) Plan/activity

http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=331

Families connect us to our own history and to the history of the world around us. In this lesson from EDSITEment, young people explore this second set of connections, talking with family members about landmark events they have witnessed in their lifetimes to learn how history touches our lives. By the end of this activity, young people will be able to recognize that events they have witnessed in their own lives can also contribute to how others make sense of history. Any combination of this lesson's four short activities would work in a variety of afterschool contexts. These activities can also be adapted for participants of all ages.

ReadWriteThink (8)

Soundtrack for my life HS (7-8) Plan/activity

http://www.readwritethink.org/beyondtheclassroom/summer/grades9_12/Autobiography/

This activity from ReadWriteThink invites high school-aged youth to create an autobiographical soundtrack by pairing important events in their life stories with music that is representative of those events. Recommended as a group activity, Soundtrack for My Life is ideal for the afterschool setting as it encourages participants to explore their identities through the combination of words, images, and music.

Exploring the Library 4-6 (K-3, 7-8) Plan/activity

http://www.readwritethink.org/beyondtheclassroom/summer/grades3_5/Library/

All children must be equipped to meet 21st-century challenges with the ability to access, use, and evaluate information competently. They can learn many of these skills at the library. Exploring the Library, an activity from ReadWriteThink, offers suggestions for different ways of using your local public or an online library's free programs and resources. Designed for grades 4-6, but easily adaptable to include grades K-8, this afterschool activity not only cultivates literacy, critical thinking skills, and global awareness, but it also encourages and invites family and community participation and involvement both inside and outside the afterschool setting.

Design a Travel Brochure 7-8 (4-6, HS) Plan/activity

http://www.readwritethink.org/beyondtheclassroom/summer/grades6_8/TravelBrochure/

This activity, from ReadWriteThink, invites young people to learn writing skills, history, and geography through travel. After visiting someplace new over the summer or learning about an interesting destination, young people create a Travel Brochurecomplete with pictures, photographs, maps, and details about what they see or learn. Designed for grades 7-8, this hands-on, research-oriented activity can be used to explore issues of multicultural understanding in afterschool settings. The technology requirements suggested for this resource are optional.

Practice Letters, Sounds with Online Games K-3 Plan/activity

http://www.readwritethink.org/beyondtheclassroom/summer/gradesK_2/LettersSounds/

For beginning readers, repetition is the best way to learn how to recognize letters, what they sound like, and what words start with them. Reading books is, of course, an excellent way to practice, but games and other activities can be fun ways for young people to learn and remember these literacy skills. This lesson from ReadWriteThink offers three activities about letter recognition and letter/sound matching. Designed for younger participants (grades K-3), these games can be played one at a time or in combination with each other, indoors or outside; they can also be played in a variety of afterschool settings. Parent and community participation make these hands-on games even more engaging for participants.

Explore and Write about Nature 4-6 (K-3) Plan/activity

http://www.readwritethink.org/beyondtheclassroom/summer/grades3_5/NatureWriting/

In Explore and Write about Nature from ReadWriteThink, young people ask questions and make connections that will help them improve their reading, writing, and scientific exploration skills. In this activity, young people look closely at living things in their natural environments and then make books about what they see. Explore and Write about Nature encourages learners in afterschool settings to go outside and explore the world around them firsthand. Activities in this lesson are flexible and adaptable to one-on-one learning or group work.

Mystery Cube 4-6 (K-3, 7-8) Interactive

http://readwritethink.org/materials/mystery_cube/MysteryCube.pdf

ReadWriteThink hosts Mystery Cube, an online series of interactive lessons where learners separate a mystery into six distinct elements: setting, clues, crime or mystery, victim, detective, and solution. Using Mystery Cube, young people can identify the elements of mystery stories, practice using vocabulary from the mystery genre, and sort and summarize information. These lessons can jumpstart discussions about how writers construct mysteries as well as afterschool writing workshops where participants try writing their own.

Celebrate Heroes 7-8 (4-6, HS) Plan/activity

http://www.readwritethink.org/beyondtheclassroom/summer/grades6_8/Heroes/

Celebrate Heroes on ReadWriteThink encourages young people to spend a little time thinking and writing about what makes a hero and who their personal heroes might be. This lesson is ideal for afterschool given its connection to youth development, and also because it can be easily broken down into short activities and does not depend on technology resources.

Use Photos to Write Summer Stories K-3 (4-6) Plan/activity

http://www.readwritethink.org/beyondtheclassroom/summer/gradesK_2/PhotoStories/

Developed for ReadWriteThink, this creative project helps young people tell stories about themselves. Participants write about favorite photos for a homemade summer memory book. Designed for grades K-2, the hands-on, individual project nature of this activity is ideal for afterschool learning. Weaving storytelling, community involvement,and language arts, the activity is easily adaptable for afterschool learners up through middle school grades.

Science NetLinks (3)

Sink or Float? K-3 (4-6) Part of plan

http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?DocID=164

Located in the Development section of the Sink or Float? lesson by Science NetLinks, this activity asks learners to make and test predictions about whether items will sink or float in water. This hands-on activity will help participants learn about doing experiments and prepares them for the exploration of concepts such as density and forces in later elementary grades. Afterschool educators can replicate the printable resource for this activity on a whiteboard so that the group can work together. This resource also includes suggestions for related literature, online activities, and other ways to extend the learning.

Reaction Time, Zap! 4-6 (K-3, 7-8) Interactive

http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?DocID=364

Reaction Time 2: Zap!, from Science NetLinks, helps young people learn how to improve skills through practice and awareness, using a reaction-time interactive that challenges both visual and auditory responsiveness. This interactive also supports self-reflection as participants think about their own learning and the strategies for learning new skills and ideas that work best for them. In the Development section, educators will find information about this interactive tool as well as suggestions for paired activities and follow-up questions. Note that computers with sound are required for this resource.

Rock Hunters K-3 Plan or part, & interactive

http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?DocID=365

Presented in the Motivation section of this Rock Hunters lesson by Science NetLinks, this activity prompts young people to make detailed observations of rocks. In the process, they gain an understanding that there are many types of rocks with a multitude of different attributes. In afterschool contexts, learners can look at the online photos of various rocks, using the embedded E-sheet. Then, if it's an option, they can go outside to collect rocks and make observations, comparing rocks with one another and matching them to the types on the E-sheet.

Smithsonian (4)

(please note these resource titles are abridged)

Agricultural Nation -Image Cards 4-6 (7-8, HS) Lesson plan

http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/learning/thinkfinity/AOTM_Unit1_Activity1.pdf

In this activity from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, young people use visual, analytical, and interpretive skills to examine primary sources and learn about how crops were harvested, transported, and sold in 1880s America. The "Clues Sheet" helps learners develop and strengthen skills in interpreting and evaluating data, chronological thinking, and problem-solving. The hands-on collaboration promoted by this resource works well in afterschool settings. This activity, designed for grades 4-6 but adaptable for older program participants, can stand alone or serve as a starting point for other history, transportation, health and nutrition, or cultural/community activities.

1970s 2000 Global Economy Your Neighborhood 4-6, 7-8 (HS) Lesson plan

http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/learning/thinkfinity/AOTM_Unit5_Activity4.pdf

In this activity from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, young people conduct research and answer questions about the impact of globalization in their own communities. Inviting program participants to think about these issues in their own local context makes the activities more immediate and meaningful. Young people will employ research skills to obtain historical data, analyze and make decisions, identify issues and problems in the past, and connect the past to the present. There are various ways for educators to adapt the components of this lesson plan to suit their particular program, participants, and goals.

Drive Through Time 4-6 (K-3, 7-8, HS) Interactive game

http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/games/game2/game2.html

With this interactive from Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, learners of all ages can use a virtual time machine to explore modes of transportation during four different eras and create a photo album of their trip with period photographs. A computer and Internet access are necessary for this activity. It's a great way for afterschool educators to help youth build chronology skills, develop a better understanding of change over time, and discover how transportation has impacted the growth of American commerce, communities, landscapes, and people. Educators can also extend this interactive by connecting transportation throughout America's history to the group's own family and community histories.

Be a Movie Director 4-6, 7-8, HS Interactive game

http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/games/game3/

This resource from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History prompts young people in grades 4-12 to explore the Museum's collections as they create a movie using images from an online image database. With this fun interactive that leverages young people's interest in movies and fast cars, learners build chronology skills, develop a better understanding of change over time, and discover how transportation has impacted the growth of American pop culture, commerce, communities, landscapes, and people. A computer and Internet access are required for this activity,

Xpeditions (6)

Backyard Naturalist All Plan/activity

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/activities/08/backyard.html

This Xpeditions activity guides young people through various online resources to learn about their local flora and fauna, in order to become well-informed naturalists. Participants take this knowledge out into their backyards and do field-work, learning in a real-life context. This activity is an excellent way for learners of all ages to get acquainted with nature. In addition, both learning and fieldwork exercises can broaden young people's science/inquiry, literacy, and geography skills at once. Variations for young and old Xpeditioners are also provided, as well as suggestions for parent and educator involvement.

Culture Clues All Plan/activity

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/activities/08/cultureclues.html

In this Xpeditions activity, participants use photography to document visual clues that help them determine the cultural make-up of their community. Young people are encouraged to think about cultural diversity in broad terms and to find that diversity within their own neighborhoods and communities. Combining photography with social studies, Culture Clues provides a great way for afterschool programs to cultivate anthropology and sociology skills by addressing issues of identity, culture, and geography. With age-appropriate variation, both younger and older Xpeditioners can showcase their findings by combining written descriptions with their pictures. Suggestions for parent and educator involvement are also included.

Fossil Impressions K-6 Part of plan

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/guides/smimpressions.pdf

Fossil Impressions, an Xpeditions activity, presents a fun, tactile learning experience that teaches young people about fossils. Participants create an imprint in clay that hardens into a mold, and use Plaster of Paris to create a corresponding cast. This short activity is a wonderful opportunity for young people to use raw materials to make something tangible while at the same time, they learn about the fossilization process.

Population Pasta All Plan/activity

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/activities/09/pasta.html

Population Pasta, from Xpeditions, helps young people investigate population statistics. Using different types of pasta to represent different numbers of people, learners of all ages are encouraged to experiment with graphs, maps, and other tools to illustrate the population densities of various countries. Combining the fields of geography and statistics, this activity also opens up a dialogue where young people can begin to compare and contrast different countries. Additional activities using online resources are suggested with variations by age; and this activity includes suggestions for parent and educator involvement as well.

It Takes a Rookery All Plan/activity

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/activities/10/mpenguins1.html

In this Xpeditions activity, learners of all ages begin to explore the notion of "community." They first study emperor penguin and other animal communities then apply what they have learned to determine how they can participate more in their own communities. Because this activity is completed in steps that build on each other, It Takes a Rookery can be done at once or broken into parts. It is flexible enough for various afterschool formats. A number of online resources are provided to promote the use of media and technology in learning. In addition, this activity draws a direct connection between behavioral science and the learners' interactions with each other. Activities for various Xpeditioner age groups are suggested as well as activities that parents and educators can use to reinforce the concepts addressed.

Soundscape: A Sense of Sound All Plan/activity

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/activities/10/gasounds.html

A Sense of Sound is a geography activity developed for Xpeditions. In this activity, young people explore the ways in which sound contributes to a sense of place. They first listen to the sounds of three communities in the United States, then investigate the sounds that represent their own communities. The project is a great example of integrating storytelling and problem-solving while exploring history and geographic content, and works for afterschool learners of all age ranges. The resource suggests variations for younger and older Xpeditioners as well as ways for parents to get involved.