Author: Eleanor K. Smith

My husband and I have been on a mission to visit all fifty US States since we retired. It will be ten years next summer, and we have four states left.

We just returned from Idaho, and we were blown away by the beauty of this state. It is truly a gem. We also had the best potato chips ever in the “Potato State!”

We knew Idaho was known for potatoes, but we didn’t expect all the beautiful mountains. The photo above is of the Sawtooth Mountains, well named for their sawtooth appearance. (If you are reading this as a subscriber, you may need to go to my blog to see the photos I attach.)

As we have travelled the United States, I’ve been continually surprised by the difference in the mountains. Growing up in South Florida (aka flat), I assumed all mountains looked the same. They do not! From the volcanic rock mountains of Idaho, to the granite mountains of Colorado, the shale mountains in the east that match up with mountain ranges in Africa… So many different materials that compose mountains.

There are also so many different ways mountains are formed. The main types of mountains include fold, fault-block, volcanic and dome.

And then there’s erosion. The older and smaller Apalachians of the east used to be higher than the Rockies, but erosion has worn them down over the millenniums.

There are so many authentic projects to do about mountains. Formation, composition, economic impact…. How in the world did early settlers traverse these majestic landforms? Are mountains still forming, eroding? Why do the mountains of the east coast of the US match up with mountains on the west coast of Africa? What is mined inside mountains, on mountains? How do mountains attract tourists?

Can you breathe on top of a 14,000 foot high mountain. (Barely! I went to the top of Pikes Peak. First gift shop I ever skipped in my life. Not enough oxygen for me to shop!)

Remember, you don’t need to visit a mountain for a project to be authentic. You just need to let your students approach the project in a way that incorporates their needs and interests. Sixth-grade me would like to plan a gift shop, at an elevation low enough that I can breathe, that sells beads made from all the different rocks and materials found in and on mountains. My first-grade husband would definitely want to create charts with the heights of all the mountains in the world.

Mountains of authentic project possibilities…

How did pumpkins become a symbol for Fall? How did pumpkins become so important to Thanksgiving in the US?  What other countries use pumpkins as a symbol for Fall? Why might this be? How many different ways can you use a pumpkin?  How many colors do pumpkins come in?  Is a pumpkin a gourd?  Or is a gourd a pumpkin? 

Where are pumpkins grown?  How big can pumpkins get? 

So many authentic ways to go with this!

Happy Fall Y’all!

This is a photo of the Paint Mines in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Native Americans “mined” the brightly colored bands to make paint. There is evidence of human life in the area of the mines as far back as 9,000 years ago.

I am always amazed by the ingenuity and creativity of the Native Americans. This area is truly amazing, my photo does not do it justice. But, it is even more amazing that the Native Americans saw this area, and realized that they could use the brightly colored bands as the basis for different colored paints.

What else did Native Americans use to make paints? What did other groups of humans use in the past to make paints? What are the different ways that they used these paints? How do we know that they used the materials found in the mines for paints?

An authentic project might be to use things found in nature today to create paints, and to use them. Perhaps, a display explaining how a group of humans created paints and dyes in the past could be made using only paints and dyes created by your students. Who knows what they might discover as a basis for paints and dyes!

*You might want your students to cover their clothes with smocks, before they start to make and use the paints and dyes. More importantly, have any visitors to your room do the same. Especially a visiting school district supervisor, wearing a flowing kaftan. I’ll skip that “fun” story, you can use your imagination!

I love fountains.  The sound of water is so soothing.  I’ve been sitting here happily listening to the water run in the fountain pictured above, for almost an hour.  So relaxing!

I think it would be really fun, interesting, educational, and authentic to design a fountain.
What are the pros and cons of fountains?  Pros: Relaxing… Cons: Water usage, energy usage…. How could you make a fountain water and energy efficient?

Young students could use writing and math in their fountain designs.  Older students could add research about water and energy efficiency. 

Present your fountains with brochures, posters, models, even working models!
The best part is that everyone can incorporate their passions into their designs.  A football or soccer themed fountain.  A princess or mermaid themed fountain.  Outer space, the sea…

Bonus research: Why did people start throwing coins in fountains?

This is the latest addition to the ways to get around DisneyWorld. When I first heard about this, I couldn’t imagine how this would be an easy and efficient way to move people around, but it really works. They even have a system that pulls off every tenth or so vehicle, to be loaded separately for people who need extra time, have wheelchairs, etc. Very efficient!

I have heard rumors that Penn State University, where we live, has a plan to eventually end all campus traffic and parking, and transport people in from outlying parking lots to the campus. The rumors include the use of buses, or a monorail system.

This would be a really cool authentic project, designing a way to keep cars out of a specific area by developing a plan to get people quickly and efficiently into the area using methods of mass transportation. Even more fun, develop a new method of mass transportation. This could also lead to an authentic project about the benefits of mass transit.

Models, charts, proposals…lots of ways to present authentic ideas.

*I am not totally thrilled about the dangling-by-a-cable part of the Skyliner travel, but it looks secure so I just ignore that part!