Tag: Learning Through Play

Authentic Project Ideas – My Bucket List

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Project Ideas, Blog, Uncategorized

So if you haven’t figured it out yet, I am a total geek. The Future Birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk has been a stop on my bucket list for a long time.

Yep, according to Star Trek lore, Captain Kirk will be born in Riverside, Iowa on March 22, 2228. The entire town is devoted to this. Banners, markers, and a museum so bad it is fantastic! 

While most students aren’t thinking about a “bucket list,” they can be thinking about places they would like to visit and why? This would be a great authentic geography lesson including research (reading), note taking (writing), math (distance to travel)…and depending on the destination many other subjects could be included, such as science fiction! 

In authentic teaching, boldly go where few teachers have gone before!

Authentic Project Ideas – Routes in the Sky

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Project Ideas, Blog, Uncategorized

Sitting at the airport watching planes.  So many possible authentic projects with planes. During the holiday season, I heard that the military air routes were opened for commercial traffic to help keep planes on time.  I didn’t realize we had different “routes” in the air.  Sorta like freeways in the sky!
This would be a neat topic for older students to explore.  Actually, two choices; routes in the sky and how to improve air travel.  Actually, tons of authentic topics! 
For younger students, perhaps creating routes for planes to travel on maps. 
Stories about getting stuck at airports – interviewing family members and creating a newspaper article – or writing a fiction story… This authentic project can go in a million different directions. 
Start with a photo…and see where you go! 

Authentic Project Ideas – Dams

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Project Ideas, Authentic Teaching, Blog, Uncategorized

This is a dam in Iowa. When my husband showed me this picture I didn’t even realize at first that it was a dam. Very attractively done, in my opinion.

This got us talking about the pros and cons of dams. Dams prevent many problems, but they also cause many problems.

Authentic Learning – These ideas can be used at any grade level. With younger students there will be more group produced work.

Read: Gather and read information from several sources. (Good authentic lessons don’t rely on just one source…Why not?)

Write: Take notes about what you are reading.

Math: How many dams are in our country? Create a graph showing numbers for the last decade/century.

Geography: Where are they dams. Create a map. Do they tend to be in one part of the country or all over?

Science: What problems do they prevent and why? What problems do they cause and why? Write a report. Create a poster or tri-board. Write a pamphlet.

Opinion: What do you think? What should we do about current dams/future dams.

Really Authentic Learning: This research may take your students in another direction – water usage, water shortages, conservation…

Authentic Project Ideas-Sandhills

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Project Ideas, Blog, Uncategorized

We recently returned from an amazing trip out west. We saw so many amazing and spectacular sights. The view above got us talking. (Even after 5,000 miles together in our car we were still speaking! The view just opened up a new topic.)

The above photo is of the Sandhills in Nebraska. It is a view we have seen often, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina! We did not expect to see Sand Dunes in landlocked Nebraska. They were covered in prairie grasses, but you could see plenty of sand under the grass.

Authentic project ideas – Explain how the sand got there. What can the land be used for? We saw cattle, hay…any other ideas? Do some research, create a proposal…

We saw many very small towns. As in really small towns. Some rivers and lakes. And mile after mile after mile of open land. As a matter of fact, what we have seen for most of our travels through the Western Plain States of the US has been open land. The population of many of these states is less than many cities on the East Coast. So there is another authentic path to take…. Why do the huge Western Plain States have such low population numbers? What other places in other countries have low population density? Do we really have a population problem on Earth? Couldn’t we just move people around? Why or why not? Lots of research needed, and even more thinking outside of the box.

A New Year

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Teaching, Blog, Books for Children, Social Awareness and Responsibility Skills, Uncategorized

I have decided to start the new year with an adaption of my favorite story. Many times, during my teaching career, I gifted a copy of this adaption, and a starfish necklace, to teachers I worked with, to remind them why we we do what we do.

A young boy was walking on the beach, he paused every so often, to pick up an object and throw it into the ocean. A man was watching the young boy. The boy came closer and the man said, “May I ask what you are doing?”

The young boy replied, “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the water by themselves. If they don’t get back into the water, they will die.” 

The man replied, “But there must be hundreds of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t be able to make much of a difference.”

The boy bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned and said, “It made a difference to that one!”

Adapted from The Star Thrower, by Loren Eiseley (1907 – 1977)

As I have stated many times, this blog started as a means to promote my books. Then it gradually, and authentically changed to be a means for me to post authentic ideas for teaching. So my blog about authentic teaching and learning is totally authentic! I didn’t plan for it to happen, it just did. And because I followed my interests and didn’t remain constrained by the original purpose of this blog, I have continued to grow as an educator, even in retirement.

Not only have I continued to grow as an educator, but I have been able to continue to make a difference in my own little way. Anyone who teaches, understands that we all want to make a difference, in our own little way. I know my blog does that. I get the biggest thrill to see all the different countries that people are from who read my blog. Wow, what a head trip!

Also, writing my books has allowed me to continue to make a difference. All of my books, children’s and adult, are written to educate. And, of course, being asked to write a book about The Jared Box Project – what an honor. Eyen, Tex, and I feel truly privileged that we were able to help spread the word about this amazing project.

So, I begin 2024 by thanking you for allowing me to indulge in my passions, and feel that I am continuing in my own little authentic way to make a small difference in the world.

As educators, it is easy to become overwhelmed with what we are tasked to accomplish.  So, remember the starfish story, try to make a difference, one starfish at a time…

A Most Wonderful Time of Year – Maybe

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Teaching, Blog, Social Awareness and Responsibility Skills, Uncategorized

“Giving Back.” This has always been my “theme” for December, and a very authentic one at that. I have shared ideas for giving to others throughout my blog. Most can be found under “Social Awareness and Responsibility Skills.”

For so many, hmmmm, maybe most of us, the holidays is not a Hallmark Holiday Special. (Not knocking them, I love them!) There is definitely a “set up” for most people. The holidays never turn out as you want, or expect them to.

I have always found that giving to others is the highlight of my holiday season. For those who have so much, it is important to give back. And for those who have less, but can still give, it really takes the sting out of the disappointments that might occur.

I hope your holiday season is going well, wherever and whatever you are celebrating! You are making my holiday season brighter by just reading my blog!

Teaching Authentically at the Holidays

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Teaching, Blog, Social Awareness and Responsibility Skills, Uncategorized

This is the time of year when I always come back to my favorite family holiday story. I have told it many times, but feel it is worthy of repeating.

As a preteen in South Florida (note the Florida themed Christmas Tree in the photo above) my great-grandfather gave me Avon face powder for a holiday gift. Needless to say, I was disappointed by this gift. Instead of lecturing me about being ungrateful, or exchanging the powder for a different gift, my mother agreed that this was not a great gift for a girl my age. She suggested that perhaps there was a young woman somewhere that might not be getting gifts for the holidays who would appreciate this gift.

This was before the internet, Giving Trees, etc., and it took many phone calls for my mother to find an agency that was collecting gifts for needy families. We ended up “adopting” a family for the holidays. Our whole family picked out gifts for this family. This was a tradition we continued throughout my childhood, and a tradition I continued with my own children.

With the internet, Toys for Tots, Giving Trees… There are so many ways for children to become authentically engaged in the spirit of the holidays. Children can be given examples of ways to make the holidays special for others, can choose to engage in these activities/organizations, or come up with new authentic ideas.

Happy December! Happy Authentic Teaching!

The Gift of Authentic Learning

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Teaching, Blog, Uncategorized

On a recent road trip, we ended up spending the night in Wilson, Kansas.
This city is the Czech Capital of Kansas and has the largest Czech Egg in the
world!

There were also many other smaller, gorgeous eggs around the town. If you
have ever visited Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, it reminded me of that town,
except there were Groundhogs all over Punxsutawney, and Eggs all over Wilson.

So much of authentic learning is paying attention to what is around
you. Add a dose of curiosity and a cell phone to do some research, and an
overnight stop becomes a lesson in Czech and Slovak folk art, culture, and history.

I was fortunate enough to attend a middle school that operated by authentic
teaching and learning. This developed a life-long curiosity that has never left me. I just can’t drive by the largest Czech Egg in the world without looking this up and doing research. By the time I was finished I had spent an evening reading about the history of the Slavic region of the world.

What a gift that middle school gave me.

Unfortunately, the town Folk Art Gift Shop was being renovated. My husband
viewed this as a bonus as we didn’t leave the town with a shopping bag of gorgeous Czech Eggs.  (No worries, I believe you can buy them on line!)

Authentic Project Ideas – Planning for a Business

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Project Ideas, Blog, Uncategorized

On a recent road trip, we stopped at a marble company in Kansas. It was a fantastic shop full of machine-made marbles, plus the owners were also making speciality marbles by hand.

We were able to chat with one of the owners, and heard about the history of the company. They started in the wood carving business almost 30 years ago. They carved everything from furniture to toys. One of the game boards required marbles, and they got into the marble business.

We were also told how the building they rented was on railroad land, so they rented from the railroad. This meant their rent was significantly lower than the buildings just across the street.

I started to think about all of the authentic business lessons were were learning about. How businesses change and evolve, rent or ownership of a building if needed, materials, low to high-end product costs…

It would be a great authentic project for students to pick a business they were interested in owning and plan for that business. The learning, lessons, and academic tie-ins are endless. As students would pick their own business, interest would be high, but the common ground for planning for a business would make class instruction easier. This could be done for young learners with simple planning, to older learners with in-depth research and plans. Who knows, one of these authentic plans might turn into a real business!

And my husband could not leave the shop without making a joke about losing his marbles…sigh

Authentic Project Ideas – Sorting Apples?

by Eleanor K. Smith, posted in Authentic Project Ideas, Blog, Uncategorized

I am not exactly sure what this machine is doing.  I can think of several things it might be doing.  I can also think of ways to make it do what I think it is doing better – punctuation lesson – add punctuation to this sentence so you don’t have to read it three times for it to make sense!

So, maybe a driving question is, “What is happening in this picture?”  An authentic project might be to improve the machine in this picture.  Or maybe, write a story about what took place in this room.  A factual story about what the machine does, a fictional story about people who work this machine, or maybe a ghost story about something that happened in this room 200 years ago!

And if this turns into an authentic project about ways to improve apple farming, that is authentic learning.