Side Trips are suggested extensions of the Westward HO! simulation. They can be used as whole class activities or as the focus of independent/group projects. These activities actively engage students in their own learning and provide opportunity to reach the "whole child". The activities can provide embedded assessment of content learning.

Side Trips enable each learner to engage in learning in the way(s) they learn best. When developing and implementing these activites, we call on our teaching expertise - knowing the interests of our students and utilizing what research tells us about learning:

• learners of all ages need to explore, discover and apply concepts in the real world
• assessment should be ongoing and part of the learning task
• learning requires adedquate time, resources and trust
• learning must be personally relevant
• learning must have application to the real world
• we each have unique learning styles and learning strengths - Multiple Intelligences
  • Linguistic - Verbal (oration, reading and writing projects)
  • Logical - Mathematical (categorizing flaura and fauna of the trail, accounting)
  • Spatial (murals, designing plans for the wagon)
  • Bodily - Kinesthetic (quilting, dance, children's games of old)
  • Musical (composing, finding the rhytms and patterns of music of the era, performing)
  • Interpersonal (leadership role, peace making role, empathy for social implications of history)
  • Intrapersonal (journaling, individual projects)

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	Classroom Teacher, The Wagonmaster © 1991 - 2013Leni Donlan and Katheleen Ferenz All Rights Reserved	Last Updated: 12/24/12