IMAGINE THIS DAY
Thirty-two students in groups of four travel by bus to the Monuments in Washington, D.C. Each group is chaperoned by an inspiring teacher who has learned the material of a tour guide and has a lesson plan to teach a broad curriculum with a variety of methods on the ride to our destinations. The curriculum is broken into small units and each unit is supported by poems, videos, music, reading and writing that tie in with the unit and keep the lessons lively and varied.
The students arrive knowledgeable, eager, inspired, and prepared because they have watched a video, seen a PowerPoint, and had mature, teacher-directed conversations with one another and with their teacher/chaperone.
Upon reaching their destination, these small groups are led by their teachers to first time experiences that they are prepared for and that allow for hands-on, real-life discovery. Following each Monument tour the students engage in small group discussions and guided, reflective writings.
After the morning tour, these groups are provided lunch in the shadow of the Washington Monument, while their teachers facilitate values-centered discussions of the words they have read and touched chiseled in stone at the Jefferson, Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorials. The students will connect King’s words to Lincoln and Jefferson’s; and discussions about historical relationships, the power of words, and the commitment to causes will come together as students begin to articulate their own beliefs and principles.
In the afternoon at the University of Mary Washington, the students will tour the grounds, have an inspirational and informative lecture from a professor, listen to college students speak on university life and a dean explain the college application process and ways to pay for undergraduate education. Perhaps while snacking in Adirondack chairs under shade trees at Ball Circle, students will begin dreaming about a future of their own making. They will see possibilities and begin to believe in them.
On the ride home, students will peruse college websites, calculate the costs of colleges, research scholarships, compose essays about aspects of their day, engage in discussions, and write thank you notes to the donors who made their trips possible.
Why imagine this day? Together we can make it happen.
The students arrive knowledgeable, eager, inspired, and prepared because they have watched a video, seen a PowerPoint, and had mature, teacher-directed conversations with one another and with their teacher/chaperone.
Upon reaching their destination, these small groups are led by their teachers to first time experiences that they are prepared for and that allow for hands-on, real-life discovery. Following each Monument tour the students engage in small group discussions and guided, reflective writings.
After the morning tour, these groups are provided lunch in the shadow of the Washington Monument, while their teachers facilitate values-centered discussions of the words they have read and touched chiseled in stone at the Jefferson, Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorials. The students will connect King’s words to Lincoln and Jefferson’s; and discussions about historical relationships, the power of words, and the commitment to causes will come together as students begin to articulate their own beliefs and principles.
In the afternoon at the University of Mary Washington, the students will tour the grounds, have an inspirational and informative lecture from a professor, listen to college students speak on university life and a dean explain the college application process and ways to pay for undergraduate education. Perhaps while snacking in Adirondack chairs under shade trees at Ball Circle, students will begin dreaming about a future of their own making. They will see possibilities and begin to believe in them.
On the ride home, students will peruse college websites, calculate the costs of colleges, research scholarships, compose essays about aspects of their day, engage in discussions, and write thank you notes to the donors who made their trips possible.
Why imagine this day? Together we can make it happen.
