Dear SEP Families,
Students in Session 3 came in with enthusiasm and eagerness, as well as open minds, for researching countries around the world. They excelled during the first two days, in which we covered essential information regarding key story elements and aspects of travel writing. We were able to fly through the application of that knowledge by analyzing several examples of travel writing from short stories to online travel guides. They were keenly aware of how both authorial purpose and audience change depending on the mediums we were analyzing. With this understanding, they determined what type of travel article, what purpose, and what audience they preferred to address in their own blog posts.
Through a continual revisiting of key story elements and essential travel writing elements (via crossword puzzles and Jeopardy), the students solidified their understanding of this information and integrated it into their own blogs. Their level of creativity given the short amount of time was exceptional.
Many students chose to format their travel writing as travelogues, giving them the opportunity to follow an itinerary of sorts and organize their country research accordingly. A few students took on alternative personas for their travels and adapted their own authorial voice to match those characters.
The students successfully navigated many different travel websites (from Lonely Planet to TripAdvisor) to inform their writing, and with that, their blogs are wonderfully informative and enlightening. With our theme “Our Common Language” in mind, the students gained a better understanding of what it means to be a respectful, engaged traveler and applied the idea of common interests around the world to their unique traveling adventures. I hope you enjoy reading their stories, and they are all welcome to revisit their blogs anytime at sepadventuresabroad.wordpress.com.
Students in Session 3 came in with enthusiasm and eagerness, as well as open minds, for researching countries around the world. They excelled during the first two days, in which we covered essential information regarding key story elements and aspects of travel writing. We were able to fly through the application of that knowledge by analyzing several examples of travel writing from short stories to online travel guides. They were keenly aware of how both authorial purpose and audience change depending on the mediums we were analyzing. With this understanding, they determined what type of travel article, what purpose, and what audience they preferred to address in their own blog posts.
Through a continual revisiting of key story elements and essential travel writing elements (via crossword puzzles and Jeopardy), the students solidified their understanding of this information and integrated it into their own blogs. Their level of creativity given the short amount of time was exceptional.
Many students chose to format their travel writing as travelogues, giving them the opportunity to follow an itinerary of sorts and organize their country research accordingly. A few students took on alternative personas for their travels and adapted their own authorial voice to match those characters.
The students successfully navigated many different travel websites (from Lonely Planet to TripAdvisor) to inform their writing, and with that, their blogs are wonderfully informative and enlightening. With our theme “Our Common Language” in mind, the students gained a better understanding of what it means to be a respectful, engaged traveler and applied the idea of common interests around the world to their unique traveling adventures. I hope you enjoy reading their stories, and they are all welcome to revisit their blogs anytime at sepadventuresabroad.wordpress.com.
Resources for continued learning
- Amazing World Atlas app by Lonely Planet Kids
- The Barefoot World Atlas Map app (http://www.barefootbooks.com/buy-barefoot/apps/barefoot-world-atlas)
- The Little Travelers blog (http://www.thelittletravelers.com) They have multiple DVDs to buy, and the kids loved watching the Japan one.
- 10 Ways to Write About Your Vacation (http://www.tengrrl.com/tens/031.shtml)
- National Geographic Travel
Thank you for being a part of SEP 2016 Session 3!
