Community Exploration

Goals:
1. Students will be able to identify 10 businesses in their community.
2. Students will identify safety signs in their community.
3. Students will work cooperatively in groups.

*Please note that the lesson can be altered to include a wide variety of goals including community orientation, colors, shapes, it all depends upon your students levels and your desired outcomes.

Pre-Lesson: Probe students on knowledge of a scavenger
hunt. Students should be instructed in
identification of signs, safety protocols,
and use of the digital camera.

Lesson: 1. Divide students into groups based on the
number of digital cameras you have. (the more
groups the better)
2. Provide each group with a checklist of items
you wish them to find and go over each item
in the classroom before going out. (The first
time we did this we used the alphabet and had
them find things that began with a, b, c....)
3. Explain that not only do they have to find
the object but they must take a picture of it
as proof.(We also made it a requirement that
at least one member of the group should be in
the picture.)
4. Set a time limit or if possible just have a
meeting place for when the group has
completed the assignment.

Post-Lesson Assessment

This is where the student really had a lot of fun with this lesson. Using a computer projector put the pictures from each group up one at a time and have the other groups try to figure out what it matches on the list. If everyone agrees that group gets credit for the picture, once all the groups have been evaluated we usually have a reward for everyone who participated.

Final Note:

The photos from this activity also provide a great record for an end of the year slide show or a portfolio (yearbook) for the students.