Book My Dream Vacation! Critical Thinking and Imaginary Travel Summer Camp
What's included
3 live meetings
2 hrs 30 mins in-class hoursClass Experience
Is there a better way to practice reading skills and critical thinking skills than to participate in a fun problem solving activity that simulates a real world experience? I don't think so! This class will practice important reading skills such as comprehension, making inferences (guesses based on evidence and prior knowledge), finding text evidence, making a claim with supporting evidence, and deductive reasoning. Kids will be so busy having fun as travel agents planning vacations, they won't even realize they are improving their reading skills! In this 3 day Summer Camp, students won't even realize they are learning as they analyze information about people and places, closely examine pictures and video clips, and synthesize all that information make decisions about where vacationers should go to find their perfect dream getaways! Day 1: Using a presentation format, my travel agent learners will see pictures of our clients and read profiles that give us information about their likes, personal preferences, and what they are looking for in a vacation. As a group, we will brainstorm and write generalized inferences about what we think each customer might like based on this information. We will log these inferences into our Vacation Planner. Day 2: Since we have already assessed all of our clients, we will now look at our available vacation listings. We will analyze written information, photos, and short video clips of each location to help us get a feel for what that locale has to offer. We will then make inferences about what kind of vacation each place could be. After this class is over, students will think about which client fits with each vacation listing and complete their Client Booking Sheet to have ready for Day 3. Day 3: Learners will have already used their critical thinking skills in order to compare the information we inferred about our clients (from Day 1) with the vacation choices we analyzed (Day 2) in order to have chosen which dream vacation to book for each client. Each agent will share their choices with the rest of the group. We must agree as a team on the final booking choices, so learners might need to convince or persuade others in the group in order to make this happen! Join us for an exciting learning adventure that will take you to faraway places without having to pack a bag! If you don't have time for a multi day camp, check out Book My Vacation one time class! Same activity (different clients and vacation locations) condensed into a one day class! https://outschool.com/classes/book-my-dream-vacation-inference-and-critical-thinking-class-CFczy6uq?usid=9ju0pbid&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link
Learning Goals
Students will read information about each client in order to draw conclusions and make inferences about that client. Students will analyze the vacation locations and make an argument as to how each location fits a certain client. Students will support that argument with evidence in order to persuade the other learners to agree on their choice.
Other Details
Supply List
Travel Agent student packet (available for download in the classroom) and a pencil.
1 file available upon enrollment
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
Presentation and student printed materials written and created by Kristen Higdon.
Teacher expertise and credentials
North Carolina Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education
I have been a classroom teacher for 19 years. I have often utilized similar activities in my classroom in order to help students practice inferencing skills, using text evidence, and critical thinking skills in a way that is fun and has a "real world" application.
Reviews
Live Group Class
$50
for 3 classes3x per week, 1 week
50 min
Completed by 2 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-11
2-5 learners per class