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A Walk Through Your Neighborhood
 Preparation
Steps
Credits
Preparation
Grade Levels: 4 and up
This activity would be most effective if delivered in five separate periods of 45 minutes to an hour, with a group of no more than twelve students.
Prerequisite:
The Introductory Activity and Activity 1 require use of a computer lab with Internet access. Computers can also be used for the culminating project, but they are not required. The group leader should preview all Web sites listed in the activity beforehand and bookmark them on each computer in the lab.
Materials:
Students will need:
- loose leaf paper
- access to the Internet and a library for research
- disposable cameras or, if available; a digital camera
- depending on the format of their projects: poster board, markers, paint; access to computers with desktop publishing software (e.g. a word processor) or Web publishing software (such as Dreamweaver)
Group Leader will need:
Academic Goals:
Children will:
- take virtual tours of several New York-area communities and landmarks
- research the history of their own communities
- write about the various landmarks in their communities
- photograph neighborhood landmarks
- creatively present their research, writing and photography for others to see and learn from (They can present their work as a poster, a Power Point presentation, a brochure or a Web page.)
Social Goals:
Children will:
- be able to view their neighborhood through the eyes of others
- appreciate the rich history of their communities
- collaborate with their peers on a common project
- work together in small groups
Steps
Introduction (10 min)
- Ask the group if they've ever been on a tour before. What kinds of tours have they taken? Ask them what they learned on the tours they've been on. Ask if anyone has ever been on a walking tour. As a group, come up with a definition of what a tour is, and what a walking tour is. Write the definitions on chart paper.
- If it hasn't already come up, ask if anyone has ever been on a virtual tour. Ask if they know what a virtual tour is. (A virtual tour is one where you're not physically at the place you're touring. Virtual tours are usually on the Internet, but can also take place through picture guides or brochures.) Tell the group that they are going to create a virtual tour of their own neighborhood. To get ideas for their project, they first will go on a virtual tour of Brooklyn, New York through the Internet.
Note: If your program is in or near Brooklyn, point out to the group that they will learn things about a Brooklyn that they never knew before.
Activity 1: Virtual Tour of Brooklyn (45 min - 1 hour)
- Ask the students what they think they'll see on their virtual tour of Brooklyn and write their responses on chart paper. Tell the students that they're going to watch a 30-second clip from a television program about Brooklyn. Ask them to pay close attention to the clip and to note if anything from their list is mentioned.
- Play the clip, located at http://www.thirteen.org/brooklyn/a-about.html, twice. Ask the students to point out things on their list that were mentioned in the clip.
Note: If you have a large-screen projector, this can be a whole-group activity. If not, have the students work in pairs to watch the clip independently on their computers. This should take no more than five minutes.
- Tell the group that they're going to continue their virtual tour of Brooklyn on the Web. Distribute copies of the Brooklyn Scavenger Hunt handout. Students can work in pairs to complete the scavenger hunt. (If you like, you can add a competitive element to this part of the activity. Tell students that each pair of kids at a computer is one team. See which team finds everything on the scavenger hunt the fastest and with the greatest number of correct answers. You can also have a competition using a time limit. When the time is up the team that has the most correct answers wins.)
- Students can visit the other "Walk Through" sites to get additional ideas for their project: A Walk Through Newark http://www.thirteen.org/newark/, A Walk Through Central Park http://www.thirteen.org/centralpark/, A Walk Through Harlem http://www.thirteen.org/harlem/, and A Walk Through Hoboken http://www.thirteen.org/hoboken/index.html. Ask them to jot down ideas for their project as they look at the sites.
Activity 2: Culminating Project (three or more sessions)
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Ask the group which community landmarks should be included on their tour. List their ideas on chart paper. If they're having trouble coming up with ideas, ask them to think about the types of things that were highlighted on the virtual tours they took. Some examples are: schools, community centers, local shops or markets, churches and other houses of worship, museums, the library, cultural organizations, parks, and playgrounds. How are these things represented? Some examples are: photos, descriptions, maps, and histories. Write student responses down on chart paper.
- Ask the students to think about the list they generated. Which of these elements do they want to include in a tour of their neighborhood? What makes them want to include these elements? What is significant about them? Write their responses on the chart paper.
- Divide the students into groups of two or three and have each group choose a part of the project to complete. One group, for example, could research and write the neighborhood's history, another could design a map and the others could each be assigned a few of the "tour stops" to write up.
- Before the groups begin their work, take a walk together through the neighborhood and take pictures of all the stops on your tour. Be sure to take several shots of each spot. You may also want to visit your local historical organization or library to find out more about your community's history.
Tip: If you plan on making something using a computer (for example, a Web page, a Power Point presentation or a brochure) and you don't have a digital camera, ask if the film developer can put your pictures onto a CD, so that you can transfer them to a computer. If you have access to a scanner, you can scan photos yourselves.
- Allow several sessions for the groups to research and prepare their piece of the project. The completed project can be as simple as photos taken with a disposable camera mounted on poster board with the accompanying text written by hand; or as sophisticated as digital photos incorporated into an interactive Web site; or anything in between. Remind students that the process of researching, writing, creating and collaborating on their finished product is what's important.
Follow up
Invite family members, friends and members of the community to see the finished project. Have the children take turns introducing their work to the visitors.
Ask your local historical society, library or tourist office to display the group's project. If your group created a Web site, find out if any of these organizations will link to it. If your agency has a Web site, link to the project from your agency's site.
Credits
This AFTERSCHOOL EXCHANGE activity was developed by Sandy Goldberg, Senior Producer, Ed Online, in connection with the Thirteen Web site
A WALK AROUND BROOKLYN.
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