English

Oral Language 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1

Reading/Literature 3.5, 3.7, 4.4, 4.6, 5.6, 5.7

Writing 5.8

History and Social Science

History 3.3

Virginia Studies VS.3, VS.4, VS.5

U.S. History USI.6

ES.4: Characteristics of leaders

ES.5: Role of the follower

ES.6: Role of environment in the process of leadership

Where No One Has Gone Before

This activity focuses on explorers and what makes them persevere in the face of hardship to accomplish their goals.

Steps To Complete the Activity

Discuss the concept of exploration, introducing the idea that discovery of new lands is just one type of exploration and that people who search for new information, expand understanding of people and issues, and work for social change are also explorers. Depending upon topics under study, examples could range from Galileo and Pythagoras to Gandhi and Mother Teresa as well as the famous English, Spanish, and French explorers of the New World.

Have small groups of students

• Read articles or a biography of a historical or modern explorer in a field of interest.
• Develop an interview guide that includes questions about the reasons the explorer began his or her work; obstacles the explorer had to overcome to succeed; the support (or lack of support) extended by family; colleagues and others; and the factors that led to success.
• Select a member of the team to portray the explorer on a classroom talk show, as interviewed by the other members of the team.

Resources

Historical references, access to the Internet