Skip to Main Content

Use Traveling To Keep Students Engaged As Summer Break Nears

by Bill of Rights Institute on

By Mary Patterson

Personally, the end of the year was very tough for me as an educator. Student motivation seemed to slide each day while the chaos increased. For example, during my first year of teaching, I saw two students fly down the hallway on a cart with a giant Pilates ball. I still have no idea whose students they were or where they found a cart or ball. I was distressed and started to chase them down. However, the veteran teachers popped their heads out of their classrooms and told me to relax.

I’m still not relaxed about that, by the way.

Finding something meaningful for students to do as the weather warms and shenanigans escalate can be challenging. One project I found to be a lot of fun for students was to have them plan the “ultimate” U.S. history field trip.

This activity can also be adapted for a government, world history, or humanities class. I chose to give my students a budget to follow to give them some real-life practice, but you can and should adapt these guidelines to suit your classroom. I also found these presentations to be a lot of fun for both me and my students! I now offer it to you to help you power through to the summer break.

In this activity, students will work with a small group of their choice to design a multi-day field trip for their fellow U.S. history students. They can present their final itinerary to the class via Google Classroom in a PowerPoint or Prezi format for a grade.

In addition to the presentation, students will create a poster to advertise their trip. It can be hung in the hallway, and their peers can vote for their favorite trip based on those posters. The itinerary that receives the most votes could receive extra credit on the final score.

Guidelines

  • Trips should clearly connect to the U.S. History curriculum. 
  • The trip should last 5-7 days, including travel time. It might be slightly longer, provided students stay on budget. They can travel at any time of the year. 
  • Pricing for the trip should not exceed $4,000 per person. This includes airfare, hotels, entrances to museums and attractions, and transportation (bus, ferry, train, metro/subway, etc.). Students should assume 30 people are going on this trip (including students and chaperones).
  • Make sure the students' presentations address all the points below. 

How To Start

Have students brainstorm and choose a place or region. Where would they go if they could go anywhere to enhance their understanding of U.S. history?

Research Like Crazy!

  • Are there travel restrictions? Are special permissions required to visit these places?
  • What places of interest will students visit? Include a day-by-day overview of what to expect in each cultural attraction and how it connects to the U.S. history curriculum. Don’t forget travel days!
  • Culturally, what foods should students expect to eat in this place? Provide a traditional sample menu for each meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) to experience on this trip. 
  • Where will students stay? Identify safe, clean, and moderately priced lodging that would accept a large group of American teenagers. 
  • What is the current infrastructure of this place — is there public transportation? Are roads in good shape to accommodate tourism? Are there any safety threats to be mindful of?
  • Consider the logistics of traveling. How much spending money should be needed? What sort of weather and clothing would students need to bring on the trip? Will cell phones work there? Is there Wi-Fi?
  • Provide a budget breakdown of how much this trip would cost each participant. The budget should include the following categories:
    •  Airfare
    •  Ground transportation (bus, ferry, train, metro/subway)
    •  Entrances to exhibits, museums, or attractions
    •  Lodging (hotels)
    •  Recommended spending money

I also like to keep this quote from Mark Twain in mind when thinking about travel:

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness … Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

Mary Patterson is a Senior Content Specialist at the Bill of Rights Institute. She is also a former history and government teacher.