Getting Creative With National Monuments & Sites

The worst thing that can happen to a teacher is when they go through the unit too quickly and have days left to fill....or is it? Having to find something to fill three days out of the next 14 forced me to be creative. Thanks to Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess, I started asking questions about how I could make a fun activity related to the unit, but not just give students busy work or a lecture. Our current unit is on the environment and energy, so I started out thinking about national parks. But, I soon realized that my unit was becoming to much of a science lesson (at least according to my students in AP Environmental) so I searched for inspiration. I found it on a list of national parks that also included national monuments and historic sites. That is where I realized that the national park service is US history content and what started as a decision to preserve the environment by Theodore Roosevelt has now become a way to preserve American history too. With that said, my students will be spending tomorrow researching a monument or site and then creating a marketing brochure to present to other students. For my students it will be enrichment to the curriculum and a way to keep them engaged as the school year winds down. Here is the link to my Weebly site with instructions! Pictures will follow once the activity is completed.