Shakespeare's England: Welcome

“ProjectExplorer is not only a very innovative educational tool, but also a great platform from which to explore all that London has to offer.” - Leisel Revett, Film London

Objective: This lesson is designed to make students aware of the purpose of a passport and other forms of identification.

Lesson: Have students begin by examining an authentic passport. Discuss the various pieces of information found on the passport. What other forms of identification can students think of? What is the purpose of each?

As an activity, have students create their own passports with the necessary data. Start by folding a piece of paper into quarters. Students should be provided time to design a logo for the cover. Have students complete the identification portion of their passport by adding: name, city, date of birth, signature, and the date of expiration for their passports. (If a photograph is available, it may be added. Otherwise, have students draw a photo of themselves.)

Have each student create a unique passport stamp for a place they would like to visit to add to their passport. Students should be able to identify that location on a map or globe.

Additional Topic for Discussion: As a class, ask to students share with the class the place they would most like to visit and why. For each place, locate the country or city on a map.

Objective: This lesson is designed to encourage daily journal writing and understand what goes into writing a journal entry.

Lesson: Have students start by reading the Day 1 journal entry. Afterward, have students write their own journal entry about what they have done that day (or the previous day) and what they have learned and/or seen.

Discuss what goes into writing a journal. (For example, what day it is, the topic of your journal entry, etc.) Throughout your journey with ProjectExplorer through Shakespeare's England have students write a daily journal entry about what they have learned with ProjectExplorer. If this is a homework assignment rather than an in-class activity check students' journals to be sure that work is being done.

Student Assessment: After completing the lesson students should be able to identify what goes into writing a journal entry. You will also be able to assess students' understanding of the materials presented in ProjectExplorer's Shakespeare's England program.

Objective: This lesson is designed to help students understand travel and tourism, personal travel planning, and budgeting.

Topic for Research and Writing Assignment: Think about planning your own trip to England. Research costs on flights. Where would you stay, what sites would you see, where would you eat? Create a budget and your own itinerary.

Curriculum Connections: English, Life Skills, Math, Social Studies