2007-2008 Field Trip and Activities
GPAEA Media Center Tour
Wednesday, September 5
2814 N. Court St., Ottumwa
Great Prairie Educational Agency’s Media Center is available to our home school parents. It provides on-line resources, a vast media collection, and media services. Their catalog is on-line and is easy to use. Parents may receive a teacher’s number and password so they can check out resources for their children’s education. New families interested in a teacher’s number and password, please sign up with Mrs. Bartle.
Kristin Steingreaber, our AEA 15 Media Specialist, will be offering two tours:
9:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.
High School Speech
Thursday, September 6 & 27, October 11,
November 8 & 29, December 13,
January 10 & 24, February 14, March 6,
April 3 (7:00 P.M.)
1:00 P.M. – 3:30P.M.
Mutchler Center
The goal of this class is to develop one of the most important skills in education and life – communication. We will meet eleven times during the year and cover the three main levels of communication: interpersonal communication, small group communication and public speaking. This class is designed for mature 8th graders through 12th graders. Additional work outside of class will be required. Students who complete this class will earn a semester of high school credit.
Track and Field Clinic
Davis County High School Track
1:30 P.M.
Thursday, September 13
Back by popular demand, we will be doing a track and field day. Athletics, also known as track and field or track and field athletics, is a collection of sports events that involve running, throwing and jumping. The name is derived from the Greek word "athlon" meaning "contest.” Please bring your water bottle. Come dressed to run and have fun.
Author Spotlight: Eric Carle
Friday, September 14
10:00 A.M.
Eric Carle is acclaimed and beloved as the creator of brilliantly illustrated and innovatively designed picture books for very young children. His best-known work, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has eaten its way into the hearts of literally millions of children all over the world. The book has been translated into more than 30 languages and has sold over twenty million copies. Since the Caterpillar was published in 1969, Eric Carle has illustrated more than seventy books, many best sellers, most of which he also wrote.
Join this session to learn more about the life and creations of this fascinating author and illustrator. The presenter shows many Eric Carle books, demonstrates how he makes the illustrations, and gets students excited about writing and illustrating their own books in the Eric Carle style.
The One Room School Experience
Thursday, September 20
10:30 A.M. – 2:30 P.M.
Usher’s Ferry in Cedar Rapids
Pre-visit preparation workshop will be held Friday, September 14 at 11:00 A.M. at the GPAEA Media Center.
Take a step back in time as your students become students at Cherry Valley School in an exciting and informative role playing experience. Students are provided ahead of time with names and character descriptions of the students they will represent. Then, at the school, they will experience the school day as that person. While going through a typical day, the teacher/interpreter will seamlessly weave in information and history. This is a very interactive experience that students will learn from and remember for a long time to come.
Books Don’t Have to Be Flat
Ottumwa GPAEA ICN Classroom
Thursday, October 4
1:30 P.M.
Where would readers be without great writers? Students enjoy participating in this interactive beginning bookmaking session with Trista Peitzman. Participants discuss ways to “hook” readers and create a plan for a story that can be completed back in your classroom. Then, many fun and fabulous flat and not-so-flat ideas for publishing the completed stories will be shared. A super way to kick off writing and publishing in your classroom!
Thomas Edison: Inventor, Lecturer, and
Prankster
Tuesday, October 16
Des Moines Civic Center
12:15 P.M.
$4.00 per person
Thomas Edison the greatest inventor of all time, live and
in-person, at the Civic Center. Edison, one of America’s most remarkable minds
engages students in Science as he shares several secrets of day-to-day lessons
including hard work and learning from our mistakes. It’s hard to image a world
without his gifts of electric light, recorded music and motion pictures.
Beginning Power Point
Thursday, October 18
GPAEA Technology Room
1:30 P.M.
Learn to express your ideas visually using PowerPoint. We will learn to create different types of slides and transitions and learn to work with speaker notes and handouts. If you have a story or paper to work with, bring it with you.
High School Testing Options
PLAN Test
Tuesday October 23
Cost: TBA
PLAN can stimulate thinking and planning for life after high school, assess status of academic preparation for post-secondary education, and relate personal characteristics to educational and career options. Typically, students take the PLAN test in the fall of their sophomore year.
PSAT Test
Wednesday, October 17
Davis County High School Library
8:15 A.M.
Cost $13.00
PSAT is a standardized test that measures verbal reasoning skills, critical reading skills, math problem-solving skills, writing skills. The most common reason for taking the PSAT is to receive feedback on your strengths and weaknesses on skills necessary for college study. You can then focus your preparation on those areas that could most benefit from additional study or practice. Students normally take the PSAT in their junior year.
Iowa Test of Educational Development
Monday & Wednesday, October 29 & 31
9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
HERALD Library
The main purpose for using a standardized achievement battery is to gather information that can be used to improve instruction. The Iowa Tests of Educational Development does not purport to measure all the worthwhile objectives of the secondary curriculum; the diversity of instructional methods and materials makes it impractical for any test to attempt to do that. However, there are a number of generally held objectives toward which all students are expected to progress as they go through high school, regardless of the specific courses they take or the curriculum they may be following. These skills are among the major goals of secondary education and include recognizing the essentials of correct and effective writing, solving quantitative problems, interpreting a wide variety of reading materials (both literary and informational), critically analyzing discussions of social issues and reports on scientific matters, recognizing sound methods of scientific inquiry, and using sources of information. In many cases, these skills cut across the curriculum and are the province of not just one department but of several.
The Iowa Tests of Educational Development look beyond the specific courses schools use in developing these various competencies. The tests present a carefully selected sample of tasks that require students to apply their knowledge and skills in new situations. The current edition maintains the ITED's long history of emphasizing critical thinking skills.
For more information about the test, see http://www.uiowa.edu/~itp/ited.htm
Autumn Acres
Thursday, October 25
2421 Hwy 92 E. Oskaloosa
1:30 P.M.
$3.00 Ages 4-18
Enjoy an afternoon at Autumn Acres. Educational presentation, petting
zoo, hay mound and slide, corn cannon and corn pool are some of the highlights.
Author Sharon Rexroth
November 15
Mutchler Center
1:30 P.M.
Have you ever wondered how a writer becomes an author? You won’t want to miss this speaker. Mrs. Rexroth, from Burlington, is the author of “In the Sky” books. Sharing her journey as a writer will inspire us all.
Anderson’s Africa Adventures
Thursday, November 15
Mutchler Center
2:30 P.M.
What would it be like to visit another country? How would you communicate? Zelda and Michael will be sharing their summer adventures to Democratic Republic of Congo.
Shedding Light on Blindness
Thursday, December 6
1:30 P.M.
Mutchler Center
Mike Hoenig describes his experiences as a blind person in school, at college, and at his present job as director of a program for persons with disabilities. He walks the students through a typical day in his life, and explains how blind persons perform such practical tasks as identifying money, crossing a street, and using the telephone. He demonstrates a wide variety of technologies, including a talking clock, a beeping softball, a Braillewriter, and more.
Chemistry Labs
Thursday, January 17 and 31
1:30 P.M.
Mutchler Center
Matter Matters – Elementary students
Students explore States of Matter through twelve hands-on activities. Help your students begin to see and classify, the objects in the world around them, not as primary school children but as young scientists. Students use hands-on experiences with blocks, balloons, and beakers to identify the distinctive properties of the three common states of matter. With a variety of lab tools they observe, explore, and measure solids, liquids, and gases, and investigate the processes by which one changes into another. As students conduct melting, freezing, evaporation, and condensation experiments, they learn the importance of controlling variables and keeping records. To conclude the unit, the class can celebrate by making ice cream for a "Matter Matters" party.
Chemistry Capers - Middle School - High School
Come discover that chemistry is fun and impacts our everyday life. Using hands-on activities, we will investigate the way substances are put together, their distinctive properties and how they behave under different conditions.
Mom’s Night Out
Friday, January 18
Guest Speaker: Deanna Sites
Location TBA
Moms, this is one meeting you will not want to miss. Deanne, a veteran home educator, has a real heart for home schooling. Deanna has encouraged hundreds of moms. As a couple, the Sites are mentors to young parents in the Des Moines area. You will leave the evening an uplifted and energized home school momJ
Iowa Tests of Basic Skills
Grades 1st – 8th
January 21, 23, 25
9:00 A.M. – Noon
Mutchler Center
The main purpose of using a standardized achievement battery is to provide information that can be used to improve instruction. It is valuable to the extent that it contributes to better instructional decisions than educators could make without having that information available. Though standardized achievement scores cannot and should not replace teacher observations and classroom assessment information, they can provide unique supplementary information that bears on decisions about selecting learning objectives and procedures, designing or choosing instructional materials, and creating an effective learning environment.
The development of academic skills is a continuous process. But the rate of skills development differs widely among children of the same age or grade. Some students learn rapidly. Others, who may be as conscientious and highly motivated, learn more slowly. Most children are more proficient in some skills than in others. Some students progress more rapidly with certain methods, materials, and teaching styles than with others.
For more information about the tests see ITBS website http://www.uiowa.edu/~itp/itbs.htm
Freedom Bound by Mad River Theatre Works
Monday, February 4
9:45 A.M.
$4.00 per person
Des Moines Civic Center
Freedom Bound weaves together storytelling, drama and music through original songs and an array of characters that pop right out of the past to relive the adventure of the Underground Railroad right before your eyes. There is a story connected with the Underground Railroad in countless communities throughout the north. Old houses have secret tunnels leading into the woods, or attics with hidden stairways. The “Railroad” was a network of friends who helped slaves escape to freedom in Canada before the Civil War. Freedom Bound is a story about Addison White, an escaped slave, and his rescue by the citizens of the town of Mechanicsburg, Ohio.
WHO 1040 Radio Station
Monday, February 4
WHO is a clear channel radio station broadcasting 50,000 watts on 1040 AM with a news/talk format. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications and is located in Des Moines, Iowa. The station can also be heard over most of the continental United States during nighttime hours.
Current local talk show hosts include Van Harden and Bonnie Lucas, co-hosts of the Van and Bonnie morning show; Jan Mickelson; and Steve Deace, who previously did sports talk radio (most recently with sister station KXNO) before taking over the afternoon drive slot in June 2006. Weekend local talk shows include Saturday Morning Live and the WHO Radio Wise Guys. WHO also carries syndicated talk shows such as those hosted by Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Laura, and Michael Reagan.
WHO Channel 13 TV Station
Monday, February 4
WHO-TV is a television station that broadcasts on channel 13 in Des Moines, Iowa and channel 27 in Ottumwa, Iowa. It is affiliated with the NBC television network and serves most of central Iowa. The station transmits from the WOI-Tower in Alleman, Iowa, which is actually owned by WHO-TV's owners.
WHO-TV's Channel 13 News broadcasts perennially rank second to KCCI in ratings. They have the first weekend morning newscast in the Des Moines area, as their Today in Iowa morning news airs seven days a week.
Valentine’s Day
Thursday, February 14
1:00 P.M.
Mutchler Center
Are you ready for a real treat? Storyteller Jackie Thompson joins us for an hour of fabulous stories of friendship. Of course, we will continue to do some of the very traditional activities such as our Valentine card exchange, games, and yummy treats.
Art Workshops
Thursday, February 21, 28 and March 13
1:00 P.M.
Mutchler Center
Communication through Art
Mrs. Abigt will be sharing many different ideas and ways we can use different media to communicate and she will be spending some time showing us different art work that conveys a message. Then we will have the opportunity to use all the different media.
Pen and Ink Drawing
Sculpey Day
Sculpey is the modern modeling compound that stays permanently pliable at room temperature. It's non-toxic, smooth, non-sticky, non-staining, and won't shrink.
When placed in an ordinary home oven at 275°(135°C) for 15 minutes per ¼" (6 mm) thickness, it becomes permanently hard, and won't crack, chip, or crumble.
Readers’ Theatre
Thursday, February 21, 28 and March 13
1:00 P.M.
Readers’ theater is often defined by what it is not -- no memorizing, no props, no costumes, no sets. All this makes readers’ theater wonderfully convenient. Still, convenience is not its chief asset.
Like storytelling, readers’ theater can create images by suggestion that could never be realistically portrayed on stage. Space and time can be shrunk or stretched, fantastic worlds can be created, marvelous journeys can be enacted. Readers’ theater frees the performers and the audience from the physical limitations of conventional theater, letting the imagination soar.
Almost any story can be scripted for readers’ theater, but some are easier and work better than others. In general, look for stories that are simple and lively, with lots of dialog or action, and with not too many scenes or characters.
Readers’ Theater involves children in oral reading through reading parts in scripts. Unlike traditional theatre, the emphasis is mainly on oral expression of the part. Students use their voices, facial expressions and hand gestures to interpret characters in scripts or stories. Readers’ Theater is "theatre of the imagination". It involves children in understanding their world, creating their own scripts, reading aloud, performing with a purpose, and bringing enjoyment to both themselves and their audiences. Readers’ Theater gives children a purpose for writing, for reading, and for sharing their learning by bringing others into the joyful "imagination space" they create. Readers’ Theater "succeeds in giving the same suggestive push to the imaginations in the audience that the act of silent reading gives to the imagination of the perceptive silent reader.” It is a simple, effective and risk-free way to get children to enjoy reading. As children write, read, perform and interpret their roles, they acquire a better understanding of the literature.
Game Days
Thursday, February 21, 28 and March 13
1:00 P.M.
Mutchler Center
Do you like to play games? Here is an opportunity to meet new friends and have a great time.
We have several games or bring your favorite game.
Dr. Seuss Fun with Science
ICN Classroom TBA
Tuesday, March 4
What types of things come down from
the sky? Snow, fog, sunshine, rain, and in this session Oobleck! Presenter
reads Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss and engages students in
interdisciplinary activities designed to foster learning while having fun with
science. During the session, students perform experiments with their own
Oobleck. Feel free to have students wear Dr. Seuss hats or other
"Seussish" costumes to the session.
Tennis Clinic
Thursday, April 10 & 17
1:30 P.M. – 3:00 P.M.
Come learn the basics of the game of kings, tennis. Some say that tennis is the best first sport, since it will develop the greatest number of skills required by the greatest number of other sports and activities. This clinic will offer activities for the beginning players and players with some experience.
The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley
Des Moines Civic Center
9:45 A.M.
$4:00 per person
Stanley Lambchop is your normal, every day, run-of-the-mill kid. He’s nothing out of the ordinary. But one night while he’s sleeping, the bulletin board on the wall above this bed comes loose and falls – right on top of Stanley! And the next morning, Stanley Lambchop wakes up flat! Not just flat…Really FLAT. At first it’s not so bad. He can slide under locked doors. His friends fly him like a kite. And Stanley’s the best in his class at Hide-and-Seek. But someone has to do something. And that someone is Stanley! If he has to be flat, at least he is going to make the best of it. Stanley is going to put himself in a big envelope and travel the world – as a human letter! And the adventure begins!!
In a whirlwind musical travelogue, Stanley – the ultimate pen pal – scours the globe for a solution to his unusual problem. He’s stamped, posted and cancelled from South America to Mexico, from Russia to England to China, and beyond. And wherever Stanley Lambchop goes, he meets new friends, learns about different cultures through song and dance, and closes in on his goal of being a three-dimensional boy once more.
Mark Twain
Friday, May 9
"The Life and Times of Mark Twain" is a one man presentation in our Cave Hollow Theatre. This live presentation conveys the spirit, wit, and fun-loving nature of the man that came to be known as "The Wild Humorist of The West.” The performance is approximately one hour of fact and fantasy taken directly from the author's speeches and writings. It presents a rich and colorful account of nineteenth century life as America emerged from a rollicking frontier.
Raconteur Jim Waddell reweaves yarns first spun by the creator of some of our most treasured literature. This presentation has been lauded by Twainian scholars for its authenticity of deliverance and mannerisms. Questions about the author's life or writing? Visit with the performer after the show.
Cost: Pre-K -8th
- $5.00; High School - $8.00; Adults - $10.00
Mark Twain Cave and Campground is Missouri's first Show Cave. The cave was first shown in 1886 and is a Registered Natural Landmark.
Mark Twain Cave is located approximately one mile south of Hannibal on Highway 79.
When you visit the cave you will find a wealth of fun and interesting things to do!
There is ample parking and free picnic grounds.
Experienced guides will escort us on the 55 minute tour of Mark Twain Cave where the walkways are level and smooth and there are no steps. The cave stays a constant 52 degrees year round! (A light jacket or sweater is recommended on the tours.)
Cost: K-8th
- $7.00; High School - $9.00; Adults - $10.00
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The Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum encompasses eight buildings including six historically significant buildings and two exciting, interactive museums whose collections include fifteen original Norman Rockwell paintings. Come discover how a young boy growing up in the small village of Hannibal became one of the world's most beloved authors. A self-guided tour of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum properties gives you the chance to explore the Hannibal of Samuel Clemens' childhood and experience the beloved stories he created as Mark Twain through the power of his imagination. Cost:
Ages 6-17 – $3.50; Adults - $6.00 |