Please excuse from classes January 21,22, and 25 __________________ (children’s names). We will be traveling to Cape Canaveral and sailing on a Disney Cruise to the Bahamas. As much as may be possible and convenient to prepare ahead of time, please send any school work that will be missed for the children to complete during this time period.
While classroom time for the children is valuable and important, _____________(children’s names) will gain an enhanced worldview through personal experience of travel, as well as augment educational studies through the travel activities reflecting Common Core standards listed below.
Additionally, ________________ (children’s names) will have unique opportunities to experience and learn about:
• transportation by plane and ocean liner (including the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean, and nautical orientation of forward/aft and port/starboard),
• geographic tools such as map skills by navigating on Disney’s private island Castaway Cay,
• a multicultural environment through interaction with crew members and guests from around the world,
• island geography, flora, and fauna,
• marine wildlife by observation while snorkeling,
• contrast of climate,
• Bahamian culture, including acquiring Bahamian coins and understanding that different cultures use different currencies.
In appreciation of your consideration,
_________________________________ (Parent names)
Common Core Aligned (Grade 1) Educational Activities for Bahamian Cruise:
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
Resource: Under the moon & over the sea: A collection of Caribbean poems. (Agard, Felstead, & Nichols, 2003).
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.5
Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text.
Resource: Hintz, M. (2012). The Bahamas: Enchantment of the world. New York, NY: Scholastic Children’s Press.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.2
Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
Resource: Malam, J. (2002). You wouldn’t want to be a pirate’s prisoner!: Horrible things you’d rather not know. New York, NY: Franklin Watts.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.7
Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.
Resource: Macaulay, D. (1993). Ship. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.9
Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
Resources:
McCulla, P.E. (1999). Bahamas. Philadelphia, PA: Chelsea House.
Morgan, N. (1997). The Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Austin, TX: Raintree Steck-Vaughn
-
Children will use math addition and subtraction skills with assistance while managing their souvenir money.
· CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.OA.C.6
Add and subtract within 20, demonstrating fluency for addition and subtraction within 10. Use strategies such as counting on; making ten (e.g., 8 + 6 = 8 + 2 + 4 = 10 + 4 = 14); decomposing a number leading to a ten (e.g., 13 - 4 = 13 - 3 - 1 = 10 - 1 = 9); using the relationship between addition and subtraction (e.g., knowing that 8 + 4 = 12, one knows 12 - 8 = 4); and creating equivalent but easier or known sums (e.g., adding 6 + 7 by creating the known equivalent 6 + 6 + 1 = 12 + 1 = 13). -
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.9
Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.
Resource:
Youngquist, C.V. (2002). The three billygoats Gruff and mean Calypso Joe. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
Resources
Agard, J., Felstead, C., & Nichols, G. (2003). Under the moon & over the sea: A collection of Caribbean poems. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.
Hintz, M. (2012). The Bahamas: Enchantment of the world. New York, NY: Scholastic Children’s Press.
Macaulay, D. (1993). Ship. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
Malam, J. (2002). You wouldn’t want to be a pirate’s prisoner!: Horrible things you’d rather not know. New York, NY: Franklin Watts.
McCulla, P.E. (1999). Bahamas. Philadelphia, PA: Chelsea House.
Morgan, N. (1997). The Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Austin, TX: Raintree Steck-Vaughn.
Youngquist, C.V. (2002). The three billygoats Gruff and mean Calypso Joe. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.