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Create a Florida Quest Corner in your classroom, so that you can post newspaper articles, maps, posters and other items related to the caper and Trackers' trip to the past. Introduction Week1. Imagine that your are going on a three week houseboating trip with the Trackers. From the newspaper, clip items that you think would be necessary and useful. Consider clothing, food, safety supplies, games, etc. Share your collection with others and discuss your choices.2. Houseboating is just one way to travel on Florida's waterways. Look in the classified section of the newspaper for pictures and information about other kinds of boats. Make a montage of your findings and describe which ways you would like to go.3. Set up a weather center on a bulletin board. During the Florida Quest, post the weather page for each day of the trip. Imagine that you are part of the home base support group for the Trackers as they travel. With your classmates, take turns role-playing short-wave radio broadcasts telling of weather and tide conditions.4. Study the poster telling about the Trackers. Put it on the bulletin board and surround it with newspaper clippings related to the interests of each of the Trackers: for Lauren you might put news about great web sites, for Ally ads about great deals in cameras. Be creative. Then make a game to see if your classmates can correctly match the person with the article. Quest on the Intracoastal5. Begin clipping newspaper articles about points along the Trackers' route of travel. Make a bulletin board or wall display with a map of Florida and post the articles around the edges. Use yarn, tape or ribbon to connect the clippings to their locations on the map. Use the information as the Florida Quest unfolds.6. The Trackers will discover many interesting facts about the role Great Britain, Spain and France played in the early history of Florida. Post clippings of news articles about current events in these countries. Write about how your life would be different if Florida still belonged to one of them. 7. Look through the newspaper for examples of Spanish and French words and place names that are part of our modern language. Use a dictionary to find their original meanings. Post you findings in the Quest corner.8. In this chapter, the Trackers learn about the history of Black or African Americans. Find and discuss clippings from the newspaper which discuss the contributions of different groups.The Caper Continues9. The Trackers discover that the bridge in St. Augustine may have to be torn down. Post clippings from the newspaper about other historic sites that are threatened or destroyed. After studying the "Letters to the Editor" section of the newspaper, write a similar letter expressing your feelings and send it to www.nieworld.com for possible publication on the Florida Quest web site.10. Bridges are not just useful, they may also be engineering masterpieces and works of art. They also hold a fascination for many people. Make a display of newspaper photos showing bridges of the world or take a picture of a bridge in your neighborhood and write about it.11. Collect newspaper articles about a river, lake, canal, or other body of water near where you live. Try to find out how it affected the history in your area. Write a short story about a past event from its point of view. 12. The Trackers love to eat. Imagine that they are coming to visit you. From the newspaper ads for restaurants in your area, select one for them to visit. Write a newspaper-type review of the restaurant telling why you think it is special. Quest for the Crossing Spot13. On this quest, the Trackers have seen the wars have played a part in molding the history of Florida. Clip newspaper stories about current wars around the world. Locate them on a map and think about how they might be changing history.14. Some of the Trackers like old houses. Look for newspaper pictures of old houses or buildings in your neighborhood. Think about which ones should be preserved and why. Design a newspaper ad asking for help to restore them.15. Storms are a part of life in Florida. Collect and post newspaper stories about severe weather. Interview someone who experienced a hurricane, tornado, hail storm, etc. and write a news article about what happened.16. The Trackers discover interesting facts about the tourist industry in Florida. Collect and post newspaper clippings about tourist spots and events in Florida. Make up some interesting math problems for your classmates to solve based on the cost of attending.History found in a Mound17. In this chapter the Trackers find a clue on an ancient carving. Both ancient and modern art can tell much about the cultures that produce it. Look for newspaper articles that tell about works of art and see what you can learn about the people who produced it. Make a montage of news photos of those works of art. 18. Mrs. Perry is working on a PBS special. Use the daily TV guide in your newspaper to list PBS programs the Trackers might want to watch. Make a note of one related to their interests and the Florida Quest. Watch one and write a newspaper-type review of it. 19. Niki says she wants to work on the historical site at New Smyrna. Look through the newspaper and collect articles about a place where you would like to work.20. The Trackers worked hard to learn about the past from clues. Imagine that you are an archaeologist from the year 3000 and have just uncovered a landfill from the year 1999. One of the few things remaining intact is a newspaper. Look at a current copy of your local newspaper and make a list of things that can be learn about life in the late 20th century in Florida.
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