Classrooms with a Difference: brought to you by: Curriculum: English/Social Studies/Technology Strands: Place & Environment Oral, Written and Visual Language Learning Intentions: Research and describe and become familiar with the geographic points of interest that they will see during an inter-island journey. Prepare and recreate a virtual cruise on the Interislander and share this with other classes. Demonstrate ability to use web based technology for research. Skills Used and Developed: Research • Information • Communication • Work & Study Related Curriculum Areas: Technology • English Introduction Every year, hundreds of lucky students get to take a Cook Strait cruise on The Interislander or The Lynx. This may be for a class visit to Wellington or as part of a school trip to a South Island destination. In this first inter—island adventure we look at how preparing your class for your trip provides a rich curriculum experience and how the ferry trip can become a learning experience in itself; a classroom with a difference! Tuning In • Find out how many students have been to ‘the other Island’. Share experiences, eg - how did they get there? - where did they go - how long did they stay - what did they enjoy most? How many students have been on The Interislander or The Lynx fast ferry? How long did it take? What was the best part of the cruise? Tell students that the inter-island ferry serice as we know it today was started 42 years ago. The ferry service is part of the railway system and the ships are known as roll on — roll off ferries, capable of carrying railway wagons, trucks,cars and passengers between Wellington and Picton. A Special Scenic Journey Tell students that a lot of information can be found out about the journey between Wellington and Picton by using an atlas. In groups, have students trace the path of the Interislander/Lynx cruise from Wellington to Picton locating the following geographic points of interest along the way. What other information about the crossing does the atlas provide? (Visual Language) Allow groups time to visit The Interisland Line website and view the picture gallery at: www.interislandline.co.nz/about/imageGallery.asp Have each group gather ‘evidence’ from the pictures that prove the claim that the journey across Cook Strait is regarded as one of the most scenic cruises in the world. (Written Language) Challenge each group member to write a suitable caption or short descriptor for one or more of the pictures as if they were found in a tourist brochure. Preparing for Our Journey Introduce the idea that one of the best ways to get the most out of a cruise or a journey is to ‘do some’ research about the places they will see along the way. Tell students that they can find out more about the geographic features they identified in the atlas research by visiting an ‘interactive map’ (hold mouse over circles to reveal information) on The Interisland Line website at: www.interislandline.co.nz/ourservices/routeMaps.asp Task One: Have groups/individuals adapt the information from the interactive map and prepare an informative and illustrated tourist brochure to enhance the journey. A Virtual Cruise (Oral/Written Language) Introduce The scenario that The Interisland Line want to update their on-board announcements to include brief but interesting comments about places of interest and happenings along the route. Divide the class into groups and assign two or three points of interest to each group.The group task is to write a script that would be spoken over the P.A. system of the vessel as the cruise progresses. Ideas could include: - all points of interest along the route - sightings of whales and dolphins - passing another ferry going in the opposite direction - information about the destination (Picton or Wellington) … Allow time for practice and then have all groups deliver their scripts in succession to simulate a virtual cruise. Invite Other Classes Before students invite other classes to enjoy the virtual cruise, brainstorm ideas as to how the experience can be made ‘more real’ or enhanced for the visitors, eg - print out and enlarge interactive map and use to indicate progress during the journey - print out and enlarge pictures from the image gallery and have on display - paint large murals to re-create the feel of the journey - record background sounds of the boat motor, sea birds etc to add atmosphere - re-create a comfortable deck in the classroom where the visitors relax and enjoy the journey Learning About Cook Strait Tell students that Cook Strait is well known for some often fierce storms and that although The Interisland Line ships are built strongly to cope with extreme conditions, they will cancel sailings if it is too uncomfortable for passengers. Using atlases, show the students that Cook Strait is the only gap between the almost continuous ranges of high mountains in both the North and the South Islands. This is why Cook Strait will often get strong winds. Print out the Cook Strait article from the Met Service learning centre at: www.metservice.co.nz/learning/weather_cook_strait.asp Distribute to students and share/read as a class. Suggestions for discussion and activities include: - How and why Te Rauparaha showed respect for Cook Strait. - Who was the first European to see Cook Strait? - What problems did Captain Cook have in Cook Strait? - Make a timeline of the history of shipping disasters. - Analyse the causes of these shipping disasters. - List the causes of the fierce storms that Cook Strait can have. - Produce a Cook Strait fact sheet wall chart. Web Scavenger Hunt Quiz at:www.interislandline.co.nz Using information from the website, have each group devise an 'Interislander Internet Scavenger Hunt' for interesting facts and figures and challenge other groups to complete, eg - Name all the ships operated by The Interisland Line. - What is the English meaning of Aratere and Arahura? - Which ferry carries the most passengers? - How many passengers were carried last year? - How many pies did they eat? Check Out Our Amazing Fares Whether it’s a day excursion, start of an exciting school camp, or to simply take advantage of our fantastic school group rates — a journey across Cook Strait is fun, educational, and provides your students with plenty of onboard entertainment. Our Amazing Fares Day Trip Return*: $30 per student $35 per adult One Way (not same day)*: $20 per student $25 per adult To arrange your school’s adventure with The Interisland Line or for a free quote contact: Faye Allison today on: fallison@interislandline.co.nz or 04 498 3246 Do you have a lesson you would like to share with other teachers? Simply email us an attached Word, Works or PDF file and we will add it to our library. Don't forget to include your name and school so we can acknowledge your work. Click on the email icon below.