Virtual Vacation: The Perfect Math Lesson Plan

The single biggest problem you face with each lesson plan you create is: Creating new ways to convince your students to go to their next class, right? Too few lectures. Your students get so involved in their class projects that you no longer feel needed. No, I know. Your students find the mathematics you're teaching so useful, they can't imagine how they ever got along without understanding (fill in the blank). All of the above, or none of the above? If you answered all of the above, please click on this link and submit your entire lesson plan notebook to the master teachers resources section. Still trying to click on that link? Maybe you'd better stick around with the rest of us. It's my guess that neither you nor your students are doing nearly enough internet research. Seriously, though. If you're seeing the "problems" listed above, give yourself a pat on the back. You're doing a great job. Most of us spend our days praying to come up with a lesson plan that causes just one of these types of "problems". If you're not seeing the "problems" listed above, don't get discouraged. You aren't the only one. It takes a great deal of time and effort to come up with lessons that not only captivate students, but also motivate students to continue investigation on their own to discover the usefulness of mathematics. And, it doesn't take a genious to figure out that the difficulty gets exponentially greater when you consider the fact that we've got to do it for five or six classes every day, one hundred eighty days per year. Being a mathematics teacher isn't easy, but we all do it because we love kids AND we love math. We want students to see what we see with every new math problem. A challenge. One that can be mastered with just the right amount of hard work and ingenuity. And, we want students to see how mathematics applies to ALL of their lives.

Students these days are, for the most part, math phobic. Typically, by the time they reach upper middle school to high school, many of them have already determined that they are no good at math and that the only mathematics they'll ever need their calculator can do for them. I think we all know that both of those statements are completely false. Anyone can do math if they put enough effort into it and have a good teacher. And, as far as calculators go, they can't do it all (although they can do quite a bit nowadays). Besides, calculators only do what you tell them to do. If you don't have a mastery of the operations the calculator is to perform, how will you know you're using the right ones? Moreover, even if you're using the correct operations, how will you know you are using them correctly? There's a great deal to mathematics that students do not understand. We, as mathematics teachers have to help them understand that mathematics is all around them, and it's lible to sneak up on them when they don't have a calculator. It is imperative that students gain a mastery of at least the essential skills they will need in life. However, it is just as important to help them realize that those skills ARE actually essential. Thus, we have to teach them in a context that is somewhat realistic - a context in which students might actually see their usefullness in their lives. Lastly, we, as math teachers, MUST teach these mathematical skills and concepts in a way which students find fun and interesting. That means far fewer lectures. Let your students start to do some thinking for themselves. They're alot smarter than we sometimes give them credit for. It means letting your students be creative. Allowing them to express themselves and actually get a better grade for it. Traditional math doesn't offer that. It's time that we began to break away from traditional mathematics and offer students a new way to integrate mathematics into their lives in ways that they can relate to and have fun with. It's time to send your students on a Virtual Vacation!

I designed the Virtual Vacation Lesson Plan with these problems specifically in mind. In fact, teaching in an alternative high school program virtually requires that these problems be in the forefront of your mind. As you can well imagine, alternative high school students are generally about as math phobic as a student can be. In addition, they see little use for anything, let alone math. If any lesson plan can actually motivate these students, it is almost certain to succeed in a regular classroom setting. The Virtual Vacation Lesson Plan was designed specifically for a nine-week alternative education mathematics program, but could easily be adapted for use in a regular high school or middle school mathematics class. It certainly would not have to be nine weeks long, but for our alternative education program and our students, this seemed to be about right. I designed the course to take the focus off of the mathematics and place it on something a little more fun and interesting - a vacation. There is still a good deal of mathematics involved, but it’s somewhat hidden within the larger project. The results have been good. Most students seem to enjoy the Virtual Vacation course much more so than a traditional math course. The best part for many of them is that they are allowed a great amount of creativity in the project. They get to choose their own vehicle (in the past students have chosen anything from a Yugo to a limousine to a Winnebego). In addition, I have allowed a great deal of lattitude in regards to the students' trip journals. Since I offer prizes to the team that finishes the trip having spent the least amount of money, some work hard to have the cheapest trip. So, they really do their homework to find the vehicle with the lowest price tag and best fuel mileage. Others don't care about the prize and try to spend as much money as they possibly can. I allow quite a bit of lenience in this regard since they seem to have quite a bit of fun with it.

Although I haven't laid out the details of the program yet, the benefits to the student are clear. However, there are specific benefits to you as well. The Virtual Vacation Lesson Plan is one which somewhat runs itself. After the initial few days of showing students how the course runs and how to do the calculations, they can pretty much take it from there. At that point, you become merely a facilitator and assistant. Students will become very independent very quickly which takes much of the burden of running the class off of your shoulders. This provides you with a great deal more time to be more creative and think up other ways to enhance the fun aspects of the class. However, getting the whole program in order so that it runs smoothly without running you ragged can take a great deal of preparation. In fact, I've spent nearly 100 hours mearly putting together all of the materials and forms necessary for running the course. But, it now runs with maximium effiency and minimal effort on my part, freeing me up for the more creative aspects of the class. Mathematical Concepts Utilized in the Virtual Vacation: Measurement Estimation Conversions - Fractions - Ratios Bookkeeping - Budgeting Distance = Rate x Time Non-Mathematical Concepts Utilized in the Course: Communication Skills Research Skills (Internet and Otherwise) Word Processing and Related Skills Spreadsheet Manipulation Map Reading Skills

Basically, the class runs like this: It's divided into two person teams. Each team is taking a trip across the USA. Since we’re located in Michigan, I have the students take a trip up through Canada and then down the East Coast. The trip includes the trip back to Michigan as well. Depending upon your location, another route might very well make more sense. Each two-member team is a married couple with two children coming along for the vacation. The children are old enough that if the couple stops for a meal, the children will actually be ordering a meal as well. Students are given certain destination cities that they must visit along the way. Each section of the trip includes one day of travel from one city to another and one day of seeing attractions in the new city (at least two attractions are required). Along the way students must stop for two meals per day (breakfast and dinner). It is assumed that they will have some sort of snack-lunch each day for which they do not have to pay or keep records. There is a journal form on which students calculate and record information such as how many miles they have traveled and how long it has taken to arrive at their destination. In addition, they must calculate how many gallons of gas their vehicle would use and whether or not they need to stop for gas along the way. Because many students do not fully understand exactly how the scale of a map works, they are required to actually measure their route with a ruler and then convert that measurement to miles using the scale of their map. If you utilize maps from a US atlas, generally, each state will have a different scale which makes multi-state sections of the trip slightly more involved when calculating distances. Students must pay for all meals, fuel stops, attractions as well as for lodging each night. They have a book of checks which must be filled out completely for each payment, and a checkbook ledger upon which to record everything. When stopping for food or fuel, the students get a meal or fuel slip from me (actually, I’ve now got a small box which organizes these slips so that they simply come up and grab them as they need them).

I generally lead the students through the first journal entry form to give them an idea of how each section of the trip should be completed. The next section of the trip I provide only directions to get to the next destination city. The students must do the rest. After that point, the students are given only their next destination city. They must find their own route, research which attractions they’ll see as well as find accommodations for each evening. Of course, part of the research is determining costs and recording the attraction and lodging information in a ledger. I have them record which attractions and accommodations they made use of as well as addresses and contact information. I make certain that the students know that I will randomly pick one attraction and one of their accommodations and check that the places actually exist and that the students have not misrepresented the costs. For the most part, this makes certain that all students actually do the research and record accurate information. This way I can be certain that I am giving the "cheapest trip" award at the end of the trip to the right team. Once the trip is complete and all journal entry forms, ledgers, etc have been completed, the students are required to put together a final project that brings all of the information together in a nice, neat, typed format. Pictures from all destination cities are required along with a three quarter page summary of each section of their trip. Save yourself a great deal of time and hassle. Don't try and put the course together yourself. Purchase a downloadable version of the Virtual Vacation course with all forms included: Realistic Student Checks for making payments (screen shot) Check Ledger to Record Payments & Deposits (screen shot) Journal Entry Forms for Recording all Trip Information Mock Journal Entry Form Already Filled Out Humorous Food Slips (screen shot) Humorous Fuel Slips (screen shot) Grading Sheets Complete Project Syllabus All forms completely editable!

Each purchased copy is licensed for use for all teachers within your school. Make as many copies as you wish for distribution within your school free of charge. In order to read the files included in this package, you must have Microsoft Word and Excel 97 available to you. The files are compressed into one self-executable file which will extract all files to your computer. Ten percent of all proceeds used to assist troubled and at-risk teens in breaking out of the deadly cycle of drugs and violence. Click here to purchase your copy today for only $19.95 US. Virtual Vacation Program Secure Ordering. Or, to download only the overall lesson plan with no supporting forms or instructions, click here. If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase for absolutely any reason, contact me, Michael Kaufman, via phone (616-447-8644) or e-mail (info@guarding-our-earth.com) for a prompt and complete refund.