Trailblazer audio tour of fort worden
Fort Worden was the Trailblazers (1st-2nd graders) trampoline to jump toward a project in mapping and non-fiction writing. Inspired by their work earlier in the year with “signs” they set out to create “talking” or audio signs for their favorite spots at the park.
To discern which spots were their favorites, they set out to explore each section of the park, guided by the Friends of Fort Worden trail maps. They divided the park into four sections, each corresponding to a cardinal direction Each week they explored a different section, locating the trails to take and the landmarks in each area. On their way, they stopped to read and evaluate the signs we encountered. Some signs used very technical words, others featured photographs, and others paintings. They discussed how each sign represented a particular area of interest and point of view on a site.
The next step was for each student to select their favorite spot at Fort Worden and begin writing the text for their sign for that spot. Several students chose the same spot, but this was no cause for strife as they had seen that there could be multiple signs for a single spot as each sign has the potential to represent a different perspective. This discussion on differing perspectives of a same thing was stimulated by the picture books, “A Stone Sat Still” and “They All Saw a Cat” by Brendan Wenzel.
The creation of the text for the signs was broken down into various steps. First, students wrote what they knew about their spot and what unanswered questions they had. Then, students had the opportunity to interview experts on the park from the Friends of Fort Worden organization who answered these questions. Next, students added the information gained from these interviews to their writing. Then, students wrote statements about what they experienced with their senses and the emotions they felt when at their favorite spot. Finally, students tried to capture the “voice” of their talking sign by writing opening and closing statements.
Once the students had elaborated their many statements about their spot, it was time to organize them. Students set out to organize their statements and edit any repetition or extraneous parts. Finally, the texts were ready! The students recorded their signs with the help of a parent volunteer.
This project also benefited from the collaboration of both the music teacher, Marcy and art teacher, Dana. Marcy helped the students compose intros and outros for their talking sign texts on the xylophone. This is the music you hear at the start and end of each audio. Dana worked with the students to create a large map of Fort Worden which features symbols created by the students to mark their favorite places. She also guided the students in creating beautiful watercolor backgrounds to display their finished texts.
The next time you are at Fort Worden, please take a moment to visit some of the Trailblazers’ favorite places and listen to their signs in situ!
