HOW to PLAN a Geography Action
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Geography Action! Geo-Games Kit A Kit for Planning, Promoting, and Hosting a Successful School-Based Event
Congratulations on joining the National Geographic Society and schools across the nation in the 2007-2008 Geography Action! Geo-Games! This year’s theme is Asia and our kit includes all the tips you need to put on a fun-filled, internationally- themed event for students, families, and communities to enjoy.
Geography Action! Geo-Games event plans are low-cost, easy to implement, and adaptable to your school’s resources and needs. This kit includes step-by-step instructions for planning the event, suggestions for successful event promotion in and outside of school, and free materials from the National Geographic Society. This packet describes six steps to kick off Geography Action! Geo-Games in your school:
1. Getting Started 2. Timing is Everything 3. Plan Your Geo-Games 4. Promote Your Event 5. Settling Details 6. Reporting Back
Visit the National Geographic Society online for more information: www.nationalgeographic.com/geographyaction
1 1. Getting Started Establish a Planning Team It’s easy to organize a Geography Action! Geo-Games event in your school with the help of a ready and willing planning team. First, gain support for the event from your principal and other key leaders at your school. Next, form a team with school administrators, other teachers, parent volunteers, and fellow state Geographic Alliance members. Clearly establish roles and responsibilities between a few coordinators and meet regularly for event planning. Suggestions for coordinators include:
• Event Lead – Oversees the event’s activities and timeline, coordinates communication amongst coordinators; manages all aspects of event planning • Activities and Prizes Coordinator – Manages event activities, including food, games, and prize planning; gathers necessary supplies, as well as coordinates logistics for the event • Volunteer Coordinator – Recruits volunteers and helps ensure the event runs smoothly; creates a job list with volunteer names next to each task (volunteers will greet and register guests, man activity areas, take event photos, hand out refreshments, and much more) • Promotions Coordinator – Places Geography Action! posters in schools and throughout communities; coordinates invitations; connects with event partners and sponsors; contacts local and national TV, radio stations, and newspapers
2. Timing is Everything Schedule Your Event Allow two months to plan the event. Consult with school administrators and staff when selecting a time and place for your event.
• Where: A large, open space, such as a courtyard, playground, cafeteria or gymnasium, will be needed to accommodate the many activities that will happen at your celebration. • When: Determine a date and time for your event—on the weekend or after school. Consult the school calendar and determine a date and time that works for teachers, administrators, and parents.
2 3. Plan Your Geo-Games Meet With Your Planning Team to Confirm Event Activities Select games from the list of Geo-Games included in this kit (see page 7). Decide on the form of your Geo-Games event. Prizes can be offered for a competition funded by the school or a local sponsor, or you can plan this event simply as an international celebration. Also consider turning your Geo-Games into a fundraising event.
A. Prepare your school for the Geography Action! Geo-Games by considering the following: o Team up with your art department to hold a student poster or bumper sticker contest to promote geographic literacy and celebrate Asia. A sponsor can help underwrite the cost of printing the winning bumper sticker or poster for families to proudly display. o Assign a school hallway as an Asian showcase and display maps, art and student projects about Asia. o Invite a public official to sign a proclamation declaring November 11- 17, 2007, as Geography Awareness Week. Emphasize the importance of geographic literacy, and the excitement of learning about the world one continent at a time.
B. Involve your community! Have your Activities and Prizes Planner work with your Promotions Planner to partner with local libraries, businesses, and community organizations. Think creatively when talking to potential event partners. A few suggestions: 1. Ask local Asian restaurants to provide food and refreshments. 2. Ask libraries to create and promote an Asian book corner and story time. 3. Ask grocery stores to display Asian produce and food staples at the event. 4. Ask local businesses to sponsor your event by providing funding for prizes, country artifacts, or cultural games and activities suggestions. 5. Consider adding a fundraising aspect to your event, with money raised to benefit a local or national non-profit organization that focuses on Asian issues.
3 The National Geographic Society supports the two non-profit projects below that work in Asia.
A. The Afghan Girls Fund (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/donate/afghan_girls_fun d.html) B. The Conservation Trust (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/conservation/)
Below is a list of national organizations that are not affiliated with the National Geographic Society, which focus on Asian isues.
A. The American Red Cross Tsunami Recovery Program (http://www.redcross.org/news/in/tsunamis/recovery.asp) B. UNICEF (http://www.unicef.org/) C. The United Nations Foundation (http://www.unfoundation.org/) D. The Asia Society (http://www.asiasociety.org/) E. CARE (http://www.care.org/) F. World Vision (http://www.worldvision.org/) G. Oxfam International (http://www.oxfam.org) H. Save the Children (http://www.savethechildren.org/)
4. Promote Your Event Get Attention and Support For Your Event Spread the word! Build excitement with students, parents, and community members by letting them know the Geo-Games are coming up (see page 10).
• Personalize and distribute the invitation template enclosed in this kit to students, parents, local community members, and media (see page 12).
4 • Put up Geography Action! posters and double-sided maps throughout your school, local libraries, businesses, and community organizations (hospitals, after-school care, etc). • Feature the Geo-Games event in your school’s newsletter • Personalize and distribute the press release enclosed in this kit (see page 13) to local newspapers, television and radio stations. • Promote a fundraising aspect to your event. Companies have an easier time dedicating marketing funds as a sponsor if they know proceeds are going to charity. Also, media will be drawn to the chance to talk about the non-profit organization benefiting from the event and the school responsible for such a commitment to their global community. • Geography Action! (GA!) has a long-standing partnership with Newspapers in Education, a national program encouraging connections between schools and newspapers. Contact your local newspapers to see if they have an NIE Coordinator and see if they would like to collaborate on the event.
5. Settling Details Wrap-Up Logistics Before the Big Event Two weeks before the event, arrange for at least two wrap-up meetings with your planning team to cover the following priorities:
• Activities and Prizes—Have all the activities been confirmed, supplies gathered, and ample space mapped out in the event space for each activity? • Volunteers—Have ample volunteers joined the event team and accepted positions of responsibility? Are all the activities covered? • Promotion—Are students, parents, and community members excited about the upcoming event? Have posters and maps been placed strategically throughout the school and local community? The week before and the day before your event, make reminder calls to the media, send reminder notes to teachers and parents, and make school-wide announcements to students. • Photos—Assign one or more photographers for event day. It’s important to capture moments from the day’s activities on film. Make multiple copies of the Personal Release form in this kit (see page 14) and have families sign them at the Geo-Games registration table. When you send event photos to
5 the National Geographic, you’ll already have permission for publication.
6. Reporting Back Tell Us About Your Event! National Geographic Society would love to know how your event turned out! Please fill out the event evaluation included in this kit (see page 15) and send us your favorite photos. You may find your experiences featured in the next National Geographic Education Newsletter or in next year’s Geography Action! Geo-Games Kit!
6 Geography Action! Geo-Games Kit Geo-Games List
MULTICULTURAL ACTIVITY IDEAS
• Kite Flying (Wau) Did you know the first kite was made from silk and bamboo in China over 3000 years ago? Since then, this beautiful tradition of craftsmanship and skill has spread throughout Asia. Have your students experience this Asian activity firsthand by creating their own kites. Assign students a country theme and instruct them to decorate their kites with flag designs, maps, cultural symbols, or pictures. If weather allows, have a kite-flying event in the schoolyard or playground! Make it into a contest and have them vote on the most creative kite; the winner may be displayed at school after the event. *For more information about the kite-flying tradition, refer to www.nationalkitemonth.org/history.
• Geo-Games Passport Fill-up Transform a trip down the hallway into a trip around Asia! Assign each classroom an Asian country or region to research. Each class will create a display and decorate their classroom with cultural and geographic elements from their assigned region. Students can make passports and “travel” to each region collecting a stamp from each classroom/county along the way. Here are few ideas to get you started: Display a map with the country or region clearly marked; have a few students dress up in fashion typical to the region; play indigenous music; display local textiles; stage language demonstrations and lessons; perform folk dances; show official currency; set out guidebooks, travel brochures, magazines, and newspapers; demonstrate games; display pictures of political figures and national heroes; paint the country flag on poster board.
• Cook Up a Culinary Celebration Culminate the day’s events with a food fair everyone can enjoy! Have each class pick an Asian country, research the cuisine of the local culture, and identify traditional dishes they’d like to taste. As they research, have
7 students consider how the geography of the country relates to the fruits, vegetables, meat, and other ingredients in the dish. Connect the event to your local community. Speak with chefs from Asian restaurants, grocers, and business owners about presenting foods native to their countries of origin. They could even donate dishes to your Culinary Celebration! Along with the cuisine provided by community partners, your students can concoct treats to share (with parent permission and supervision).
TRADITIONAL GAMES FROM ASIA
• Akkoç and Karakoç (“White Rams” and “Black Rams”) This traditional Turkish game splits players into two teams: the Akkoç (pronounced ‘ah-coach’) or “white rams,” and the Karakoç (pronounced ‘kara-coach’) or “black rams.” To start the game, a neutral party (a teacher) throws an object away from the players. Both teams immediately start searching for the object. When one of the players, for example, an Akkoç team member, finds the object, she yells, “Akkoç team, I found it, grab them!” This signals all Karakoç players to run away, and all Akkoç players to chase them, much like a game of “tag,” but with an added twist: when an Akkoç player tags a Karakoç player, the Karakoç must carry her captor on her back to the place where the object was found.
• Sota-pani In India and Bangladesh, kids don’t play “duck-duck-goose,” they play Sota- pani. Usually played in groups of ten or more, players sit in a circle facing inward, allowed only to look at the facial expressions and body language of others seated. One player, chosen as “it,” holds a sota (a knotted handkerchief) and walks or runs around the circle. After circling a few times, the “it” person drops the sota behind a player. This player must pick up on facial cues from the others in the circle to realize the sota has been dropped, grab the handkerchief, chase the “it” player around the circle and try and tag “it” with the knotted end before he or she sits down in the empty seat. The player who does not claim the empty seat becomes “it” for the next round.
• Gradai Kha Dee-o
8 Children in Thailand play Gradai Kha Dee-o, translated as “One-Legged Rabbit.” Mark a large square as a playing field. Split the children into two equal groups. One group stands inside the square. The other group, “the rabbits,” line up along the outside of the square. Using only one leg, the rabbits take turns hopping into the marked area trying to tag as many of the other team members as they can. Players are out if they are tagged or if they cross the boundary. The rabbit is out if he changes his hopping leg or loses his balance. If a rabbit gets tired, she can select another rabbit to take her place. The game is over when the rabbits tag all players in the marked area.
• Kani Kakeru Translated as “Crab Race,” Kani Kakeru is a Japanese racing game. Set up a start and finish line. Rather than running or walking on their feet, the racers or “crabs,” prop themselves up on their feet and hands with their backs to the ground. Like crabs, players run backwards in this position. For a twist with large numbers of racers, form teams of “crabs” and make it a relay race.
• Oonch Neech Children in Pakistan play Oonch Neech, or "Up and Down." Similar to other tag games, one person is chosen to be “it” and he or she runs to catch the other players on the field. But rather than having one home base for players to run to, safety can be found on anything they can climb on top of! This includes stools, chairs, steps, beanbags, and cushions. These items should be placed at random across the play area.
Additional Resources: http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/places/ http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/games.html http://www.geocities.com/childrenfolklore/games.html http://www.topics-mag.com/edition11/games-section.htm http://www.gameskidsplay.net/games/foreign_indexes/index.htm http://library.thinkquest.org/J0110166/
9 Geography Action! Geo-Games Kit Tips for Working with the Media
Reaching the public through the media is the most effective way to let people in your community know about your upcoming Geo-Games or other Geography Action! 2007 activities.
1. Create a Media List • Create a list of the media in your area, including daily and weekly newspapers, magazines, radio stations, television stations, and websites. Include mailing addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, and fax numbers. Check with your school’s administrative office or the local chamber of commerce, as they may already have a media list you can use. • Once your list is completed, make sure you have the name and contact information for the reporter who covers local/metro education issues. You can confirm this by calling the news desks for each of the offices.
2. Customize the Geography Action! Template Press Release • See the template GA! press release enclosed in this kit on page 13, which you should customize with information about your school and your event. Be sure to include important information, such as: What the event is; where it will take place; the date and time; who’s participating; and your contact information so reporters can reach you for more information. • Check with your school’s administrative office to see if they will help send the release out to the media. If you need additional assistance, please contact Sarah Clark or Ann Barrett in the NG Communications office. ([email protected], [email protected])
3. Send Out Your Customized Press Release • A week to ten days before your event, send your customized version of the press release to the reporters on your media list via email, first-class mail, or by fax. • A few days before the event, call the reporters to see if they are interested in covering the event and if they need any other information. Keep the call short and to the point and have all your facts at hand; newsrooms are very
10 busy places. Media may want to talk to some of the students who are participating in the event. During the planning stages, be sure and check with your school’s administrative office to see if you need parental permission for your students to be interviewed or photographed by the media.
4. Working With Media On Event Day • Although there is no guarantee that media will attend, reporters will more likely cover the event with the alert you’ve given them. On event day, at least one volunteer should dedicate his or her time to working with the press. • Set up a check-in table at the event with a sign identifying it as “Media.” Place the media table in a location that is easy to find, and station the Promotions Planner there to greet reporters and answer questions as they come in. Have copies of the customized press release and the event’s program available to pass on to the reporters. • Television reporters coming with film crews will need electrical outlets for their equipment, so have these available for them in the locations where events are happening. Press will need to have the best view of student displays, games, and presentations. Make sure to have seats designated as “Reserved for Press” where appropriate, with easily visible signs.
5. Partner With Your Local “Newspapers In Education” Coordinator • GA! has a long-standing partnership with Newspapers in Education, a national program encouraging connections between schools and newspapers. Contact your local newspapers to see if they have an NIE Coordinator and see if they would like to collaborate on the event.
11 You’re Invited to the Geography Action! Asia Geo-Games
Please join (your school name) and (special guest names) in celebrating the world’s diversity with the Geography Action! Asia Geo-Games.
(Your school name) and schools across the country are opening their doors to families and communities to learn more about the continent of Asia and have fun doing it! Taste delicious food and drinks from Asia, gain “passport stamps” from Asian countries, and play games that celebrate Asian cultures. Be sure to wear comfortable clothes and shoes!
Date:
Time:
Place:
Please RSVP by (insert date) to: (insert contact info) *Please note: It’s ok to come if you haven’t RSVP’d, we’re just trying to get a rough count.
For more information, contact: (insert contact info – name, phone, e-mail)
12 (school logo goes here) PERSONAL RELEASE
Date:
Shoot1 for Project/Assignment
National Geographic Agent2: (“NG Agent”)
I agree that National Geographic, (NG)3, and NG Agent may photograph and record my likeness and activities (“Images”) 4. I grant the following rights to NG and NG Agent: permission to use and re-use, publish and re-publish, and modify or alter the Image(s) taken during the Shoot. Use of the Images for editorial, commercial, trade, advertising, and any other purpose may be done in any medium now existing or subsequently developed, worldwide in perpetuity for the purposes stated above.
I waive my right to inspect or approve any editorial text or copy that is used in connection with the Images and release and discharge NG and NG Agent from any and all claims arising out of use of the Images for the purposes described above, including any claims for libel, invasion of privacy or other tortuous act.
I have read the foregoing. I fully understand its contents and confirm my agreement by signing below. I am over the age of 18 and have legal capacity to sign the release.
Date Signature
Street Address Name
City, State, Zip Telephone
If subject is a minor, I warrant and represent that I am the parent or legal guardian of the minor. If subject is illiterate, third party witness please sign below:
Approval:
Date Signature
Street Address Name
City, State, Zip Telephone
Circle one: Father Mother Guardian Witness
1 Shoot means the photographic or film session described in this form 2 NG Agent means the photographer or videographer or other person or entity photographing or recording you during the Shoot. 3 National Geographic means the National Geographic Society and its affiliates, subsidiaries, any company or person that NG licenses rights to and licensees of the company or person 4 Image means all photographs, film or recording taken of you as part of the Shoot 13 Geography Action! Geo-Games Event Evaluation
School Name: ______
School Address: ______
______
Contact Person: ______
Event Date: ______Event Time: ______
Total Number of People Attended: ______Number of Students:______
Activities: (Please name all that were played and descriptions if you created them)
______
______
______
______
Community Interest: (Number of participants and level of participation)
______Radio Stations Event Sponsor Promotions Attended and Covered Event
______TV Stations Event Sponsor Promotions Attended and Covered Event
______Newspapers Event Sponsor Promotions Attended and Covered Event
______Websites Event Sponsor Promotions Attended and Covered Event
______Others: ______
Event Sponsor Promotions Attended and Covered Event
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