The Adventure of a Lifetime

Background: Sometimes as a teacher, the event and the stories that come with it are so interesting that the intended audience does not need traditional prompting and check-ins. That is precisely the case with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, where students become so engaged by the story that they want to learn about it themselves, very little interference from me. That is why I created a simulation of the Lewis and Clark expedition based on the Journals and other primary source evidence. This activity has the students become members of the Corps of Discovery and follow the route taken by the expedition. Along the way, students are presented with challenges or decisions that the real Corps of Discovery experienced, and only by making the correct (factual) choice will the students be able to complete the journey. 

​

​My Role: Researcher, Instructional Designer, Scriptwriter, Storyboard Designer, Video Editor, and Tech Support. 

​

Tools Used: Google Slides, Claude, Google Images, Chromebooks

​​

Timeline: 2 days

​

Training Type: 1-hour simulation that can be done individually or in a small group

 

Client: Greene Middle School​

​

Results: 

• The preliminary research phase consisted of utilizing Claude to identify  30 key events from the expedition. This information was fact-checked against primary source documents. Finally, I located documentaries that discussed these events that would be included in the simulation. This took 7 hours. 

• The concept-to-storyboard process was completed in approximately 1 hour using pen and paper.

• Creating the presentation, including embedding images and video, took 6 hours. 

• Performing quality control tests, resolving tech issues, and making other revisions took 2 hours.

• Total production time from blank page to finished training was approximately 16 hours. 

​

Next Steps: As a follow-up to this training, I conducted a 10-15 minute follow-up training on creating and utilizing a feature called 'Scenes', which allows teachers to block or approve websites that students can access during the class period.