Parents, grandparents, and guests filed into the 3^rd grade classroom.  They “oohed” and “aahed” over each student’s tri-fold travel brochure about a different state.

This creative activity, which could be appropriate across grades 3-8, requires varied skills. Students must be able to gather and organize information, present information, and then design their finished product. 

In addition, this type of activity has the potential to promote differentiated learning.  Here’s how:

• Depending on their interests, abilities, and needs, a student could gather information about their chosen state from the different sources; e.g., the internet, books, maps, videos, and photos (perhaps from their own travels)
• To guide the students, the teacher had suggested organizational headings;  e.g., famous people, places to visit, local foods, history, flag, bird, etc.
• Students could decorate their brochures by either drawing or downloading images.
• The text could be handwritten or produced on a computer.

Interested?  Explore these resources.

• A Simple Tri-Fold Brochure Template for Students
• Create a Travel Brochure
• Design an Travel Brochure
• Create a Travel Brochure to an Imaginary Place

Since research skills play a key role in this activity, check out the Teaching Strategy Guide on Conducting Research on PowerUp WHAT WORKS.  Aligned to relevant standards, it identifies great strategies and suggests ways to integrate technology tools.