Passport Club
The purpose of The Passport Club is to provide a fun and exciting way to study geography. It is an individualized, year-long program which can be optional, or can be incorporated into the curriculum. The two basic goals of the program are:
- To learn the location of some or all, of the countries of the world.
- To introduce postage stamps as one way to make the countries "come alive" for the students.
The Passport Club works as a springboard for any other geography study the teacher may choose. Since first you must find a place before you can explore it, The Passport Club makes the finding part interesting, and leaves the limitless avenues of exploration up to the teacher.
The program also provides a medium for linking the community's volunteer work force with the school in a positive and constructive fashion. On "Passport Check Day" volunteers can get to know other parents and grandparents in the community while providing an important service to their kids.
Finally, it's focus is a field of study where everyone; parents, teachers, and students alike share a common ground. While an adult's abilities are vastly different from a child's in reading, math, and spelling, when it comes to locating Eritrea or Croatia, we're almost equal. This is wonderful for a child's ego, and it also sends the message that you never stop learning.Well Traveled Suitcase
The program requires considerable parent involvement, a cash outlay of approximately $2-$3 per student, per year ($7-$8 if the school pays for the trophies at year's end), and should have the support of all staff members in order to work effectively all year.
The Passport Club improves with age. Every year it continues, important reinforcement of geographic knowledge occurs. For example, if a first grader completed Level 1, and starts Level 2 in second grade, half the countries would be new, and half review. Going from Level 2 to Level 3, 2/3 would be review, and 1/3 would be new.
A child who progresses through the program during their grade school years, should enter middle school with a very high retention level and a feeling of confidence about geography.