‘The Armchair Travelers’ Reading Roles

1. ‘The Armchair Travelers’ Reading Roles

2. The Itinerary (The Travel Agenda) Intrepid travelers, you are about to embark on a journey to the far corners of the world: from the bustling metropolis of Cairo to the centuries-old marketplaces of West Africa; from the ancient sand dunes of Zambia to the majestic Victoria Falls. It will be filled with adventure and fraught with adversity (difficulty). In other words, it’s going to be travel as usual—just without the plane ride, long lines, rude hotel clerks, and all of the other discomforts of travel. With a small band of fellow adventurers, you will read a chapter from the textbook, World Geography. Each of you will have a special role and each of you will have a special responsibility; both of which will shift as you progress. And, if you survive the ordeal (the experience), you will share with with your peers what you have endured, what you have seen, and what you have learned.

3. In the Plain English, Please In plain English: You will read, along with your group, the chapter from the textbook, World Geography, that is relevant to the region of Africa you are studying. Each group member will be assigned a Reading Role and then given a worksheet associated with that Reading Role. You will follow the instructions printed on the worksheet. Once you finish a chapter, you will rotate the Reading Role Worksheets clockwise (read: to your left), which means that periodically your role and responsibility will change. Once you have finished reading the chapter, you will create a chart that will assist you in the development of your lesson, activity, and assessment.

4. The Guide The Guide leads the others through the ‘reading tour’ of exotic locales… That is to say, the Guide is responsible for reading the assigned textbook chapter and leading discussion when prompted to do so.

5. The Tourist The Tourist is a visitor to foreign lands, curious to learn all he or she can about local ways of living… The Tourist poses questions about textbook chapter, writing them down on the worksheet, which will then be answered by the Local. Note that the questions must always relate to the text.

6. The Local The Local hails from a land frequented by visitors. He or she has an intimate knowledge of the people and terrain that can only come about from having been born there… The Local supplies answers to the questions posed by the Tourist, writing them down in the appropriate worksheet. If the Local does not know the answer, he or she will have to refer back to the text. Sometimes, it may become necessary to speculate if there is no obvious answer.

7. The Historian The Historian is the big thinker and the long-term researcher, the one who studies every word and every sentence to ascertain its importance… The Historian is responsible for summarizing what the Guide has read. While the summary should be concise, it too should be detailedenough to give an accurate retelling of the article.

8. Traveler’s Meeting Make a note of where you are in the text. Now, put it aside. Take this time to discuss the article. For the Traveler’s Meeting, each individual will raise one question or point of confusion that he or she has about the article. Then the other group members will answer that question (or point of confusion), in turn, before they proceed to the next individual.

9. Traveler’s Pamphlet Once you have completed reading the Traveler Magazine article, you and your group-members will create a pamphlet about the article. It should be four pages in length. Each individual will be responsible for one quarter of the pamphlet—and, consequently, one quarter of the overall grade. Page 1, The Title Page: This page will include the title of the article and the name of the author who wrote it. It will, in addition, include illustrations taken from (or inspired by) the text, such as the a drawing of the city and/or country where the author traveled. The Title Page should use the entire space of the paper provided and must be colorful and interesting in appearance. Finally, the Title Page should include a one-to-two sentence advertisement for why the reader should open the pamphlet. Page 2, The Summary: This page will have a summary of the entire text—from the opening hook to the closing line. Remember, a summary is a restatement of important events; it is not a divulging of your opinion about its quality (that will come later). The summary should be no less than ten sentences in length. Page 3, The ‘Q n A’ Page: This page will have a shortened list of the questions and answers that have been answered and questioned. There must be a minimum a seven questions and answers written on this page—all of which must be written in entirety. If the questions (from the Reading Roles activity) are confusingly worded or if the answers do not address all aspects of the question, then you must add to them. Page 4, The Analysis: The final page will have an analysis of the assigned article. Using notes from the mini-lecture on “The Elements of Good Travel Writing,” you will write a review of the article. It should be no less than ten sentences in length. When writing this review, it is important to go beyond generalities; be specific and provide evidence.

10. A Final Note This assignment will constitute a Group Grade. That means your performance will affect the grade that your group members receive. That is to say, if only three out of the four students in your group fulfill their responsibilities, then the maximum grade possible is 75%.