A Parent’s Guide to Passport Club at
Laurelhurst School
Including Frequently Asked Questions
Passport Club is a geography program for that is used all
over the world. At Laurelhurst Elementary, students in grades 2-5 participate
in this program for all four of those school years. Our PTA funds the Passport
Club program, which augments the social studies, science, geography and world
studies that each teacher chooses for their own class curriculum. Throughout the year, as students show their knowledge
of the countries and features of our Earth, they can earn colorful stamps to
put in their paper ‘passports’.
Passport Club has three distinct parts for the students: map
labeling and independent study; our
monthly Passport Check, when the students meet with parent volunteers to show and
share what they have learned; and Special Itinerary, an optional activity
offering. Because the different grades and different classrooms all treat
Passport in slightly different ways, this guide is meant to help answer the
most common questions new families to Laurelhurst have about this activity.
My child brought home some maps. What do we do with them?
In September, each child is given two maps. One is a World
Study map, which has the entire world of countries, oceans, and other
geographical features labeled on one side; the other side is entirely unlabeled..
This World Study map is intended to be used for the entire year. Please
encourage your student to treat it as such, and this can be used for at-home
practice.
Each month, your child will receive a new study map. The map
will have the name of the month on across the top. One side will show an
unlabeled map; to its right is a list of Levels which contain
features/countries to be studied for that month. Levels 1-4 are typically going
to be countries. (September’s map features continents, oceans and significant
waterways, and mountain ranges and deserts.) Level 5 is nearly always the
capitals of the countries learned in Level One. For each level your child wants
to learn, it would be helpful for them to read the name of the feature, find it
on the labeled map (which is on the reverse side) and then label it themselves
on the blank map. Then, they should practice finding those features on the
blank world map, using their own study map to guide them.
Does my child need to hand in their study map?
In most cases, your child’s study map is just for them to
see. Please
check with your student’s individual teacher, however, as some may choose to
include this as schoolwork. For second grade families especially, the most important thing I want to impress
upon parents is that these maps are for the child to use however it works for
them. Some younger students might
choose to write out the country names phonetically. Some students may highlight
each country’s boundaries with different colored pencils or color them in.
(Markers are not recommended.) Perhaps your child wants to draw a clue in how
they remember that country: a food, sport, or animal can be drawn on the map as
well. The labeling process which works best for your child is how your child
should use the map, unless the teacher has other expectations. This is why
checking in with the teacher is a good idea.
Once my child labels their map, what do they do? How should they study?
Students can study for this in a variety of ways. They can
work with a friend, a sibling, a peer or a parent to ‘quiz’ each other on their
knowledge of the locations and names of each country/feature on that month’s
study map. Perhaps they can share ideas or ways to remember this information.
One thing some students like to do is to turn the tables and quiz their parents
on the material they have studied; this makes the child the ‘expert’ and can be
a lot of fun and learning for others in the family as well.
Some teachers will assign this study time as homework and
others will expect their students to be independently managing their study. We
have found that picking two days a week to review for 15+ minutes or so works
best for our family; you will find what works for yours.
Does my student have to achieve a certain number of levels each month?
This is a question which should be directed to your student’s
teacher. We all want to encourage every student to work to their best ability,
and while there are no level requirements for second grade, teachers in the
successive grades may have goals for their students. (Second graders are NOT graded on their
Passport Club achievement.) So, do check with your student’s teacher regarding
their expectations.
What is the Passport Check and how does it work?
On your school calendar, you will find a Passport Check date
for each month. On the morning of that
day, each class will come in and students will take turns working with an adult
volunteer. Typically, these checks
include a bit of friendly conversation and are conducted at a relaxed pace. The
volunteer has a large, unlabeled map which features the borders of countries as
well as symbols indicating geographic features. Using the student’s passport
book, the adult volunteer then asks your student to locate each item listed for
each level your child has studied.
Students will point to the location on the map; if they want to complete
Level 5, they should be prepared to name the capital city of that Level One
country as it is located. It should be made clear that these Passport Checks
are very low-key; the adults who volunteer with the kids really do want to help
them and might review a bit with your child. Your student can ask for a clue if
they need a little help remembering.
My student lost their maps. Where can I get another one?
Extra study maps for the month (as well as the world study
map) can be found in the front hallway on the bulletin board next to the
Passport display case. Also, extra Special Itinerary activity sheets can be
found there as well. Note: maps are not available
online.
Special Itinerary? What’s that?
Special Itinerary is a monthly optional activity which
enhances our understanding of our world, our community, and the Passport Club
experience overall. Sometimes the focus is more academic (with content
available in the front hall Passport Club case (and available on our blogsite, LPGeoConnect.blogspot.com), sometimes
the activities invite your student’s creativity and imagination and sometimes
there will be a link to a featured internet article or page for your child to
refer to. Special Itinerary has its own stamp to earn as well. Unless your
student’s teacher indicates otherwise, Special Itinerary is optional.
What’s this I hear about the Level 5 party?
At the end of each year, the students who have achieved
Level 5 consistently at each Passport Check will be invited to a short party.
This is to honor their commitment to study and reward them for their effort.
This party usually consists of a snack, some trinkets and a Geography trivia
quiz for fun.
I loved geography when I was in school! How can I become involved in
Passport Club?
We welcome parent involvement! While our Passport Check runs
from 8:45-11 or so one Thursday a month, many parent volunteers can come for an
hour or stay the entire time—whatever fits your schedule! If you would like to
be on our volunteer email list, please contact Hazel Wheeler, the Passport Club
coordinator at laurelhurstppc@gmail.com.
Oops! It’s the night before Passport Check and our map is missing. Can
we download one to print out at home?
Due to the proprietary nature of the Passport Club maps,
they are not available for access online. Our maps are ordered each year
through the Passport Club organization. Please be sure your child has the maps
they need in the days before the check. Again, extra maps can be located in the
front hall at the Passport Club bulletin board.
My child is sick on Passport Check day, and they worked so hard to
learn the information. Do they just miss out for that month?
One of the lovely things about this being a volunteer effort
is that we can schedule make-up Checks! Please contact Hazel Wheeler at laurelhurstppc@gmail.com to arrange
a make-up Check either before or after school. Make-up checks will also be
offered about three times this year, as well as a make-up check day at the end
of the year. We want to encourage every student to participate to the best of
their ability.
What if my child is discouraged because they achieved Level One and
their best friend achieved Level 5?
First, if your child is struggling with some aspect of
Passport Club, please ask for help. We want to meet the children where they are
at and we have ideas which may help your child in their learning, so do contact
us. For younger students, remind them that they have a few more years to learn
these maps (which are presented in the same order with the same content each
year). Sometimes disappointment is difficult for children, so we want to
encourage parents to stay positive in their responses. Help your student to set
reasonable goals for themselves and celebrate their achievements and
progresses. Notice their effort. I cannot stress enough: while Passport Club is
often treated as an independent activity, parents do have a powerful impact on
a child’s perception and experience of this. Busy families can choose to do
review while waiting for food at a restaurant or for a few minutes here and
there. Kids can review in the car on the way to sports or other activities. All
you need is that one monthly map. When the teacher does not have any
requirements or expectations of participations, parents are our greatest ally in setting the tone for how important
this study is and how enjoyable your child’s experience is.
