Extensions and Enrichment

 1. Take a walk inside the school and look for signs of the paths that lead from one room to another. How do we know people walked by? Look for hand or finger prints, litter, wear on the floor or rugs, etc. If possible, use school maps to show the paths that people take to get from one place to another.

2. Brainstorm about why paths disappear. Write the responses on chartpaper. Which paths disappear in the briefest time (paths in sand and snow)? Talk about what precautions people need to take if they depend on pathways that disappear. Divide the class in half to do research on explorers who followed paths that disappeared.

3. Talk about what animals make paths and why they make paths. Ants and other insects leave trails, even in a flower pot. Slugs leave slime trains. Ask students see if there are any animal paths near their homes and ask: "Who made the path? Why is the path where it is?" Make a map of the path and label items in the landscape.

Have you used this investigation?
How did you extend this investigation? Share your enrichment ideas with other teachers! Email your suggestions to Sarah Bednarz.