URBAN ADVENTURE SQUAD
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Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail Stewards

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During this year's Surfin’ the Waves: Brain Week program, Squad members explored mechanical and electromagnetic waves on Gallaudet’s campus, and across DC, though hands-on projects, visits from guest educators, and during a shipboard adventure with Living Classrooms. Thanks to a partnership between the National Park Service and Living Classrooms, Urban Adventure Squad students participated in the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail Stewards program! Learn more about the War of 1812 and which historic sites are near your home by checking out the trail on the NPS website. 

To prepare for our shipboard experience, Squad members connected what they'd learned about light waves to the topic of navigation by learning about  LiDAR mapping. LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote sensing method. Remote sensors on satellites or mounted on planes can collect data by measuring how long it takes light waves to bounce back. These light pulses generate detailed maps of the earth’s surface or the ocean floor. NOAA scientists are using LIDAR to produce more accurate shoreline maps and to assist in emergency response operations, while the National Parks Service and Civil War Defenses of Washington are using LiDAR at the Fort Circle Parks here in DC to see how much the earthworks have worn down at each fort. (LiDAR details from https://oceanservice.noaa.gov)

Now that students knew about this new mapping technology, it was time to jump back to how mapping worked a long time ago. Squad members discovered that the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail has both a land portion and a water portion, and that naval battles were an enormously important part of the War of 1812. When asked how they would navigate Gallaudet’s campus or Washington, DC, without using modern technology, students came up with landmark mapping. By identifying certain landmarks, you can orient yourself and find your way home. But what if you were in the middle of the ocean? Squad members knew right away to use the stars in the night sky as a way to orient themselves, just as people did for hundreds of years when navigating ships. We considered the strengths of grid mapping versus landmark mapping before making maps of our classroom at Gallaudet University.

The shipboard experience with Living Classrooms extended students’ learning, allowing them to delve deeper into mapping, nautical navigation, and naval warfare, plus it got us out ON the waves we’d been learning so much about! Aboard the historic vessel Mildred Belle, students also got hands-on with bivalves, explored symbolism by designing flags, and discovered the difference between pirates and privateers. Thanks to the incredible educators at Living Classrooms and the National Park Service for providing this spectacular experiential learning adventure. Environmental stewardship and historic preservation are a large part of Urban Adventure Squad programs and we're grateful for opportunities to partner with other educators to foster these values in elementary and middle school students.

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  • Home
  • DONATIONS
    • Donate
  • Outdoor Programs
    • Full Day Programs
    • Summer 2023 >
      • Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
    • School Partnerships
    • COVID-19 Safety Protocol
    • Tick Protocol
  • Resources
    • Guide to Outdoor Learning
    • Black History in D.C.
    • Land Acknowledgement
    • Resources during the COVID-19 pandemic
    • Geocaching D.C.'s Waterways >
      • Activities for the Classroom or Home
      • Go PLAY! (Find Our Geocaches)
    • D.C.'s Hidden Waterways >
      • Squad Waterway Cleanup
      • In-classroom activities
      • Field trips
      • Resources to learn more >
        • Hands-on Activities
  • About
    • Who we are >
      • UAS BOARD
      • UAS STAFF
      • UAS documents >
        • UAS Annual Report 2021
        • UAS Annual Report 2020
        • UAS Annual Report 2019
        • UAS Annual Report 2018
        • UAS Annual Report 2017 >
          • UAS Financial Report 2017
        • UAS Annual Report 2016
        • ULTC governance docs
    • The Squad in the News
    • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
    • Contact Us >
      • Join our email list
    • Job opportunity