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Walk and Bike Across America is a web-based interactive game that promotes physical activity.
Participating classes receive a wall map and access to the web-based map. Students track the miles they walk and bike to school and then combine those miles with their classmates to accumulate enough miles to travel around the map. The Web site includes Excel spread sheets to assist in tracking individual and class miles.
Each site represents a significant national park or historic site that links to the National Park
Services web pages. These pages will give the students important information about the site, which will broaden the students’ knowledge of the United States. Students can also eat their way across the country by landing on the many healthy fruits and vegetables grown and/or sold around the country and learning about its nutritional value and other interesting facts.
This activity can be done as a class project or can be run for the whole school, thus adding up even more miles. Learn about the greatness of America while increasing the health of your students and decreasing the traffic around your school.
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1.
Visit the web site at www.saferoutestoschools.org/walk .
2.
Go to the bottom of the page and click on “application page”.
3.
Complete each section of the application page: a.
Choose a starting point. Marin schools will start in Marin. Schools from other areas of the U.S. should choose the site closest to your school. b.
Choose a user name and password – this is the teacher/organizer’s access to the complete site. c.
Choose a class nickname – this will identify your class or school each time you access the site. d.
Choose a secret word – this will be your students’ access to the site to view the websites you have reached in your travels.
4.
Submit the completed application page by clicking the “Create Class Record” button at the bottom of the web page.
5.
SR2S will receive an email indicating that you have registered. SR2S staff will check the application to ensure that it is legitimate school that is qualified to use the site (the site must be used by a school, not an individual student).
6.
You will receive an email indicating that you are ready to enter the site to start playing!
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Grade level: 4-12
Subject Areas: Geography, Health, Math, Physical Education, Computer Science, Social Studies,
English
Skill Set: Mapping, Nutrition and Physical Activity, American History
Introduction: This is a class project that combines physical activity with computer-based learning of America’s rich cultural heritage. Students learn how to use maps, compute mileage, and be physically active, while exploring America’s national parks, historical heritage, and nutritional information via key agricultural sites.
Objective: Students will gather the miles that the class (or the whole school) walks and bikes and will use those miles to virtually travel a computerized map of the United States visiting 85 sites across the country.
Set Up: Post the hard copy of the map on the wall in a prominent location. If gathering miles school-wide, place the map in a central location in the school.
Materials:
Map (provided by SR2S staff)
Digital Spreadsheets for tracking individual miles (provided on the web site – can be printed)
Digital Spreadsheet for adding individual miles together (provided on the web site)
Computer
Push pins and colored string
Preparation: Distribute individual spreadsheets to each student for tracking individual miles within their class, or if you are tracking mileage for the whole school then distribute tracking sheets school wide to each class.
Instruction/Modeling/Discussion:
1.
Each student receives a mileage tracker spreadsheet to keep track of the number of times he or she walks or bikes to school. (To determine his or her distance from school the
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student can use any map program found on the web such as MapQuest or Yahoo Maps.
Enter the student’s address as one point and the school address as the second point. The program will give you the miles. Younger students will need parental assistance for this process.)
2.
Each week, students turn in their mileage tracker spreadsheet to be entered into the class mileage tracker. This spreadsheet will calculate the total miles for the week. (If the whole school is playing, then the totals from each class tracker should be added together.)
3.
Enter the total miles for the week on the web site. Students will then know how many miles they have to travel to reach their chosen destination. Have the class vote for their preferred travel direction and start traveling. The map will show you how far you have gone that week.
4.
When the collective mileage allows students to reach one of the destination points on the map they can virtually visit that site. They’ll find out more about the United States and the wonderful treasures it has to offer.
5.
Mark the progress on the physical map using pushpins to designate sites visited, and tying string to the pins to show the path taken. (Note: While it is possible to draw directly on the map, it could potentially damage the map and does not allow re-use. We suggest you have your map laminated so it can be used repeatedly over time.)
Discussion: This activity can continue over a period of weeks or even months. Discuss the various sites visited. What does each site contribute to America’s cultural heritage? Why are physical activity and good nutrition important? How does walking and biking to school contribute to the health and safety of the students and the school? (Less traffic, less pollution, more exercise, it’s fun, etc.).
Assessment: Were the students able to accurately calculate the mileage? How many miles were traveled and how many sites were visited? Have the students increased their knowledge of key cultural and historic sites in the United States? Did the students learn important nutritional information?
Options:
For students who ride the bus:
If a student takes the bus to school and walks to the bus stop, calculate the miles from the student’s home to the bus stop and use those miles.
For students who carpool:
If a student carpools to school, then that student offers one bonus mile a day toward their class total for each time they carpool to or from school. Note, a carpool is defined as two or more families who share driving to school. Large families are NOT a carpool. A carpool must eliminate at least one car trip.
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Walk and Bike Across America Map Key:
Visit these national parks, historic sites, and key agricultural locations as you walk and bike across America. Each site hold a treasure of information on the corresponding web page found at www.saferoutestoschools.org
. Home Base is considered Marin County, CA.
1. Yosemite National Park
2. Death Valley National Park
3. Crater Lake National Park
4. Olympic National Park
5. Glacier Bay National Park
6. Volcano National Park
7. Grand Canyon National Park
8. Bryce Canyon National Park
Yosemite, California, Yosemite
Death Valley, California
Crater Lake, Oregon
Port Angeles, Washington
Gustavus, Alaska
Volcano, Hawaii
Grand Canyon, Arizona
9. Craters of the Moon National Monument
10. Glacier National Park
11. Yellowstone National Park
12. Rocky Mountain National Park
13. Petroglyph National Monument
14. Big Bend National Park
15. Oklahoma City National Memorial
16. Brown vs. Board of Education Historic Site
Bryce Canyon, Utah
Arco, Idaho
West Glacier, Montana
Yellowstone, Wyoming
Estes Park, Colorado
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Big Bend, Texas
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Topeka, Kansas
17. Missouri National Recreation Area
18. Mt. Rushmore National Memorial
19. Theodore Roosevelt National Park
20. Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
O'Neill, Nebraska
Keystone, South Dakota
Medora, North Dakota
St. Paul, Minnesota
21. Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
22. Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
23. George Washington Carver National Monument
West Branch, Iowa
St. Louis, Missouri
Diamond, Missouri
24. Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site Little Rock, Arkansas
25. New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park New Orleans, Louisiana
26. St. Croix National Scenic Riverway
27. Lincoln Home National Historic Site
28. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
29. Motown Historic Museum
30. Cuyahoga Valley National Park
31. Mammoth Cave National park
32. Great Smokey Mountains
33. Gulf Islands National Seashore
34. Little River Canyon National Preserve
35. Martin Luther King National Historic Site
36. Everglades National Park
37. Fort Sumter National Monument
38. Booker T. Washington National Monument
39. Harpers Ferry National Historic Park
St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin
Springfield, Illinois
Porter, Indiana
Detroit, Michigan
Brecksville, Ohio
Mammoth Cave, Kentucky
Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Fort Payne, Alabama
Atlanta, Georgia
Homestead, Florida
Sullivan's Island, South Carolina
Hardy, Virginia
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
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40. Miscellaneous sites Washington DC
41. Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park Hagerstown, Maryland
42. Clay White Creek National Wild and Scenic River Delaware
43. New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route
44. Gettysburg National Military Park
Newport, New Jersey
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
45. Farmington National Wild and Scenic River
46. Roger Williams National Memorial
47. Cape Cod National Seashore
48. Minute Man National Historic Park
Pleasant Valley, Connecticut
Providence, Rhode Island
Wellfleet, Massachusetts
Concord, Massachusetts
49. Lamprey National Wild and Scenic River
50. Acadia National Park
51. Marsh-Billings-Roosevelt National Park
52. Statue of Liberty National Monument
Concord, New Hampshire
Bar Harbor, Maine
Woodstock, Vermont
Ellis Island, New York
54.
Pineapple
55.
Strawberries
56.
Grapes
57.
Apples
58.
Pears
59.
Kiwifruit
60.
Oranges
61.
Potatoes
62.
Carrots
63.
Peppers
64.
Papaya
65.
Sweet Potatoes
66.
Broccoli & Cauliflower
67.
Green Beans
68.
Mangos
69.
Avocado
70.
Cranberries
71.
Greens
72.
Stone fruit
73.
Melons
74.
Winter squash
75.
Corn
76.
Tomatoes
77.
Blueberries
78.
Bananas
79.
Onion & garlic
80.
Tangerines
81.
Cucumber
82.
Asian pears
83.
Jicama
84.
beets
Maui, HI
Cambridge, MA
Los Angeles, CA
Ohio River (near Stubenville)
Bend, OR
Paradise, CA
Polk, FL
Snake River, ID
Holtville, CA
Daytona Beach, FL
Hilo, HI
Asheville, NC
Salinas Valley, CA
Lynchburg, VA
Dade, FL
San Diego, CA
Dennis, MA
Billings, MT
Watertown, SD
Abilene, KS
Baltimore, MD
Ursa, IL
Caledonia, WI
Chattanooga, TN
Brooklyn, NY
Allentown, PA
Bangor, ME
Baton Rouge, LA
Augusta, GA
Campton, KY
Henderson, NV
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Walk and Bike Across America can be woven into a teacher’s regular coursework as part of their required curriculum. Here is an overview of how to use the game in various grade levels:
Students calculate and solve problems involving addition and multiplication by calculating the miles that they live from school, and using long addition to add the number of miles accumulated for themselves, the class and the school.
Students learn about the states and their key natural, cultural, and historic resources. Students can access information on the map that relates to United States’ history, famous people, natural landscapes, government institutions, and cultural traits of certain regions.
Students can learn about various fruits and vegetables, their nutritional value, how they can be cooked and eaten, and other significant information.
Students perform regular physical activity as part of their day-to-day routine of walking and biking to school.
Students can be assigned essays or reports on the various locations that are visited on the map.
Students create oral presentations on the various locations that are visited on the map.
Students learn how to use a computer, access web sites, utilize the pages on the web sites, and fill out forms. They become familiar with using Excel spread sheets.
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Walk and Bike Across America offers a number of educational opportunities. Although this is designed as a non-competitive activity, you can still use competition to encourage more participation. Here are a number of ways in which you can increase the educational value of this activity and/or make it more enticing.

Post the number of miles and the places you have visited in your school newsletter.

Put the map in a central school location so that others can view your progress.

Assign students to write essays about the places that they visit. They can be asked to do further research on that site by exploring more related websites. Publish the best essays in the school newspaper or in a local newspaper.

Focus on nutrition – Specifically visit the agricultural sites. Introduce class discussions on the importance of fruits and vegetables as part of a balanced diet. Assign essays to augment the information found on the sites.

Challenge the individuals
– Award the student who walks or bikes the farthest. Request a donation for a prize from your PTA or from a local store.

Challenge other classes – Ask each class to track their own miles and see which class can visit the most points on the map. Award the winning class with a special treat.

Challenge other schools – Challenge a neighboring school to compete in determining which school can visit the most points on the map. Reward the winning school with a cash prize or other incentive.

Arrange for a class trip to actually visit the nearest point on the map. In a class competition, the winning class gets to make the trip.
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Classroom Activity
Contact your principal and request permission to approach the teachers at your school. This activity is best suited for grades four and up. This activity can be incorporated into the regular curriculum. For instance, fifth grade classes normally study American History. It can also be used as part of a math class, physical education, mapping, or nutrition. If there is a teacher at your school who is an avid bicyclist or walking enthusiast, you might want to contact them directly. You can also make a presentation at a regular staff meeting. Safe Routes to Schools staff would be happy to assist you in approaching your principal or making a presentation to the staff. A letter to the teacher is included in this packet, as well as a flyer that can be given to teachers or posted in the staff room.
Volunteer Run Activity
Walk and Bike Across America can be simplified and run by the Team Leaders. Neil Cummins
School in Corte Madera has set up its own version of Walk and Bike Across America as a whole school activity. Every Wednesday at Neil Cummins is Walk and Roll to School Day. Rather than adding up miles, each time the student walks, bikes, or takes the bus it counts as one mile.
The kids check in and are given cards to track the number of students participating. They use those cards to vote on which direction they would like to travel on the map.
Tasmin Pesso, Team Leader at Neil Cummins, explained the contest to the students during motor skills and science classes, which are a natural tie-in to the curriculum. “I think a really neat hook is that I tell them that their actions really make a difference in our environment, their health and for the neighborhood. I think the last point is probably the most effective as they can see so clearly the impact of traffic around our school,” said Tasmin. The principal reinforced this message during the morning announcement on the school PA.
The Wednesday Walk and Roll to School Day participation gradually increased over the course of the activity. On International Walk to School Day, which was not promoted any differently than a normal Wednesday, they had 175 kids sign in. Then Walk and Bike Across America started. By November they had 204 kids sign in and had accumulated 704 miles. Students can visit the web sites accessed through their walking and bicycling miles either at home or in the school computer labs.
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Dear Teacher,
We are pleased to announce a new classroom activity for Safe Routes to Schools called Walk and Bike Across America.
This computer-based game combines geography, health and nutrition, physical education, math, computer science and social studies in one activity.
Walk and Bike Across America is a class project in which the students track the number of miles they each travel (walking or biking) to and from school on a daily basis and add the class miles together weekly to travel across a computerized map of the United States. The students can conduct the activity as a class, or gather miles from the entire school (thus increasing the number of miles that they can travel).
There are 85 sites on the map including national parks, historical monuments and key agricultural sites providing nutritional information on fruits and vegetables. Each location has a pop up menu that links to an informational website allowing the class to virtually visit that place and learn about its historic and cultural information. The class can travel to as many sites as they choose within the number of miles they have collected. Once they have reached one site, they can use more miles to travel to another site.
Safe Routes to Schools provides each participating school with a wall map and downloadable
Excel spread sheets to assist with tracking individual and class miles. A lesson plan is attached that provides more detailed information about the activity.
The web site was launched on October 6, 2004, International Walk to School Day. You can introduce this activity at any time during the school year. If you would like to receive the Walk and Bike Across America package please contact Melanie Grubman at 456-3469 ext. 5# or at
Melanie@marinbike.org
.
Thank you for considering this activity for your class. We look forward to working with you in the coming school year.
Yours truly,
Wendi Kallins, Program Director
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