Where in the World Is Miss Klipfel?

My bags were packed, outfits selected, and reading supplies ready but those were not the only tasks to complete before I headed out for Washington, D.C., the glorious task of leaving sub plans lay ahead. 

It has become somewhat of a running joke in my classroom this year that I always say, "I have exciting news". Everything from announcing we are going on a field trip to taking a test begins with "I have exciting news." While working on their winter portfolios for student-led conferences multiple students even wrote they had a smile on their face when I said, "I have exciting news".

As I headed off to the National Geographic Headquarters, I left behind a little mystery for my 4th grade students because little did they know I had EXCITING news. At this point, I was still not allowed to share my Grosvenor Fellowship with my students (a task that was getting harder by the day) but I knew when I returned the news would be public. So the Where in the World is Miss Klipfel mystery began. 

Assignment posted in Google Classroom

I began by giving my students the coordinates for the National Geographic headquarters: 38.9051° N, 77.0381°. Given it was April of the school year, my students had spent the year building their map skills and geographic awareness to know exactly what to do with this information using Google Earth as a tool to help. Once students correctly used the coordinates to find my whereabouts in Washington, D.C., I provided them with the following emojis:📍🗺🇨🇱🇦🇷🏔🐧  along with the link to the National Geographic website. 

From here students wrote about where and what they thought I was doing. Answers ranged from working on Humboldt penguin conservation, visiting South America, trying out a new program National Geographic is offering to even bringing a penguin back for our classroom. I couldn't wait to return and share the official news of my upcoming Patagonia expedition.