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Hey, welcome to this website, HMS 8th graders and all other interested parties. While you’re in Peabody and many people from the Higgins have left town for Philadelphia, some of us thought you might like to explore a
VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP TO PHILADELPHIA
After completing the following, you should have a better understanding of the journey and the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. You might even have some fun!
Let’s find out about the trip itself. Click on http://www.mapquest.com
Under “Get a U.S. Map”, enter Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA. You won’t need the zip code. Click on “Get map.” Use the “zoom in” and “zoom out” options to see Philadelphia’s location and streets from various perspectives. Then answer the following:
1) What two major cities are located between Boston and Philadelphia?
2) What two interstate highways does Philadelphia lie between?
3) What is the name of the road that runs east-west and is nearest the railroad tracks?
Continuing with this site, http://www.mapquest.com and the location of Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA, click on “Get directions to this location.” At “start” enter 1 King Street, Peabody, MA 01960. Answer the following:
4) How many miles away from Peabody is Philadelphia?
5) If the total estimated time to drive is 5 ½ hours, what must be the average speed of the bus? (Hint: Remember, that your answer would be labeled miles per hour or miles/hour. That should be a good clue!)
6) Scan the directions to Philadelphia and find the longest stretch of road in miles and location.
Let’s go to Philadelphia! To find out what the Philadelphia skyline looks like as one approaches the city, click on http://www.webcamlocator.com/info/philly.htm Click on “Advanced Technology Lab Cam” and browse through the following shots:
View from the Sky Ben Franklin Bridge Cam
Names in the Philadelphia Skyline Archive of Interesting Shots
Rooftop Camera Spirit of Philadelphia
One of the first things on the agenda for the travelers is the dinner cruise on The Spirit of Philadelphia. Click on http://www.spiritofphiladelphia.com to see this cruise ship. Click on.
7) Click on “Sights” icon to answer the following: What is the name of the body of water the ship is on?
8) Click on “Cruise Questions.” What is the company’s response to the likelihood of seasickness?
Another stop on the trip is the Philadelphia Zoo. Click on http://www.phillyzoo.org
9) Under the icon for “Channel 6 Zooballoon” click on “Ticket Info” for another view of Philadelphia. In what way might the appearance of Philadelphia from a distance remind you of Boston?
10) Click back to the zoo home page. Click on “Kid’s Corner” and
then click on “Fun Facts” and “Animal Vision” and find the answer to, “Besides vision, what sense does a rattlesnake use to hunt prey?” Click back to the home page when you are done.
11) Go back to “Fun Facts” and then “Barnyard Briefs.” What do you think is the most surprising fact?
12) From the zoo’s home page, if you’d like to see more pictures of animals, click on “ANIMALS” and browse.
Now, let’s get to the old part of town and see the historical tourist spots! Click on http://www.ushistory.org Find “America’s Most Historic Mile” on the left and click. Read the introduction. There are many, many historic locations and sites in Philly. Because of time constraints, the students on the school trip will not go to all of them, and you are not being asked to either. (Of course, if you would like to return later to see more, you may….) Click on “VIRTUAL TOUR OF PHILADELPHIA.” You should be starting with The Liberty Bell. You might be surprised to learn that the first reading of the Declaration of Independence did not occur until July 8th, 1776!
Now click on the link to the Liberty Bell’s own home page. Before you explore the home page, click on LIBERTY BELL MARCH. Now you can listen to the music while you learn about the Liberty Bell.
13) Why is Pennsylvania misspelled on the bell?
14) What is the real story regarding the crack in the bell?
Go back to the “ushistory.org” page where you saw the Liberty Bell. Click on NEXT STOP and you will come to Independence Hall. As you read about this historic building, find the answers to the following:
15) What two important documents originated here?
16) What was the basement once used for?
17) Why were the windows kept closed during the Constitutional Convention in 1787?
By clicking on NEXT STOP you will come to The President’s House.
18) Give one reason why only Presidents Washington and Adams lived
in this house.
Continue clicking on NEXT STOP until you come to the Betsy Ross House. Click on the link to go to the Betsy Ross House Home Page. Take the virtual tour. You do not need to sign in! Click to return to the Betsy Ross Home Page. Explore:
Flag Trivia
Picture Gallery
Directions for a 5-Pointed Star
any other links you may be interested in
Answer the following:
19) State three facts you learned about Betsy Ross.
20) When and why did the U.S. flag not have 13 stripes?
21) What is a vexillologist?
From the bottom of the Betsy Ross page on the virtual tour, yu can click back to the VIRTUAL TOUR HOME PAGE. Scan the list of historic sites on the right hand side. For now, you will “visit” only the sites mentioned below .
Included in the school trip is a visit to the “Bourse Building.” Click on this link to see the building.
22) What is a bourse?
Click back to the VIRTUAL TOUR HOME PAGE and choose “Elfreth’s Alley & Mantua Maker’s Museum House.”
23) Why were mirrors outside the second floor of these homes?
24) What were these mirrors called?
25) Why have these homes been compared to dollhouses?
From the VIRTUAL TOUR HOME PAGE, choose “Franklin Court.”
26) Name three of Ben Franklin’s inventions on display at he museum.
From the VIRTUAL TOUR HOME PAGE, choose “Penn’s Landing” and “Welcome Park.”
27) How did Welcome Park get its name?
From the VIRTUAL HOME PAGE, choose “Carpenters’ Hall.” Scan this page and scroll to the bottom. Click on the link to go to Carpenters’ Hall own homepage, http://www.carpentershall.org Take the virtual tour. When you are done, click on “Fun and Games.” Here you can take a break and do the Wordsearch with the names of carpenters’ tools, the third activity. If you’d like an extra challenge, find out what you know about carpenters’ terms by choosing the first activity.
The students who have gone to Philadelphia will be going to visit the battleship, the U.S.S. New Jersey. You will visit by using the link http://www.bb62museum.org Read the introduction, click on the U.S.S. New Jersey link in the third paragraph to see a photo. Click back. Then click on “Iowa Class” to get statistics about the New Jersey.
28) This ship is almost as long as three football fields. What are its dimensions?
29) It was launched during World War II, on the one-year anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. What is the date the U.S.S. New Jersey was launched?
30) During wartime, how many men were part of the crew of the U.S.S. New Jersey? (To get perspective on this, that’s the equivalent of about twenty-five clusters of students at HMS!)
Our last stop will be the United States Mint, maybe the tourist stop you’ll like best! Its address is http://www.usmint.gov First, read this introductory page. Because there is more than one mint in the United States, we will have to find the one in Philadelphia. On the left-hand side, click on “About the Mint.” From here you can browse any of the categories listed with a simple click. See “History Of the Mint.” Click on “Mint Facilities” and then click on “Philadelphia.” Read about the Philadelphia Mint. From this page and the pages listed below, find answers to the following:
31) Why was Philadelphia chosen to be the site of the first mint?
32) In addition to being the oldest mint, what else is it about Philadelphia that sets it apart from the other mints?
33) Why do some coins have grooved sides?
34) What is the approximate life span of a coin?
You may now browse these pages: go to “Mint Sculptors-Engravers” to see who the actual people are that design and make the money we use. Visit “Coin Production” and “Coin Specifications” just for your information, to see what metals are used in the production of various coins and what actual dimensions are required of the coins. Be sure to check out “Fun Facts” for some interesting tidbits of information!
Did you know before this visit that there were Mint Police? There is information available about careers at the mints if you’d like to investigate. But for now, there is one more thing to learn about: how coins are made.
From the mint’s homepage or any other mint page where you see the icon that references it, click on for “h.i.p. pocket change.” You can now view a cartoon-like presentation called “Birth of a Coin” to see how coins are made. Be sure to choose the animated version! When you have finished watching the cartoon, you may explore the games available. Try “coin memory game” and the “golden dollar puzzle.”
Now, when your classmates return, you’ll have some idea as to what they saw, what they experienced, and what they learned. Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed the experience!