Passport Club

Welcome to the Passport Club©!

Gatewood is pleased to continue the Passport Club© world geography program in grades 1-5.

Purpose
The purpose of the Passport Club© is to get students excited about geography, to provide a springboard for other social studies in the classroom, and to better prepare students to be global citizens in our fascinating, ever-changing world.

The Basics: How it Works

ALL students in grades 1-5 participate.
At the beginning of the year, each student will receive a “passport” that will be kept at school.
At the beginning of each month, students will take home a new map (showing that month’s geography) to study.
Most map study will be done at home. Some map review may be done in class.
At the end of the month, students will be checked on their geography by volunteers during the school day and will receive stamps in their passports.
Passports will go home with students at the end of the year.

At the Beginning of the Month , your student will bring home a study map for that month’s geography. Student checks are typically on the last Wednesday of the month. As a parent/guardian, we are encouraging you to:

review the map at home with your student as part of their homework, and
mark the check date on your calendar to remind your student as the date approaches.
Check dates this school year are: September 28, October 26, November 16, December 14, January 25, February 15, March 22, April 26, and May 24. These dates are also marked on the school calendar.

Passport Club Levels
Students will be starting the year at the following Passport Club© levels*:

Grade 1: all students will receive a Level 1 map
Grade 2: all students will receive a Level 2 map
Grade 3: all students will receive a Level 3 map
Grades 4 & 5: all students will receive a Level 5 map

*If your student wants a different level than assigned, please either: 1) review the back of your map for a breakdown of levels, 2) pick up a different map from the Passport Club© bulletin board outside the Main Office, or 3) ask your student’s teacher for a different map.

We will be asking students in October what level map they would like for the rest of the year.

Passport Club© Level Explanations
The Passport Club© is a cumulative program that builds on itself over time. Every year the program continues, students have geographic knowledge reinforced, and then expanded, as they progress through Levels 1-5 of the program. Here is generally what they learn at each level:

Level 1: Students learn the continents in September, then 5 countries per month thereafter
Level 2: Students learn Level 1, plus 5 more items/countries per month (total of 10 per month)
Level 3: Students learn Levels 1&2, plus 5 more items/countries per month (total of 15 per month)
Level 4: Students learn Levels 1-3, plus 10 more items/countries per month (total of 25 per month)
Level 5: Students learn Levels 1-4, plus the capitals for all the Level 1 countries. Students who pass Level 5 every month of the school year will earn a prize and special recognition. For Level 5 students ready for more, we also offer the Whole World Challenge at the end of the year where we test Level 5 students’ retention of all countries learned the entire year.

Volunteering, Contact, and More Info
The Passport Club© is a volunteer-run program and we can use your help! If you have any questions or would like to volunteer for the check days, please contact Parents and Club Coordinators Julie Ward jward25@gmail.com or Maryse Brock marysebrock@yahoo.com. Or visit the Gatewood Elementary School PTA Member/Volunteer Website to sign up. It’s very fun!