During the course of this project, the students will have a chance to work on a number of different study skills appropriate to their grade level. These will take place across the board in various subjects and the knowledge obtained will be carried on over the years as they move onto high school.

The first study skill, organizing and transforming, will be very important in the planning of the trip. The students will be instructed from the very beginning to use an expanding file which will be supplied by me. They should have different compartments for each of the materials in which they will be researching and collecting, this will demonstrate to the children how to gather and organize information. Without this study skill the entire trip could go awry.

The second study skill, goal setting and planning, will also be important for the students when they are planning the trip. This is especially true for the two classes which will be focusing on raising the funds for the event. They will have to set a goal for each activity performed and plan accordingly so that they can reach this goal.

The third study skill, seeking information, will take place in the mathematics classroom when planning the trip and within the social studies and language arts classrooms when researching the various tribes. All three of these teachers will require the students to obtain information from outside of the classroom for individual projects to be completed effectively.

The fourth study skill, self-consequences, will work well for all of the students when planning the field trip. They need to learn to work together to form an appropriate budget and to gain the resources and money necessary to have a fun and eventful time. The more money they gain and the cheaper they can make the trip will allow for extra privileges such as more time spent in the mountains or better food allowed. Goals will also be set within the physical education class when they perform their daily hikes around the community. This will get them prepared for the goals they will need to set when they are hiking the White Mountains.

The fifth and sixth study skills, asking peers for help and asking teachers for help, will be very important during the course of this interdisciplinary unit. The entire eighth grade class will need to work together to make this happen, whether it is the planning of the trip or the physical activity they must endure. Although the class will be allowed to ask the teachers for help, it will be suggested from the very beginning that they should ask their peers first. This type of commitment and reliability will strengthen the teaming network that we have had in place since the beginning of the year.

The seventh study skill, asking adults for help, will also need to be learned and strengthened over the course of this unit. During the months prior to leaving, the students are going to need to call upon many individuals within the community and elsewhere to find information or to ask for assistance. There will be a lot of interaction with adults so I feel that this is going to be a major strength for this activity.

The last study skill, systematically reviewing all materials to prepare for special projects, will be a major focus in this activity. All of the students will be putting this field trip together and will need to obtain all of the information to do so. They will need to work hard to distinguish between helpful and unnecessary materials to be productive over the course of the months prior to leaving. This type of behavior is usually not learned until students reach high school, sometimes beyond, but without this the project could get very confusing for the students. They will need to often organize their folders, throwing out any resources that are unhelpful. We will provide time in the beginning to perform this duty and as time progresses it will become their responsibility.