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Take a Walk, Take a Photo

6 Apr

A message from Paul:

Dear Friends,

We’re happy to be back in touch to share an update and invite you to celebrate National Walking Day with the Out of Eden Walk.

Tomorrow, April 6, is National Walking Day across the US. Celebrate with Paul in the spirit of the Out of Eden Walk—wherever you are—by taking 30 minutes out of your day to go for a stroll. While on your walk, take a photo of an interesting detail you spot. Then share it on Twitter or Instagram using #EdenWalk, for a chance to be featured in the National Geographic #EdenWalk Walking Day Timeline.

Need some inspiration? Feel free to come up with your own creative message or reference our sample Tweet:

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Students, if you choose to do this, send me your photo by Friday and I will Tweet it out under my name and use your Out of Eden Learn Username. I really enjoyed your photos you took of your neighborhoods. I hope to see some more examples. I will also share them on my class blog too. 

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Milestone 33: Night Crossing — Aboard the MV Fikret Emirov on the Caspian Sea

24 Mar

Paul has left Baku and is crossing the Caspian Sea in his latest milestone video, released yesterday. To learn more about this milestone, click HERE and read more. 

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Milestone 32 – Dry Well

16 Mar

Here is the most recent ‘milestone’ video that Paul created for his walk. He is currently in Azerbaijan. Check out the map of this location, Gobustan. Click HERE to learn more about this location. I will add more milestone to the blog as he completes them (every 100 miles or approx. 160 km.)

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Hello Monday!

7 Mar
Lego

Mr. Martin (From Ted) – Thanks!

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Congratulations to Mintae!

Good morning, are you ready for a great week? Madhulika told me she saw this announcement from Out of Eden Learn on Twitter. Thanks for letting me know. :>) The lucky winner was our very own, Mintae. Thank to all of the students who replied to the survey in a timely manner. I know who reads my messages!

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Documenting the Everyday

22 Feb

For Footstep #5, student documented the everyday by doing one of the following two options:

PLACE: Document everyday life in a place that you know.

PROCESS: Document how people in your community do something as part of their everyday lives. For example, you could focus on how a type of food or drink is prepared, how an object is made or repaired, or how someone goes about another kind of daily task or activity.

Some students created videos sharing something about the local culture or their own culture, while others created a presentation. There were many excellent examples that you can see here. There were all kinds of things shared, but most people seemed to like to share recipes and games. We have enough things to make a cooking show!

B/D Block student exemplars:

How to play Yutnori (Korean game) by MathPie314

Korean recipe (Tteokbokki) by Minibanana

Shogi (Japanese game) by Eva

Documenting the Everyday – IamMario

G/H Block student exemplars: Coming soon!

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Learning Journey 2 Starts Soon!

17 Feb
Screen Shot 2016-02-17 at 10.56.35 AM

Screenshot of Pauls’s current location.

This week we are completing Learning Journey 1 for Out of Eden Learn. All students should be finished with Footstep #6, and it should be added to Out of Eden Learn as soon as possible. Please take some time to comment and see what other students in our walking party have done. Learning Journey 2 (with a NEW walking party!) starts soon. More details will be shared soon!

Where is Paul? 

Paul Salopek is currently in Azerbaijan and recently updated his Facebook Page and Instragram page with some images. You can also follow his blog and stories HERE and on the RSS feed from my class blog. 

Out of Eden Walk

First glimpse of the Caspian Sea (Image source: Paul Salopek/Out of Eden Walk)

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Near Lahich, Azerbaijan (Image source: Paul Salopek/Out of Eden Walk) 
Beautiful scenery and landscape!

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Share your photo on National Geographic

12 Feb
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Chennai, India (Photo by Rob Martin)

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Kashmir, India (Photo by Rob Martin)

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Everest Base Camp Trek (Photo by Rob Martin)

Why do we move? Why can’t we sit still? What makes human beings seek out new horizons? Out of Eden Walk wants you to share a photo. The deadline for doing this is February 15th. Please see Paul Salopek’s most recent blog post for information. The assignment is called Built to Walk and you can find out more information here. The hashtag is #Yourshot. 

You can upload your photos which show human movement. There are so many things you can share just from Chennai alone. Here are three photos from India and Nepal that I have taken. If you have a photo and want help, save it and come and see me on Monday. I will help you. Have a nice weekend!

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Congrats, Hyeonjoo!

28 Jan

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Hello students –

Out of Eden Learn recently chose Hyeonjoo’s neighborhood map picture to feature on their Instagram page. Great job!

 

 

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Mesopotamia Final Reflections, Out of Eden in the News, & Twitter Chat

12 Nov

Paul Salopek has been out for a walk — a very long walk — since 2013. His route stretches from Ethiopia’s Great Rift Valley to the very southern tip of South America, tracing the path of humanity from its African origins, across deserts and mountains. Hari Sreenivasan from PBS News caught up with the two-time Pulitzer-winning foreign correspondent in the nation of Georgia to discuss his journey so far. Watch the 2nd and 3rd video in this playlist to watch this very interesting story about Paul (It’s new this week!). The first story was done, prior to his walk.

Tomorrow night there will be a Twitter Chat where Paul will answer questions. I plan on joining this chat and will ask any questions on your behalf, if you email me them or put them in the comment section here.

Finally, you need to make sure you have completed your Do Now #9 reflection on our last unit, Mesopotamia. Please add your image of your mind map and add your blog link to the document I will share with you in class. This activity and Out of Eden Learn Footstep #3 need to be done by this weekend at the latest. We will begin our next unit – India – next week.

Updated (November 17): Paul responded to one of the questions I asked him on behalf of the class. He answered Michelle’s. Congratulations!

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Screenshot of Michelle’s question.

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Guest Speakers Share Some Photography Tips

4 Nov
Mr. Knudsen introduces his photos (Photo by Rob Martin)

Mr. Knudsen introduces his photos (Photo by Rob Martin)

Aneesh reviewing the key ideas (Photo by Rob Martin)

Aneesh reviewing the key ideas (Photo by Rob Martin)

The importance of color (Photo by Rob Martin)

The importance of color (Photo by Rob Martin)

Takes lots of photos, lots and lots and lots...(Photo by Rob Martin)

Takes lots of photos, lots and lots and lots…(Photo by Rob Martin)

A great message from Mr. K (Photo by Rob Martin)

A great message from Mr. K (Photo by Rob Martin)

Grade 6 social studies had the wonderful opportunity to learn more about photography and how to capture a great photograph. As you prepare to take photos for Out of Eden Footstep #3, remember the advice you learned and read in the slides that Mr. Aneesh and Mr. Knudsen (Mr. K). The biggest piece of advice I heard in both of their talks – takes lots of photos before you narrow down to your two favorite ones. The directions and rubric are on the Moodle page under Out of Eden Learn. It has also been shared with you. If you click on the hyperlinks for Mr. Aneesh and Mr. K, you will see their slide shows.

Mr. Aneesh also shared some photo from Steve McCurry, a fantastic photographer who has taken many photos in India and the region. His work has been featured in magazines and galleries around the world. I will go see an exhibit of his photos in New York City in December at the Rubin Museum of Art. I look forward to seeing your photos. – Mr. Martin

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Footstep #3

3 Nov

https://youtu.be/Q73Z0P_NwyM

Continue taking photos this week and prepare to finish Footstep #3 for Out of Eden Learn either this week or during Diwali. The directions are on Out of Eden Learn, but I have also shared them via Google Documents (check your email), along with a rubric and some sentence stems that can help you when you write your story. Here is a video I created that shows some samples of the excellent photos that some students took last year. We are excited to see your photos! I will be out of the country for a conference on Thursday and Friday, but Ms. Jaya will be teaching you. Have a good week.

Mr. Martin

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Rubber legs in the Caucasus

21 Oct

Paul has started his walk! He left Tbilisi and is heading to the Caspian Sea. Click on any of these maps to make them bigger.

Political Map of the region where Paul is walking (Google Maps)

Political Map of the region where Paul is walking (Google Maps)

Physical Map of the region (Google Maps)

Physical Map of the region (Google Maps)

Screenshot of the terrain (land) that Paul will be walking across to reach the Caspian Sea (Google Maps)

Screenshot of the terrain (land) that Paul will be walking across to reach the Caspian Sea (Google Maps)

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On the Trail with Paul & Tips to Help You

17 Oct

Students,

This video is one of Paul walking with a group of students in the country of Georgia. He teaches them how to slow down and notice things in their neighborhoods. You will find this helpful as you work on all of your “Footsteps” for Out of Eden Learn. Here are are some tips:

  • Notice 10 things about your neighborhood as you walk (or use the See -Think-Wonder routine we do)

  • Use your senses as you notice things – seeing, touching, etc.

  • You really need to look for things you might not have noticed before. You are not going to do that if you do not go outside and explore.

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Footstep #2 – Neighborhood Map

14 Oct

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This week we launch Footstep #2 in our Out of Eden Learn project. Students will learn what a “milestone” is in the Out of Eden Walk, and they can look at some of Paul’s milestones during his journey in part #1 in Footstep #2. The first project for Footstep #2 is to create a neighborhood map and to write a story about your neighborhood or the area where you live.

Directions for the project will be shared in class and they will be posted  on our Moodle page by tomorrow. The due dates and expectations, along with a rubric are in on the document in Moodle. Please look at some of the examples from other students in our walking party. They may be a helpful model as you prepare your map ands story. Remember to write the rough draft of your story on your Out of Eden Learn Google Document. I found a link to old photos of Chennai (Madras) on this link. Check out the pictures, old maps, and art.

Old map of Chennai (Madras)

Old map of Chennai (Madras)

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A Personal Message from Paul Salopek, Twitter Chat questions answered, and More…

8 Oct

Students,

We are finishing our first footstep this week, and you all have a good understanding of the purpose of Out of Eden Learn and how the platform works. Today was a really great day and it ended on an even greater note when I received a message from Mr. Salopek saying:

“Your class is one of the most active in the OOEL program, and I am deeply gratified that the walk has found an echo among your students. Their work is astonishing–the photo gray that I’ve seen of a woman’s hands crafting a floral crown seem almost professional quality. Kudos to you and your students. Thanks again for walking along.”
Big nature, puny borders: the Georgia-Turkey frontier. Photo by Paul Salopek.

Big nature, puny borders: the Georgia-Turkey frontier. Photo by Paul Salopek.

The photo that Paul refers to in his message that seems “almost professional quality” is from Kennedy, a student of mine from last year. It is an amazing photo by a very talented girl. I am confident that you will also produce great maps, take beautiful photos, and learn much about Chennai, India while sharing things about your own culture.

Photo by Kennedy (aka Amazon Box Guy)

Photo by Kennedy (aka Amazon Box Guy) – CLICK ON THIS IMAGE TO MAKE IT BIGGER.

It filled me with great pride when I received this message, and it made me think about the great work my students did last year and the great work you are doing during this first footstep. The next footsteps will get really exciting, as you get to create some cool projects, while sharing your work with other students in our walking party.

Last night, I joined a Twitter ‘chat’ or online discussion with Paul (currently in the country of Georgia) and other people around the world. I asked him some questions on behalf of our class. His answer can be found above my question (My Twitter ‘handle’ is @DigitalNomadRob). Twitter, the the way, has a 140 character limit, so you need to keep questions and replies brief. I have only done one other Twitter Chat, so this was exciting and something new for me as far as social media goes. Here are screenshots of his responses:

Screenshot of Twitter chat (October 7, 2015)

Screenshot of Twitter chat (October 7, 2015)

Screenshot of Twitter chat (October 7, 2015)

Screenshot of Twitter chat (October 7, 2015)

Photo by Rob Martin

Photo by Rob Martin

Another way you can engage with or follow Paul’s journey is through his excellent blog, Out of Eden Walk, where he posts dispatches (messages). I have added a direct link here, but I also have an RSS feed on the right side of our blog, so you can see updates from him. Read his stories there; if you want, post questions or comments as well. Please understand that he cannot answer everyone’s question or respond to everyone’s comment. In other forms of social media, he is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and you can find videos and other information on Out of Eden’s Youtube channel and some great Milestone or Glimpse videos on Vimeo.

Photo by Rob Martin

Photo by Rob Martin

Photo by Rob Martin

Photo by Rob Martin

Photo by Rob Martin

Photo by Rob Martin

Photo by Rob Martin

Photo by Rob Martin

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“Sole Brothers” – Out of Eden Learn (G/H)

5 Oct

This week we launched our first “footstep” for the Out of Eden Learn Project. Students watched videos to learn more about Paul Salopek’s journey following the path of human migration. They learned about ‘slow journalism’ and his reasons for taking this trip.G/H block students read Paul’s blog post Sole Brothers. Think about these questions and comment. Our first ‘footstep’ and Part 1 (Get Inspired) is a practice one and it asks you to engage in Paul’s journey and to respond to these questions:

1) What caught your attention or interested you about Paul’s article (Sole Brothers)? Here is an EAL-friendly version.

2) What questions or wonders do you now have (about this article or Paul’s journey)?

Comment below and copy and paste your message to your Out of Eden Learn Google Document (Footstep #1, Part 1) Also, reflect on the beginning of Paul’s story:

“Footwear is a hallmark of modern identity. How best to glimpse an individual’s core values at the start of the 21st century? Look down at their feet—not into their eyes.”

3) What can you learn about someone, or their values from their footwear (see photos of grade 6 footwear)?

In Ethiopia, many people where wear the inexpensive sandals that Paul noticed. Check out the poll question below and vote.

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Your Out of Eden Walking Party

3 Oct
B/D Walking Party Map (click on the map to make it bigger)

B/D Walking Party Map (click on the map to make it bigger)

G/H Walking party Map (Click on it to make it bigger).

G/H Walking party Map (Click on it to make it bigger).

Students,

This week we will complete our first ‘footstep’ for Out of Eden Learn. Click on the maps above to see who is in your walking party. I have also created a Google Map showing your party.

B/D Walking Party #564 – United States (Buffalo Grove, Illinois; Miami, Florida; Saco, Maine; Danville, California; Marblehead, Massachusetts), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Accra, Ghana; Burlington, Ontario, Canada, Bandung, Indonesia

G/H Walking Party #565 – United States (West Hartford, Connecticut; Durham, North Carolina; Kamuela, Hawaii; Danville, California; Anchorage, Alaska; Saddle River, New Jersey; Buffalo Grove, Illinois; Marblehead, Massachusetts), Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Accra, Ghana

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What is Out of Eden Walk/Learn?

22 Sep

Watch several of the short video clips on Out of Eden Learn and Out of Eden Walk. Think about:

  • Who is Paul Salopek?

  • What is the purpose of his journey?

  • What is slow journalism?

  • What is Out of Eden Learn?

  • What do you think will make Out of Eden Learn interesting?

  • What questions do you have about Out of Eden Learn?

Share your ideas in the comment section! Due date: Friday, September 25th (G/H) and Saturday, September 26th (B/D). All comments will be moderated and published by Saturday night at 8:00pm. 

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Out of Eden Learn Is Coming Soon!

19 Sep
Image Source: National Geographic Out of Eden Walk

Image Source: National Geographic Out of Eden Walk

Image source: Out of Eden Learn

Image source: Out of Eden Learn

Get ready for an exciting new project, Out of Eden Learn! We start next week!

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Celebrating Out of Eden Footstep #5

2 Jun
Image source: AmazonBoxGuy
Image source: Kakaofriend
Image source: Simple123
Image source: KingsofKings
Image source: PS0225
Image source: Minionsequalheart
Image source: MoozieandCon

Traditional recipes, games, art and crafts, memories of places, and descriptions of processes were things that we focused on in Footstep #5, Documenting the Everyday. We were very impressed with the quality of your work and the effort you put into sharing the local culture or your own. We saw a wide range of ways you responded, including storytelling, photography, sketching, and the creation of videos similar to Paul Salopek’s Glances. We hope you enjoyed this activity and took the time to notice new things which might seem normal to you, but not to someone in our walking party.

There is one final footstep, #6. While we have run out of time in our school year, we encourage you to complete it for fun. You can also go on Out of Eden during the summer to explore what students are doing. You can also follow Paul’s walk through the RSS feed on our blog. While our school year ends Friday, some students are still going to school for a couple of more weeks. Check out some of the videos some students made for Footstep #5. Great work everyone.

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Walking, Learning, Documenting – Out of Eden Learn

14 May

https://youtu.be/Q73Z0P_NwyM

As you prepare to finish Footstep #4 – Listening to Neighbors’ Stories – this week, we have created a video celebrating some of the best photos taken from Footstep #3, Take a Walk in Your Neighborhood. We look forward to reading and sharing your stories on Out of Eden Learn.

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Out of Eden Footstep #4 – Listening to Neighbors’ Stories

6 May
Image source: Screen shot from the Out of Eden Learn website

Image source: Screen shot from the Out of Eden Learn website

You did a great job exploring your neighborhood and taking photos for Footstep #3. Now it’s your turn to try out your skills at listening and interviewing someone. You will share a neighbor’s story with your walking party:

  • Your task is to talk and listen to an adult who lives or works in your local area. This person could be someone you have never spoken to before or someone you already know. It does not need to be someone who has lived in the area for a long time. Some ideas: a cook, housekeeper, or a driver who works for your family; a school employee (local from Chennai); an Indian friend of your parents; Other ideas (let your teacher know)?

  • Ask the person for a story or memory about your local area or Chennai. For example, how did they come to be in this place or city? How have they seen the area (or Chennai) change over the years? What are some of their memories about the area? Do any particular events in the area stand out in their mind? BRAINSTORM SOME QUESTIONS BEFORE YOUR INTERVIEW, but use good listening skills and think of other questions during the interview.

  • Write up the highlights of your conversation or recreate a story that they told you. Include a short description of the person you talked with – for example, how you know them, the setting where you talked, what they look like, and what they were wearing. Alternatively, you can upload an audio file (Garage Band -> Sound Cloud) of you retelling their story in your own words (Not the interview of the person). If you choose to use Sound Cloud, you will need to write a short introduction and add a URL to your interview; you cannot embed the podcast on Out of Eden Learn. For ideas, please look at some of the examples on Out of Eden to see what other students are doing.

Due Date: Thursday, May 14 (D Block, Martin & B Block, Hall) and Friday, May 15 (G Block Martin & H Block, Hall). Remember to use your Out of Eden Google Document to draft all of your work before copy and paste it on OOE Learn’s website.

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Take a Walk in Your Neighborhood – Out of Eden (Footstep #3) – More Photos!

29 Apr
Photo by Alice L.

Photo by Alice L.

Photo by Guillaume

Photo by Guillaume

Photo by Aoi

Photo by Aoi

Photo by Vinay

Photo by Vinay

Photo by Alalija

Photo by Amalija

Photo by Dohun

Photo by Dohun

Photo by Luis

Photo by Luis

Photo by Rishi

Photo by Rishi

Photo by Miyu

Photo by Miyu

Here are a few more Out of Eden Footstep #3 photos from Mrs. Hall and Ms. Jaya’s classes. Great job!

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Take a Walk In Your Neighborhood (Out of Eden – Footstep #3)

25 Apr
Photo by Kennedy

Photo by Kennedy

Photo by Nolan

Photo by Nolan

Photo by Megan

Photo by Megan

Photo by Lucie

Photo by Lucie

Photo by Jaehoon

Photo by Jaehoon

Photo by Conner

Photo by Conner

Photo by Alexandre

Photo by Alexandre

Photo by Aditya

Photo by Aditya

Photo by Yoobin

Photo by Yoobin

Photo by Snehan

Photo by Snehan

Photo by Mutsumi

Photo by Mutsumi

The photos included in this post were among the best photos for Footstep #3 – Take a Walk in your Neighborhood – Out of Eden Walk/Learn project. These photos come from Mr. Martin/Ms. Jaya’s two Social Studies classes. We enjoyed reading all of the reflections and looking at your photos. Click on the images to make them bigger. The directions for the assignment were:

As you walk in your neighborhood or local area, take photos of things that catch your attention. What do you see, feel, hear, smell, or taste? Try to look at the place and the people who live or work there with fresh eyes. Here are some ideas for different kinds of photos you can take:

    • Photos that capture a whole neighborhood scene, and photos that zoom in on a detail you find interesting.

    • Photos where you’re pointing the camera up and photos where you’re pointing the camera towards the ground.

    • Photos of things that are common or familiar in your neighborhood, and photos of things that might be unexpected or surprising.

    • Something special that you’d like to share.

  • Tell the story of why you took these two photos and why you chose to post them. What do you like about the photos you took? What would you like other people in your walking party to notice or understand about them?

  • How, if at all, did taking a walk and/or taking these photos make you think in new or different ways about your neighborhood or local area?

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National Poetry Month & Out of Eden Learn

14 Apr

PoetryMonthGraphic

In honor of ‪#‎NationalPoetryMonth‬, Project Zero at Harvard University (Out of Eden Learn) is calling all students to submit poetry about Out of Eden Learn and Paul Salopek’s Out of Eden Walk. They will feature student poems on their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Email your submissions to learn@outofedenwalk.com and also your teacher. Here are two examples of poems written by 11 year old students in the Out of Eden Learn project.

In honor of ‪#‎NationalPoetryMonth‬: today we're featuring a poem by Out of Eden Learn student creativeart2014 about the Out of Eden Walk Age 11, Virginia, United States. (Source: Out of Eden Learn Facebook Page).

In honor of ‪#‎NationalPoetryMonth‬: today we’re featuring a poem by Out of Eden Learn student creativeart2014 about the Out of Eden Walk
Age 11, Virginia, United States. (Source: Out of Eden Learn Facebook Page).

A student from Virginia Beach, United States shares a poem about Out of Eden Walk. Submit student poems today in honor of ‪#‎NationalPoetryMonth‬ about or related to Paul Salopek's epic walk! (Source: Out of Eden Facebook Page).

A student from Virginia Beach, United States shares a poem about Out of Eden Walk. Submit student poems today in honor of ‪#‎NationalPoetryMonth‬ about or related to Paul Salopek’s epic walk! (Source: Out of Eden Facebook Page).

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