Roadtrip Nation Extension Activities
Roadtrip Nation Overview
Naviance partners with Roadtrip Nation to bring authentic and inspiring career exploration content to all Naviance Student users.
Roadtrip Nation started in 2001, when a group of friends took a road trip to figure out what to do with their lives. Since then, it has evolved into an educational organization, an annual documentary series on public television, and a movement to help individuals define their own roads in life.
- The Roadtrip Nation interview archive is a digital career exploration tool that helps students to discover new pathways, interests, and ambitions.
- The archive includes over 8,000 full-length video interviews chronicling the diverse personal stories of leaders who have turned their interests into their life's work.
- Interviews are conducted by young people who have candid conversations with leaders about their successes and failures and how they were able to navigate life's many challenges to pursue endeavors that matter to them.
- By learning how successful people overcame challenges, students can learn from leaders and apply those insights to their own lives.
Roadtrip Nation Extension Activities
Before completing an extension activity, ask students to review a video from the Roadtrip Nation Interview Archive.
Create a custom Success Planning task for the extension activity that you select. For the task Description, enter:
- Instructions for accessing Roadtrip Nation.
- The discussion and follow-up questions.
- Instructions for using the college and career planning tools in Naviance Student.
Select student posts a document or student completes a survey as the action that marks the task complete.
| Activity | Follow-Up Questions |
|---|---|
Write two or more follow-up questions you would ask this leader if you were present in this Interview. | Explain why you would ask those questions. |
| Write a follow-up question based on an experience, belief, or personal attribute you share with the leader. | Explain your personal connection to their story. |
| Have students with a partner and use the Internet to research what the leader is doing today. | Are they still following the same life path or are they doing something different? How might this connect with what they discussed in their interview? |
| Ask a question as a prompt for a writing assignment. | Ask students to write a personal narrative or reflection that can be shared with the class. |
| Discuss whether the students agree or disagree with a leader's response in an interview. | Ask students to share their perspectives and explain why they agree or disagree. Use this discussion as prewriting for a persuasive essay. |
| Use a Roadtrip Nation Interview Archive Theme as the basis for a Socratic seminar. | Have students write a reflective essay about their insights from the discussion. |
| Ask students to remember the events they feel were most crucial to the leader's personal or professional development and create a timeline of the leader's story or road in life to check for listening comprehension. | None |
Create an image of a metaphor the leader uses to describe their life or personal philosophy on success. | None |
| Select a memorable quote from the leader. | Write the quote and creatively represent it as a collage or poster. |
Ask one student per week select a leader quote of their choice and display it in the classroom to create an Inspiration Wall for students. | None |
| Discuss the leaders as a class. | What themes and interests do the leaders discuss? What skills or personality characteristics have the leaders demonstrated as they progressed through their lives? How can you use your own skills and personality characteristics as you define your own road in life? What are the struggles the leaders faced as they defined their road in life? In other words, what is it about their background that led them to make decisions the way they did? Do the leaders pursue many different interests or just one interest? How have the leaders been able to combine their many interests to create a life that has meaning? |
| Ask students questions when completing college and career planning activities. | What can you learn from this leader's educational or career path? Which choices did they make that you would also make? What would you do differently in your life? If you are interested in a leader's profession, what college majors would support this career path? What are the top colleges or local colleges that offer this major? Consider how you can combine your interests to find a college or career path that is just right for you. What potential majors or colleges would allow you to align your interests with your goals for your life? |