Using Interact Simulations with an Individual Student

Earlier this week, a teacher contacted with a question about the Interact unit See the U.S.A., a simulation in which students work in teams to canvass the United States, completing written and multimedia projects along the way to gather useful information and develop/strengthen real-world skills. She wondered if the unit could be used effectively with just one student. Jackie Durward, the author of See the U.S.A., provided us with a few suggestions on how to adapt the unit for a class of one, emphasizing that these simulations are flexible, accommodating different creative approaches, specific interests, and time constraints.

1. Combine daily student roles or rotate through a variation of them.

2. Concentrate on the basic experiences you'd like the individual student to have while participating in the simulation (for example: focus on having the student read a map and determine scale of miles between points of interest, omitting the activity of logging daily expenditures). 

3. If you're a parent using the unit for a home-schooling lesson, participate with the student in the discussions that normally occur through the simulation. 

Do you have any other suggestions on tailoring See the U.S.A. or another Interact unit to the needs of an individual student? Have you ever been met with a similar challenge, particularly for home-school study? What was your solution?