IMAGINE PACKING A BACKPACK and checking a gear list that includes sunscreen, extra socks, water bottles, hat, hiking boots and various layers of clothing. Then envision loading up into a travel van with eight classmates and driving the westbound prairie route out of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains and across Colorado to the Four Corners — final destination, Mesa Verde. You are here to delve into a couple of nights of fieldwork, learning literacy and social studies skills focused on Colorado history. You are also engaging in setting up tents, cooking meals and sleeping under the stars. All of these ...