Introductory Prompt:
Carpe diem! Grab your bags and get ready for an adventure as an exchange student. Ever wondered what life is like in Romania, Cuba, or Australia? Here’s your chance to find out!
The Task:
You will be working with your group mates to plan a semester abroad. Before embarking upon your adventure it will be important to understand some basics about the country you’ll be living in. Work with your group to do the following:
Collect information about your country’s government and how it differs from the government of the United States.
Create a “day in the life” brochure that relays general information about your country’s culture (i.e. food, housing, transportation, climate, language, etc) and how that differs from a “day in the life” in the United States.
Present your findings to the class. Be sure to have enough brochures for the entire class! (Tell us why your country is, or maybe is not, the best place to be.)
The Process:
1. First you'll do some research and collectively decide which country you will be spending your semester abroad in. (Brainstorming welcome here!)
2. Once you've done this, you’ll need to break research topics up (evenly) into categories. Please include:
*Government: (Be sure to tell us a little about how this government functions, and how it is different from the U.S.)
*Culture: (i.e. food, housing, transportation, climate, language, etc) Be creative! We especially want to know even the details that may seem “strange” or “odd.”
*Visuals: You’ll need visuals for your brochure! Please include a map of the country (be able to show where this country is in relation to the United States and what countries border it), as well as any other pictures you find that give us a sense and “feel” for the country.
3. Then, work together to create your brochure. The brochure will need to have the following information BUT BEEEEEE CREATIVE! Don’t just list, make this something you would want to pick up and read.
*Name of Country (Basic Stats)
*Government (Be sure to include how it differs or is similar to the U.S.)
*Culture (Let us have it! Show us what a “day in the life” is really like in your country.)
*Visuals
4. On your own, imagine you are living in your chosen country. Write a 1-2 page letter home to a sibling, parent, friend, pet, etc. that describes your life. Be sure to include information on the culture and government. Again, BEEEE CREATIVE! Have fun (it’s ok to be silly in this part of the assignment…as long as you include info. on the culture and government.)
Resources:
·www.wikipedia.com
·http://www.ciee.org/
·www.google.com (so you can find your own web resources!)
·www.youtube.com (can you find a video or some music to help us get a feel for what life is like in your country?)
·http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/destinations (great pictures and ample information on different countries.)
Evaluation:
Students need to demonstrate the following and will receive both an individual grade (composed of #4 in process), as well as a group grade.
Understand that there are different ways for governments to be organized. Write for different purposes and to a specific audience or person, adjusting tone and style as appropriate. _Listen to, read, and understand a wide variety of informational and narrative text,
including classic and contemporary literature, poetry, magazines, newspapers, reference materials, and online information Recognize that governments are organized in different ways.
Conclusion:
Now that you've completed your brochure please take a few minutes to reflect on your experience in your journal about the following:
What did you find most enjoyable about the task? Least enjoyable?
Do you feel that finishing this task has helped you learn? Will you use what you learned in the future? Why or why not?
What changes would you make to this Webquest?
How did your group work together? Were you happy with the level of cooperation among members?
Teacher’s Notes:
*Purpose/rationale for the lesson: Why are you teaching this lesson?
The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to different government types around the world and to encourage them to conduct their own research. Students will also practice writing for different audiences.
*What State of Oregon content standard/benchmark are you targeting in this lesson?
Language Arts
EL.05.RE.03 Listen to, read, and understand a wide variety of informational and narrative text,
including classic and contemporary literature, poetry, magazines, newspapers, reference
materials, and online information.
EL.05.WR.10 Write for different purposes and to a specific audience or person, adjusting tone and style as appropriate.
Social Sciences
SS.05.CG.08 Understand that there are different ways for governments to be organized.
SS.05.CG.08.01 Recognize that governments are organized in different ways.
*Learning Objectives for the lesson: What do you expect the learners to know and/or accomplish as a result of participating in this lesson?
Students will recognize that governments are organized in different ways. Students will investigate a foreign country and discover information about a different culture.
*Prior Knowledge/Background Information: What concepts and/or skills do students need to have in order to be successful in this lesson?
Students will already be familiar with navigating the internet to conduct research. Students will already be familiar with the government in the United States as well as the different types of governments around the world in order for the to recognize the features in the country of their choice.
*Key Concept(s): What are 2-3 concepts (related to content and/or process) that students will encounter as a result of this lesson?
- US government system
- Foreign government systems
- Internet navigation/research
Pack Your Bags!!!
Introductory Prompt:
Carpe diem! Grab your bags and get ready for an adventure as an exchange student. Ever wondered what life is like in Romania, Cuba, or Australia? Here’s your chance to find out!
The Task:
You will be working with your group mates to plan a semester abroad. Before embarking upon your adventure it will be important to understand some basics about the country you’ll be living in. Work with your group to do the following:
The Process:
1. First you'll do some research and collectively decide which country you will be spending your semester abroad in. (Brainstorming welcome here!)
2. Once you've done this, you’ll need to break research topics up (evenly) into categories. Please include:
*Government: (Be sure to tell us a little about how this government functions, and how it is different from the U.S.)
*Culture: (i.e. food, housing, transportation, climate, language, etc) Be creative! We especially want to know even the details that may seem “strange” or “odd.”
*Visuals: You’ll need visuals for your brochure! Please include a map of the country (be able to show where this country is in relation to the United States and what countries border it), as well as any other pictures you find that give us a sense and “feel” for the country.
3. Then, work together to create your brochure. The brochure will need to have the following information BUT BEEEEEE CREATIVE! Don’t just list, make this something you would want to pick up and read.
*Name of Country (Basic Stats)
*Government (Be sure to include how it differs or is similar to the U.S.)
*Culture (Let us have it! Show us what a “day in the life” is really like in your country.)
*Visuals
4. On your own, imagine you are living in your chosen country. Write a 1-2 page letter home to a sibling, parent, friend, pet, etc. that describes your life. Be sure to include information on the culture and government. Again, BEEEE CREATIVE! Have fun (it’s ok to be silly in this part of the assignment…as long as you include info. on the culture and government.)
Resources:
·www.wikipedia.com
·http://www.ciee.org/
·www.google.com (so you can find your own web resources!)
·www.youtube.com (can you find a video or some music to help us get a feel for what life is like in your country?)
·http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/destinations (great pictures and ample information on different countries.)
Evaluation:
Students need to demonstrate the following and will receive both an individual grade (composed of #4 in process), as well as a group grade.
Understand that there are different ways for governments to be organized.
Write for different purposes and to a specific audience or person, adjusting tone and style as appropriate.
_Listen to, read, and understand a wide variety of informational and narrative text,
including classic and contemporary literature, poetry, magazines, newspapers, reference materials, and online information
Recognize that governments are organized in different ways.
Conclusion:
Now that you've completed your brochure please take a few minutes to reflect on your experience in your journal about the following:
What did you find most enjoyable about the task? Least enjoyable?
Do you feel that finishing this task has helped you learn? Will you use what you learned in the future? Why or why not?
What changes would you make to this Webquest?
How did your group work together? Were you happy with the level of cooperation among members?
Teacher’s Notes:
*Purpose/rationale for the lesson: Why are you teaching this lesson?
The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to different government types around the world and to encourage them to conduct their own research. Students will also practice writing for different audiences.
*What State of Oregon content standard/benchmark are you targeting in this lesson?
Language Arts
EL.05.RE.03 Listen to, read, and understand a wide variety of informational and narrative text,
including classic and contemporary literature, poetry, magazines, newspapers, reference
materials, and online information.
EL.05.WR.10 Write for different purposes and to a specific audience or person, adjusting tone and style as appropriate.
Social Sciences
SS.05.CG.08 Understand that there are different ways for governments to be organized.
SS.05.CG.08.01 Recognize that governments are organized in different ways.
*Learning Objectives for the lesson: What do you expect the learners to know and/or accomplish as a result of participating in this lesson?
Students will recognize that governments are organized in different ways. Students will investigate a foreign country and discover information about a different culture.
*Prior Knowledge/Background Information: What concepts and/or skills do students need to have in order to be successful in this lesson?
Students will already be familiar with navigating the internet to conduct research. Students will already be familiar with the government in the United States as well as the different types of governments around the world in order for the to recognize the features in the country of their choice.
*Key Concept(s): What are 2-3 concepts (related to content and/or process) that students will encounter as a result of this lesson?
- US government system
- Foreign government systems
- Internet navigation/research