Our Voyage to Another Land

A WebQuest for 7th Grade World Geography

                           Designed by

                         Kirsten Harrison
                

           kirsten_harrison@hilldale.k12.ok.us

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Teacher Page

Introduction

What is life like in other countries? Are the tourist attractions you see in pictures truly worth visiting? What are they really like? Maybe you have been fortunate enough to travel outside the United States, but for most of us, we can only imagine.

Now, the good news: Your travel dreams are coming true! You have been selected as a participant in a new school program, and you have received an all-expenses paid trip to the nation of your choice! You and three others will be traveling to a country outside the United States to see famous sites and observe the culture.

Let’s go!

 
The Task

Your task is to record your journey in a scrapbook to share with the rest of the class. First, your group will have to do research on your country so that you can put all of the following items in your scrapbook:

• Descriptions of three places of interest;
• Pictures of the sites you visited and the country in general, with captions;
• Information about the culture (religion, language, food, etc.);
• Information about the climate and environment;
• A map of your journey;
• Journal entries describing everything that you saw.

Each of you will have a role for the journey that will help you complete your scrapbook as a group. Your finished scrapbook should put everything listed above together into short, narrative journal entries with pictures.

Your final scrapbook presentation may be done in several ways. You may create a PowerPoint presentation, post the information on poster board, or create a real scrapbook with paper. Decide which presentation is best for your group, and be creative!

The Process

Step 1:

You are now ready to begin your journey! Decide as a group which country you will be traveling to. Since each of you will have a role in recording what took place, decide now what each person’s role will be.

 The Travel Guide

The Travel Guide will decide which three places your group is visiting. These might be historical sites, natural wonders, tourist attractions, religious sites, or government sites. You can travel to separate cities, or the tourist attractions can be different places in the same city. Research these places first and make the decision for the group of which three you will see. For the scrapbook, you will also be the one to help your group explain why you chose each location, why each is an important place, and what you saw there.

The Navigator

 The Navigator will do research on the climate and environment of the country. You will also decide for the group when the best time to travel is. Once the three places you are visiting are chosen, you will map out your journey from start to finish. For the scrapbook, you will help your group include details about the weather and landscape for your journey, tell what time of year you are traveling and why, and include the map of your journey.

The Photographer

The Photographer will find pictures of the places your group is visiting, the people, and the environment. You must find a minimum of three pictures for each site you visit. (Please make them pictures of different places within the site; don’t include three pictures of the front of the Parthenon, for example!) You must also find pictures of people from that country and pictures of the scenery you might have seen while traveling. For the scrapbook, you will provide the pictures and write captions identifying what each is a picture of.

The Culture Expert

 The Culture Expert will research information about the country’s culture: the foods they eat, the clothes they wear, the languages they speak, the religions they practice, and the government they have. For the scrapbook, you will help your group include details about each of these things for your journal entries.

Step 2:

Now that you know what each person will be doing, visit the links below to find the answers for your research. Take detailed notes to use later as you create your scrapbook.

Infoplease almanac, atlas, and encyclopedia

ipl2 directory of web sites for research on countries

Article on the most amazing places to visit in Europe

Tourist attractions in North America

Tourist attractions and culture in Australia

Article on the coolest places to visit in Europe

Article on the best of Europe

Tourist attractions in Africa

MapQuest

Tourist attractions in South America

Rick Steve's travel guidebooks

Step 3:

Once your research is completed, you will work together to share your information with each other and put together a scrapbook of your voyage. Decide which format you will use for your scrapbook (PowerPoint, poster board, or real scrapbook with paper). As a group, write out the journal entries using everyone’s researched information.

Step 4:

 Last, review your work. Use the list below to make sure that your completed scrapbook has all of the following parts:

1. One page introduction for your arrival, with a journal entry of 6-10 sentences explaining what country you are journeying to and when and what the climate is like when you arrive (You could include information and pictures about your group here!)
2. One page containing the map of your journey (Use the country’s map, and make sure your sites and the order you visited them in are clearly marked on the map!)
3. One or more pages about the first place you visited, including at least three pictures with captions and a journal entry of 6-10 sentences; in your journal entry, explain why this place was chosen, tell why it is a tourist attraction, and describe what you saw there
4. One or more pages about the second place you visited, with all of the information listed in #3
5. One or more pages about the third place you visited, with all of the information listed in #3
6. One page containing a journal entry of 6-10 sentences with information about the culture of the country (food, religion, language, clothes, government) and at least three pictures with captions; explain how it is different from the culture of the United States
7. One page listing the web sites you used to find the information and pictures

 
Evaluation

You will receive a group grade for your scrapbook. It is important for everyone to participate to have a complete project and receive a good grade. Grades will be assigned based on the rubric below.

 
Conclusion

Now that you have visited a foreign country, you know more about what life is like outside the United States. You also learned more about some of the famous places we have all heard about.

Be prepared to answer these questions during your presentation for the class:

• Was it everything you expected it to be?
• Were there any surprises?
• How was the country you visited different from the culture, climate, and government of the United States?

We are glad you made it home safely! We can’t wait to see the scrapbook of your “Voyage to Another Land”!

 
Credits & References

Image Credits:

Globe - http://english.sxu.edu/sites/wordpress/libraryblog/?attachment_id=749

Plane:

http://www.digitaldesktopwallpaper.com/wallpapers/digitalwallpapers/1024x768/plane-monarch-G-MRJK-002.jpg

Scrapbooks:

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/images/features/SextonScrapbook2.jpg

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/images/features/SextonScrapbook4.jpg

Map:

http://ohloneschool.com/Main%20Images/Folded%20map.jpg

Peasant Woman:

http://www2.ambientdesign.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=1652

Travel Guides:

http://hotels-fairy.com/competitions/

Camera:

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/eos_rebel_xsi-review/

Passport:

http://www.uspassportnow.com/blog/c/passport-services/passport-application-passport-services/

Teacher Page

PASS Objectives Met:

7^th Grade World Geography

Standard 1. The student will use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to analyze relationships between people, places, and environments of world regions from a spatial perspective.

1. Locate, gather, analyze, and apply information from primary and secondary sources. 
2. Apply the concepts of scale, distance, direction, relative location, latitude and longitude.
3. Construct and use maps, globes, graphs, charts, models, and databases to analyze spatial distributions and patterns.

Standard 4. The student will evaluate the human systems of the world.

1. Compare and contrast common characteristics of world cultures (e.g., language, ethnic heritage, religion, political philosophy, shared history, social systems, and economic systems).
2. Recognize and explain the impact of ethnic diversity within countries and major cultural regions.

NETS-S Objectives Met:

1. Creativity and Innovation

Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students:

1. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes
2. create original works as a means of personal or group expression

2. Communication and Collaboration

Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:

1. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media

d.  contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems

3. Research and Information Fluency

Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:

1. plan strategies to guide inquiry
2. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media
3. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks

4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making

Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students:

1. plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project
2. collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions

5. Digital Citizenship

Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students:

1. advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology

6. Technology Operations and Concepts

Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. Students:

1. understand and use technology systems
2. select and use applications effectively and productively

Last updated on August 15, 1999. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page