"Travel America"

A WebQuest for 3rd Grade (Social Studies)

Introduction

The United States Tourism Department has selected your travel team as Team of the Year. Since they recognize your great skills and knowledge, they are giving you a special project to complete. They have asked you to create a virtual journey that will promote tourism in a specifc region of the United States.You are honored by this recognition and want to do the best job, showing how people in the given region live, work, and play. So pack your bags, get your camera, and grab your journal as you TRAVEL AMERICA!

Task

Using the Internet, library and other resources (write to Office of Tourism in state, interviews, etc.), you will take an exciting virtual journey through a Region of our great country. You won't be traveling alone but with a Team! As your Travel Team moves through your Region, you will keep a journal, take pictures and shop for souvenirs. When you return home, your Travel Team will be teaching the rest of the class about your region using your treasure chest and travel journal. Make your Region be as exciting and creative as you can, all the while making sure your information is accurate.

Process

The Process

     To begin the Traveler's Graphic Journal, you will be assigned to a
     Research and Design Team. The entire team will be responsible for
     the success of the project but each team member will have specific
     tasks to complete.

    Individual effort and team communication are important components
     of the process. You will use the Internet and other sources of information
     to make this virtual journey come to life. You will be given a Graphic Organizer
     to take notes that you will use to write your final journal entries.

The following is a list of research and design activities which are
necessary for the successful completion of the Journal.

"Every Journey Begins with a Single Step"

Step 1 : Become a Member of a Research Team

Research Teams will be formed. Next, decide upon a region to visit.

Step 2: Preview Library and Computer Resources

With your team, find books and check out the given websites that give information about your region and the states in that region. As you read, think about the places you want to visit in your given region and what all these different states have in common to make it a unique region.

Northeast Region
Southeast Region
Midwest Region
Northwest Region
Southwest Region

Step 3: Map Out Your Trip

Using a given map, select and outline your route. You will need to visit the capitol of each state in your region. Then choose to visit one to two sites from each state.
Remember to stay within your region, making sure to visit all the states in that region that you can.

Step 4: Notetaking and Journal Writing

Use the books and websites to gather information while visiting your region. Take notes on the important points of each place that you visit by using the graphic organizer. You may want to think/explain about :

Describe what the attraction like.
Why would it be fun to visit?
Why might it be located in this state/region?
What does this attraction tell you about the region as a whole?

Use these notes to write well paragraphed entries in your travel journal. Peer edit for good sentences, correct punctuation and spelling.

On the last page of your journal, draw conclusions about the similarities of the states in the region. Your writing should include information about the states' common weather, people, landforms and culture and answer the following questions.

What does each state have in common with the others in the region?
What does that tell you about the region as a whole?

Step 5: Create a Treasure Chest of Souvenirs

Use the information gained from your travels to find or create souvenirs items that represent your REGION. Items might include (but are not limited to) such things as:
postcards, stamps, models of attractions, pictures, things found in nature, photos and different artifacts

Remember to use your creative thinking for the design and the artifacts.

These souvenirs will be placed in a treasure chest (shoe box) that is creatively designed by your team to reflect the trip and the region.

Your treasure chest will be used in your presentation and displayed to help others learn about your region.

Step 6: Add Graphics

Your travel journal should be well organized in its writing and appearance. Choose pictures or graphics to add to your journal that will teach others about your region. Remember to choose graphics that really relate to your journal entries.

Step 7: Presentation about Your Trip

Your travel team needs to orally present its trip findings to the other teams. Remember to practice using good eye contact, voice projection and enthusiasm. All team members should have a part and need to participate. Your treasure chest and map should be used as you present to share your journey.

Evaluation

Describe to the learners how their performance will be evaluated. Specify whether there will be a common grade for group work vs. individual grades. You may want to have separate rubrics for individual and group work.

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4
Demonstrates effective and efficient use of the Internet and library resources for locating appropriate sources of information. Demonstrates effective organization of information.	Uses only a few unrelated resources. Shows little effort researching, planning, organizing and sequencing information.	Uses some sources of information effectively. Demonstrates limited effort to find resources and create a detailed and interesting journal. The organization is confusing .	Uses several related sources to create an interesting journal. Includes both text and graphics. Information is well organized.	Uses many types of materials, including books, maps, photos, and the Internet to create an excellent journal. Excellent planning strategies are shown.
Demonstrates the ability to write clearly and accurately to effectively communicate information, ideas, through text and graphics. Draw inferences and conclusion.	The descriptions of places and history are difficult to understand. Sentences are incomplete with many grammar and spelling errors. Uses only a few unrelated graphics, maps or photos. No conclusion.	The descriptions of places and history have incomplete detail. There are some grammar and spelling errors. Some use of graphics and photos is seen. Some attempt at conclusion.	The descriptions of places and history are well written, with only a few grammar and spelling errors. Uses a variety of well organized and appropriate graphics. Draws a conclusion.	The descriptions are written in clear, well formed paragraphs. The information is very detailed with few to no grammar and spelling errors. Creative and interesting use of text and graphics is seen. Insightful conclusion and connections about the Region.
Demonstrates the ability to work cooperatively and share information.	Group members do not accept responsibilities. Very little effort to work as a team is seen.	Demonstrates some cooperation but members may not share information effectively. Responsibilities are not shared equally.	Good team effort. All members of the team work to select and record information. Most members of the team perform the tasks.	Entire team works as an effective unit to share information. Excellent communication is seen. Everyone on the team is actively involved during the entire process including the presentation.
Demonstrates ability to select, organize and explain artifacts for the Treasure Chest to enhance description of their Region.	Few artifacts that don't clearly relate to the region. Poorly organized and explained..	Some artifacts related to the topic. Some explanation and attempt at organization.	Several artifacts represent the "trip." Good organization and explanation.	Thoughtful, creative selection of artifacts for Treasure Chest. Descriptions are clearly organized and well explained.
Demonstrates ability to present their research, Journal and Treasure Chest in an interesting, clear way.	Voices may be unclear. A few members participate. Lack of organization. Presentation may require further practice.	Voices are somewhat projected and clearly spoken. Most members participate. Some evidence of planning, organization and rehearsal.	Voices are well projected and clear. All members participate. Presentation is planned, well organized and rehearsed.	Voices are well projected, clear and enthusiastic. Presentation is well planned, organized and rehearsed. Creativity demonstrated in presentation.

Conclusion

A Traveler's Graphic Journal has given you an opportunity to "travel"
to places you may have never seen. You have made observations
concening history, geography, anthropology, and, perhaps,
the arts. You have learned how to look carefully at details and write
about your observations. Your Journal is a document to the history of
people you may never meet. Perhaps you learned something about the
diversity of the United States. Your Journal reflects only a small portion
of the history and culture of millions of people. Continue to
explore.

Credits & References

Thank you Bernie Dodge, Bill Derry, and Nancy Disbrow for your help and inspiration.

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We are including a link back to The WebQuest Page and the Design Patterns page so that others can acquire the latest version of this template and training materials.

We all benefit by being generous with our work. Permission is hereby granted for other educators to copy this WebQuest, update or otherwise modify it, and post it elsewhere provided that the original author's name is retained along with a link back to the original URL of this WebQuest. On the line after the original author's name, you may add Modified by (your name) on (date). If you do modify it, please let me know and provide the new URL.

Last updated on (8-16-02). Based on a template from The WebQuest Page