Project-Based Unit

Title of Unit Continental Cultural Study

 

Subject Area

Grade Level

Time to Complete

Social Studies, Language Arts

Third/Fourth

Three - Four Weeks

 

Author’s Name

School Address

Phone, E-mail

3/4 Multiage Team

K.A. Brett School

323-7271 tamworth.k12.nh.us

 

Framing Question

You are working for a travel bureau in your country. Your job is to design a portfolio in order to attract teachers from NH to come to your country for a cultural awareness trip. How can you design your trip to be the most attractive field trip?

Sub-Questions
How are you going to get there?
Where are you going to stay?
What are you going to eat?
What do you need to take?
What are you going to do when you get there?
What are you not going to do?

 

Workplace or Community Context

Travel agents must be able to design trips. They must be aware of the desires, and needs of their clientele and they need to sell their trips to meet their needs. Their information needs to be exciting, educational, informational, extectically pleasin. Both time and finances need to be reasonable.

  Melanie McBrian will be a resource for Asia (Ms. Gouzoules' Class)

Marilyn O'Kelley will be a resource for Australia. Marilyn presented facts on Australia in outline form, did a geography lesson, taught Waltzing Matilda and read Wombat Stew and conducted a question and answer period.

The children wrote in their journals two informational paragraphs about Australia as well as read a Zoobook article on Kangaroos and did a vocabulary activity. Mrs. Costello's Class learned about Australia and South America. Their research projects were done on South American Countries.

The whole 3/4 class will pretend to take a plane to Australia (schoolbus). They will show their passports, tickets and boarding passes in the appropriate sequence. The flight attendant will explain safety procedures as well as serve snacks.

 

The Project

Overview

Given a country in a continent, the students will research and explore the cultural aspects of their country. They will appreciate and understand the similarities and differences of the culture of their country. This will be accomplished through the students creating. This will be accomplished through the student creating a travel portfolio which includes the following:

I. Geography II. People III. Shelter - food/water
IV. The Arts OVERVIEW

The children will research the different topics for the country they are assigned. They will design a pamphlet, brochure, placemat or invent their own type of format to present the information that they have gathered. They will include at least two resources they used for their research. Again they must interest their teacher with their final project so that she/he will want to buy their "trip" that was designed with the teacher in mind. The teacher wants to learn the most for the best buy.

Alignment with New Hampshire Curriculum Frameworks

Framework

How it is addressed in your project

Use of maps, graphs, and tables

Children draw and label as well as read maps

Reads for facts for research

Children must get answers to questions about their project.

Rereads for information

Children must edit their facts and choose best information.

Variety of media & language for variety of purpose

Children will present their projects.

Organizational Purposes

Children must organize all their information into paragraphs.

 

 

Timeline

This project will take a total of 3-4 weeks. This would include the oral presentation.

Project Step or Supporting Activity

Description

Pick a country from the designated continent

Each 3/4 class is assigned a continent

Use of research materials (2-3 weeks)

Books, internet, encyclopedias, brochures

Notetaking (through the research time)

Teacher monitors progress on an ongoing basis

Oral presentation (3-4 days)

Children present projects showing what was learned through various media.

End Product (Content of Project Outline)

The facts will be organized in a meaningful way (brochures, advertisements, reports)

 

 

Project Resources

Marilyn O'Kelley - Speaker on Australia
Jim Robbins - Pilot
Travel Agents (sharing of brochures, advertisements)
Job Awareness - (through a simulation of an airplane trip the children become aware of the procedures one must go through. (passports, tickets, checking baggage, finding their seat, stewardesses, etc.)

Assessment

A Rubric will be made for both the end product and the oral presentation.

 

Implementation Plan