Adventure in America

A WebQuest on The United States of America

Designed by Angela Walsh

AngelaWalsh@pacificu.edu

 

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

Introduction

You have been hired as an investigator by the United States government to work on a very important mission! The president would like to encourage more people from around the world to come to America to vacation and to learn more about our beautiful country. Your job is to work with a team of other investigators to learn all that you can about one of our 50 states. You and your team will travel around your chosen states. During your travels, you will investigate and take notes on the information you discover. When your team returns, you will report your findings. The information that you uncover will be used to create a brochure that will be used for an international campaign to increase tourism in the United States. So, roll up your sleeves, get out your investigator's notebook, and get ready for an adventure in America.

Your mission for the United States government is to choose one state, investigate it, and create a brochure that will be used in an international campaign to increase tourism in America. It is important for your brochure to be attractive and include a lot of information to promote the state and inform people about why it is a place they will want to visit. To do this, you will complete a state fact sheet and use that information to create the brochure. The government has given you 2 weeks to complete the task. Good luck

Step 1: Choose 1 state and write your name on the state sign-up sheet. Only 1 investigator per state please!

Step 2: Print out a state fact sheet to help you in your investigation. You may work together with one or two other investigators to gather information about the states you've chosen. However, the final brochure will be individual work only!

Step 3: Locate information about your state and fill in the state facts sheet.

Use the web sites below to collect information.

50 States

Stately Knowledge

Enchanted Learning

Fact Monster

America's Story

World Almanac

Step 4: After you have finished the state facts sheet, convert the information into complete sentences. Organize the sentences into paragraphs by topic. Work together with your investigative team to edit each others work. Use the word wall, dictionary, and spell checkers to correct spelling errors. Remember to check for capitals and punctuation.

Step 5: Plan the layout of your brochure. Use an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper folded in thirds to sketch out your plan. Allow plenty of space for print and pictures.

Step 6: After you have the layout of your brochure planned and sketched out, create the brochure, either by computer or by hand. Remember, your brochure will be used by the United States government and will be seen by people around the world. Present your best work!

Your brochure and performance will be evaluated using the following rubric. The scores from all categories will be averaged together to arrive at a final grade.

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Brochure Information	A few pieces of the required information are included with little detail.	Much of the required information is included with some detail and description.	All required information is included with clear descriptions and interesting details.	Brochure contains more information than required with very clear descriptions and many interesting details.
Brochure Layout/Design	There is no clear layout. Information is listed on the paper. There are few or no illustrations or pictures. Information is difficult to locate.	Layout is somewhat clear. There are few illustrations or pictures. Text is not displayed in an attractive manner. Some information is difficult to locate.	Layout is clear. There are several illustrations or pictures intermixed with the text. Information is easily located. Design shows originality.	Layout is clear and engaging. Illustrations and pictures are intermixed with text in an attractive manner. Front cover grabs attention. All information is easy to locate. Design shows originality and creativity.
Organization of Text	Topics are missing clear beginnings and endings. Text is difficult to follow. Details are randomly placed.	Some topics contain beginnings and endings. Text can be followed. Details are not effectively placed.	Order and structure are clear. Text is easy to follow with details that fit where placed.	Order and structure move reader easily through the text. Creative details that enhance the text.
Conventions	Numerous errors in word usage, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.	Word usage, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation are usually correct with some errors that distract the reader.	Word usage, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation is usually correct with minor errors that do not distract the reader.	Word usage, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation that is correct and effective with so few errors that reader easily skips over them.
Cooperation and Effort	Student did not function well with group and showed very little cooperation. Student showed very little effort and was often off-task during work time.	Some cooperation with group. Student showed some effort and was somewhat on task during work time.	Student showed good communication and cooperation with group. Student showed good effort and was on task for the majority of work time.	Student worked exceptionally well with group showing strong communication and cooperation. Student showed clear effort and was on task during work time.

Congratulations! Your mission is complete. The United States government would like to thank you for all of your hard work. The international campaign to increase tourism in America is sure to be a success with the brochures that you created for the 50 states. By participating in this mission, you have learned more about the United States of America and you've learned about exploring web sites to gather important information. I hope this project has encouraged you to take your own Adventure in America!

50 States www.50states.com

Stately Knowledge www.ipl.org

Enchanted Learning www.enchantedlearning.com

Fact Monster www.factmonster.com

America's Story www.americaslibrary.gov

World Almanac for Kids www.worldalmanacforkids.com