School Trip to the United States
A WebQuest designed to be done by Secondary Education Students of English as a second language
Designed by
José Antonio Moreno Solana


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Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Teacher Page
Introduction
Let’s go on a school-trip to the United States!
The United States is one of the largest countries in the world. Through the use of technology and other resources, you will plan and organize your school trip to explore and enjoy the various regions of the United States. In groups of three, you will have to plan where you want to go, what you want to see, and what you want to do.
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The Task
This is what you need to do:
The United States is divided into geographical regions. You will plan a school trip throughout the States visiting one state in each region and an attraction in each of those states. You will need to:
get flights
make hotel reservations
find places to eat along the way
keep a travel diary
budget your money
collect information about each of the states you visit, and about each attraction. /
Your task is to create a travel itinerary and budget which will help you organize and plan your trip, and write a letter to the school and the parents’ associationconvincing them to take the trip that your group has planned. /

The Process
  1. In groups of three, choose one statefrom from each region, and complete a fact sheet for each of them.


  1. One studentwill have to choose an attraction in each state that you would like to visit and find information about it online.



  1. Another studenthas to download and print out a map of the States and label, outline, and colour the states you plan to visit.


  1. The third student will find flights, hotels and restaurants in each state to help you fill out your travel diary and budget your money.

  1. For each state you plan to visit follow the steps bellow:
5.1.Price the cost of flights.
5.2. Determine the distance you must travel.
5.3.Research and determine at least one major attraction to visit.
5.4.Locate and price accommodations to stay at during your visit.
5.5.Record all the information on the Itinerary worksheet( each location.
5.6.Complete the Budget Worksheet
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  1. Once you have all the information, the three members of the group together have to write a letter to your school and Parents’ association persuading them to take the trip.

Evaluation
Your final product will be evaluated for the following criteria:
Beginning
1 / Developing
2 / Accomplished
3 / Wow!
4 / Score

Map

/ Details show little understanding of the topic / Details show a reasonable understanding of the topic / Details show a good understanding of the topic / Details show an excellent understanding of the topic.
Completed map
Visually appealing / 25%

Itinerary

/ Disorganized and difficult to follow / Somewhat organized but still difficult to follow / Somewhat organized and fairly easy to follow / Well organized and easy to follow.
Attractions with clear descriptions.
Data entered and accurate. / 25%
Budget / Data not accurate.
Expenses not identified properly. / Some accurate data but poor research.
Some expenses identified. / Fairly accurate data.
Most expenses identified but no extras mentioned / Accurate data displayed.
Identified at least three logical additional expenses. / 25%
Letter to school / Disorganized. Opinion is not clear.
No reasons/examples to explain your opinion.
Poor grammar and poor letter format. / Opinion somewhat clear but still disorganized.
Few reasons/examples.
Still poor grammar but reasonably good letter format. / Clear opinion
Good organization
Still some reasons/examples needed.
Good grammar
Good letter format / Opinion clearly stated.
Reasons/examples that support your opinion.
Grammar.
Proper letter format. / 25%
Group involvement / One or more members not taking part / Inconsistent effort of the group / One member less involved / All group members involved / Extra Credit


Conclusion
Did you enjoy your trip? How much did you learn? Now it is time to share your project with the rest of the class. Each group has to show about the states and attractions you visited online. The winning project organizes the trip. Let’s hope your school and the parents’ association are persuaded by your letter.

Credits & References
This is not by any means an original idea. Therefore, even though I had a clear idea of what I wanted to make a webquest about, I have to admit that my original plan has been modified by consulting the following webquests from which I have borrowed ideas, images, classroom materials and inspiration :












So, many thanks to their silent contribution.
Last updated on August 15, 1999. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page