Process 

Main Question:

How would each team plan a full-filled weeklong vacation to Europe for three people from three different generations on $6,000 or less?


Step 1:

Students choose their destination (the land of their ancestors, as agreed upon by all team members).

Which country in Western Europe will each group visit?
You will probably want to give your students a list of countries they may choose.


Step 2:

Students divide up the Roles and Responsibilities between team members.

They read the Roles and Responsibilities carefully then divide up the research tasks according to their roles.

Students will print and fill out the KWL chart to help get started. You may need to explain how the KWL chart works if students are unfamiliar with the concept.


Step 3:

Students research their country.

Each partner will work on his or her own research tasks. Some items you may want the groups to learn about include:

Resources Click on this link to access valuable sources of information.

 

Students also record what they learned about their country.

Note:
An excellent example of a note taking sheet you can print out ahead of time and photocopy is found at http://www.ri.net/schools/East_Greenwich/notesheet.htm.



Step 4:

Each team begins to plan a practical itinerary for their journey.

  1. As a group, they will discuss where each family member would like to go and what they would like to see (and do) on their trip.
  2. Teams will discuss the pros and cons for each suggested activity.
  3. They will need to compromise to find activities for each member of the family.

Click here for questions to consider when planning a trip.


Step 5:

Each team will calculate the cost of the trip and create a realistic budget.

  1. They will create an Excel spreadsheet to show their proposed budget for the trip.
  2. Each team will make sure to convert all prices to U.S. Dollars using Oanda.com, The Currency Site 164TM Currency Converter or X-Rates.com Currency Converter.
  3. Teams will make sure their  trip is possible for $6,000 or less at the current exchange rate.
  4. Groups will make adjustments to their itinerary as necessary to stay within the allotted budget.

Click here for a list of Things to Include in the Budget.

Note to teacher: You may wish to create a spreadsheet template for students to use, and a sample of a detailed budget to show them.


Step 6:

Students design an itinerary for their trip using a desktop publishing application. 

Ideally, show the class an example of an itinerary you have created so that they will be able to picture what they are supposed to do. If possible, show them samples of some brochures (good and bad) from local travel agents.
Let the students know which desktop publishing application (Publisher, PrintArtist, ClarisWorks, AppleWorks, etc.) they will use to create their itinerary. Should it be on one page or two? How do you want them to set up the page? I usually have the students choose
Be sure to discuss the different design elements they will need to consider, including graphics (Will they use photos or clip art?), color (How much is enough? too much?), and organization. It should be arranged chronologically, from the time they depart to the time they return, with as much detail filled in as possible. They should be sure to separate each day from the next, noting where they will spend the night.

Note: I have not divided the responsibilities for the actual end product. Students should split the work between them, and complete it as equitably as possible. Or, if you prefer, you may divide it up among them yourself. If one student is great at spreadsheets, he or she could create the budget and the more artistically-oriented teammates could work on the itinerary. There are many skills involved in completing this WebQuest, and each student is likely to be challenged.

Groups need to include a bibliography to cite all sources. They may use one of the following online resources to create their bibliography entries, then copy and paste them into a Microsoft Word document.

EasyBib.com

NoodleTools Make sure students know to click on Quick Cite, the free resource. Otherwise, you need a subscription to use NoodleTools.


Step 7:
Project Evaluation and Discussion

Evaluation Rubric
Step 8:
Students turn in their notes, itinerary, bibliography, and budget.
Having each group turn in their notes will help you to make sure that they have not plagiarized.


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