Where In The World?

Problem Statement:

Your parent's company has decided to open new offices on four different continents. Your family will be deciding which one of the four cities they would like to move to. (Adapted from an example problem by Jamie McKenzie's web page From Now On.)

Your group's task will be:

1. Gather information from books, CDs, the Internet, and other sources on the climate, government, customs, tourism, and the life of a kid in the city/country of ___________________.

* select appropriate resources (books, CDs, encyclopedia, Internet)

* use the enlarged note cards to write down the best information

2. Use the information you have gathered to create an advertisement for your city.

* create something visual, such as a poster, brochure, or slide show

* prepare a short presentation about why your city would be a good place to live

* presentation examples:

___ speech ___ skit ___ a news report ___ choral reading, poem or rap

___ a T. V. advertisement

Each group will be videotaped as they make their presentations. After viewing the tapes, each student will vote for the city they would like their family to choose.

In a project such as this, the process is as important as the product. It is highly recommended that teachers familiarize themselves with the Big Six Strategies and suggestions for implementation. With young students, it works best if two teachers can work together, each assisting two small groups (one group at a time). Students should be encouraged to brainstorm the information they might need to research about their city prior to seeing the prepared charts. The key is guided instruction in small groups to nurture questions, answers, and decision making (higher order thinking skills) throughout the project. Read more about Big Six here.