Dear Parents,
This past week, students very successfully showed they knew where countries were across the European continent. At this point in the year, I’ve given students a bit more space and I have trusted their diligence and responsibility to research outside of class. In my conversations with students and in several of their lengthy notes, I’ve been able to see how serious many have been in accepting the challenge to be an “expert” on their city. What follows is a detailed listing of the next steps in this exciting end-of-year project.
All in all, there really are 3 distinct steps in this project’s process.1. research (for over a week now)
2. virtually visit by typing up a detailed itinerary + create a meaningful project (next week)
*project materials are expected to be in class every day and preparedness / use of
class time will be figured in the final grade
3. practice presentation and share your project for 2-3 minutes with the class
Presentation days are: 7A=May 12th and 13th (Monday and Tuesday)
7B=May 12th and 14th (Monday and Wednesday)
7C=May 13th and 14th (Tuesday and Wednesday)
The following was discussed in class but if there are questions, I encourage students to ask, ask, ask. I really want this to be a rewarding experience for each of them.
In last week's update, I shared the first two steps. Here are the next steps:
3rd Step: Plan a vacation to the city. You now should know the place well and at this point, virtually visit! Find out airlines and how much the fares are from Hawaii. Is there a better time to travel there (cost? season?)
PLAN YOUR WHOLE ITINERARY
--hotels (dates you will stay, cost, etc.)
--rent a car, train travel, bus, walking, taxi, etc.
(cost and getting tickets)
--where will you go? What will you see? Why? (costs?)
4th Step: Create a project so you can take us there. Will photo shop play a part? It could.
Your #1 job is to create something to teach us about what you have “experienced.”
Your 2nd job is to convince us why we should go. How will you persuade us? (no bribery :-))
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A few ideas that you may wish to use are below although the list of possibilities is limitless:
--power point --video --posters
--song --dressing up --food
--brochures --skit/play
THE CLASS SHOULD FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE GONE ONCE YOU HAVE SHARED
PLAN ON A 2-3 MINUTE PRESENTATION OF WHAT YOU HAVE CREATED TO TAKE US TO YOUR CITY
MUST HAVE MATERIALS EVERY DAY AT SCHOOL. PART OF YOUR GRADE IS BASED ON HOW WELL YOU WORK AT SCHOOL
Last, the following sheet is printed on yellow paper and every student should have it in their binder. It is the form we will use to evaluate the research, project, and presentation on the last days.
NAME ________________
European Project Evaluations
What were you most proud of in your project? _________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
If we began this project tomorrow, what would you make sure you did differently? Explain.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Your overall effort: (please circle the number)
Research 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Project 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Preparation for presentation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Effectiveness of teaching:
(did we learn a lot from you?) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
How convincing do you feel you were? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
What were your favorite 3 presentations? (student names)
1. _________________________
2. _________________________
3. _________________________
Now that you know a lot about various European cities, what would be the two places you were convinced to visit? Why?
1. __________________ ___________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. __________________ ___________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
--PLEASE STAPLE YOUR ITINERARY TO THIS PAGE--
Should be typed and include:
--flight
--ground transportation (rental car, taxi, train, subway, bus, foot)
--hotels
--places you visit
Please also include the cost of each and what companies you chose :-)
Thank you very much for taking the time to understand what we are doing. Your teamwork with me and with your child really does make a big difference. If there are any questions, please let me know.
Most Kindly,
Matt Piercy
7th Grade Social Studies
