Information Please . . . I am Going on a Trip!

Subject Area(s):

• K-12: Language Arts

Grade Level(s):

• 10th Grade

Description:

Summary: Students will use the website Information Please to arrive at an answer to the following questions:

• If I travel to ______________ (location) in ______________(month), what clothing, accessories, personal care items, etc. should I pack?

• What should I NOT pack (What would be a waste of bag space)?

• How will I be able to spend my time (based on weather conditions)?



Students will then create a scrapbook/photo album of their “trip” to present the information they have found.

Goals & Objectives:

• Students will then create a scrapbook/photo album of their “trip” to present the information they have found.
• Read and interpret maps, graphs, charts, illustrations, cartoons, art, and other visual information.
• (Processes of Inquiry): Use the process of inquiry to problem-solve and deepen understanding.
  
• (Written Communication of Inquiry): Write to synthesize information to solve a problem or deepen understanding.

Materials:

• Computers for student use
  
• Overhead projector/Computer connection
  
• Two stacks of prepared cards. Stack one: locations in the United States; stack two: months of the year
• Paper/craft supplies for travel book
  

Procedures:

Anticipatory Set: Teacher begins class with a discussion of places students have traveled, both in the United States and in the world. Use the discussion as a chance to talk about different climates. Possible questions: Have you ever packed the wrong things for a vacation? How does weather impact what you can do? Etc.

Modeling: Teacher draws two cards (place and month). Then, teacher uses computer to show students Information Please navigation.

Guided Practice: Students draw one card from each prepared pile. One card will assign student his/her travel destination. The second card will provide student with his/her month of travel. Teacher provides a graphic organizer to help students find information they will need for this project.

Independent Learning: Students spend time on Information Please, taking note of information they find. Then, students synthesize their information and create a travel scrapbook of their fictional trip, making sure to include answers the guiding questions.

Closure: Students share their travel scrapbook with a partner.

Assessment:

Travel Scrapbook: Students will earn credit for creating a travel scrapbook of their fictional trip. Included in this scrapbook should be at least 10 facts found in their research. Scrapbook may be graded according to teacher rubric, but could include such aspects as neatness, inclusion of facts, correct source citations, etc.

Standards:

Information Skills and Subskills (K-16)

Planning

• Formulates a search strategy
• Creates a general framework for organizing information found

Collection

• Locates relevant information within selected sources
• Identifies and extracts relevant information from selected sources
• Uses highlighting and/or notetaking skills
• Recognizes when sufficient information has been obtained
• Stores information for potential future use

Organization

• Filters out irrelevant information
• Summarizes/synthesizes/classifies final information

Presentation

• Selects most appropriate format for communicating results
• Assembles organized information for presentation
• Reviews presentation for grammatical, spelling, and other errors
• Cites sources appropriately