Faraway Places

                     A Webquest by Betsey Forbes
                          John Duval Elementary
                                Whitman, MA

Introduction Task Process Resources Evaulation Conclusion

Introduction

In the book Miss Rumphius we learned about a young girl who has three goals: to live by the sea; to visit places faraway; and to somehow make the world a more beautiful place.  Miss Rumphius's  travels took her to deserts and tropical islands. In the end Miss Rumphius decides to return to Maine to live by the sea.  What if she had stayed on a tropical island?  How might that have changed the story?

Task:

A. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be live in on a tropical island?  What would be different?  What would be the same?  What would you eat for breakfast?  What games would you play? What would school be like?  Our class will research three islands to find out how children in these other countries live.

B.  Your  first task is to create a presentation using Powerpoint that  will tell about the daily life of a child in your selected country. You will write from the viewpoint of a child who lives in your country. You will become your character.  Each page in the presentation will tell about your daily life and about your favorite things.  Your presentation should include information about where you country is located and information about its cultures, geography, and lifestyles.  You can illustrate your presentation with drawings or with pictures from the internet. And remember, you are writing from the viewpoint of a child your age.

C. After you have made your presentation, you will work to create a new ending to Miss Rumphius.  You and your group members will finish the story using what you learned.  Instead of returning to Maine, Miss Rumphius has decided to remain on your island.  How would her life be different?  How would it be the same? Think of what you have learned about your island.  How would Miss Rumphius have adapted to that environment? Is there something Miss Rumphius could do to make the island more beautiful? The new ending can also be created using Powerpoint, but you can use whatever technology program you wish. See the attached rubric under evaluation for grading and guidelines.

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Process: 

I. Research on the country of choice

Below is a list of tropical islands around the world.  Decide which area you would like to pick as a group.  Remember to listen to everyone suggestions and come up with a consensus on which area you would like to study. The islands we will study include:
 

                                    Fiji,  Bali, New Caledonia

 

Your group should divide themselves into the following categories.

Sociologist: This person is responsible for learning about the culture such as  language, education, customs  food and entertainment.
Geographer: This person is responsible for collecting information about the geography of the area. You will need to create maps of the area, locate a flag, and provide information about the climate.
Botanist: This person is responsible for finding information about vegetation and the natural environment. For example, what sort of wildflowers and plants are indigenous to the area.
Historian: This person will look into the history of the culture up to the present day. Things to include are when the island was founded, who controls the island, the type of government currently in power.
Economist: This person is responsible for learning about trade, primary products, main exports, and currency.
Your results should include a graph.

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Resources

Using the following resources, locate information about your faraway place and prepare a Powerpoint presentation to share with the class. Remember you are writing from the viewpoint of a child in that country.
You will need to gather information using a graphic organizer.  Using Inpiration software, create a thinking web to keep track of notes. The graphic organizer must be completed and approved by me before you proceed with your presentation.

Fiji
i

http://www.fijiguide.com/Book/index.html
http://www.fiji-online.com.fj/
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/fj.html
http://www.photius.com/wfb2000/countries/fiji/fiji_geography.html
http://www.fiji-island.com/schools.html
http://www.tourismfiji.com/page6-28.html

NEW CALEDONIA

http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/fj.html
http://www.fotw.stm.it/flags/nc.html
http://www.pacificislandtravel.com/new_caledonia/introduction.html
http://www.travel-guide.com/data/ncl/ncl460.asp
 

BALI

http://www.bali-paradise.com/bali/
http://home.mira.net/~wreid/bali_p2x.html
http://www.marimari.com/content/bali/general_info/geography.html
http://www.indonesia-ottawa.org/indonesia/provinces/basa.html
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Evaluation:

Your group grade will be assessed using the attached  rubric..

Conclusion:

Congratulations! You have successfully completed your presentation and new ending.  You have learned much about faraway places, much like Miss Rumphius.  Now go outside your home and think what YOU could someday do to make your world a more beautiful place!

 
 

                                (New York: Viking, 1982)

Credits:
Pictures courtesy:
BP 1361:98845 Nouméa cedex: Nouvelle Caledon
http://home.pacbell.net/bklatsky/Bali_pictures_index.html
http://www.fiji-island.com/Travel/Towns.html

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