Virtual Field Trip - Brochure

Summary

The students will use the internet to research the country/ city of their choice. After researching their country/ city, they will write a report on that place citing their references. The students will then create a brochure of their selected location for the class to view.

Materials

Computer with word processing software, internet connection, and color printer; sample brochures to examine, 8 1/2" by 11" card stock or other paper as desired, notebooks for taking notes on destinations, and a world map.

Background for Teachers

Teacher should have an understanding of travel brochures and their layouts, a knowledge of advertisement concepts, and they should know where to find "safe" internet sites for students to research.

Student Prior Knowledge

Students should have a knowledge of basic computer skills, including the use of search engines and Word programs. They should also have a knowledge of writing skills appropriate to their grade level and should have been introduced to various styles of advertisement.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will be learn the process of internet research. Students will be able to summarize information they found about their chosen location. Students will be able to identify important aspects of advertising. Students will have a better understanding of the culture that they researched.

Instructional Procedures

The teacher will bring in several examples of travel brochures from various places around the world. The brochures will be distributed and the teacher will begin by talking about how brochures are planned and put together. The teacher will explain what an outline is and demonstrate how to set one up. Students will then be paired up and each pair will be given the opportunity to choose a country from the world map that they would like to research. Once they have chosen a country, they will return to their desks and begin to write down some questions that they might have about that country that they would like to know the answers to. Some basic questions might include: How big is the country? How many people live there? What makes it an interesting place to visit? What places might tourists find exciting? What places might the average tourist not know about? How long will it take to tour that country? (Etc, etc...) The next class session, the students will be given the opportunity to research their country on the internet. Each pair will work together to find the answers to the questions they had. Each student will be responsible for keeping track of their answers and the websites where they retrieved the information in their notebooks. The following class session will be devoted to laying out their information in brochure form. The teacher will again produce the brochure examples for the students to get some ideas from and to begin setting up a rough draft of their brochure- minus pictures. Students will compose their first rough draft of their brochure by the end of the class or have one by the start of the next class. The next class session the students will find appropriate images from the internet to place in their brochures. After having found the appropriate pictures, they will put together a second rough draft of their brochure, complete with pictures, by the end of class. The next class session, the students will make any adjustments that the teacher may recommend and begin putting together a paper to go with their final copy of their brochure. The paper will give a short description of their country and lead into the explanation of their brochure design. It will also have a reference list of all of their resources where they retrieved their information. The next class session, students will be given time to make corrections to their rough draft of their papers and finalize details on their brochures. The final class session, the students will present their country's brochure to the class and turn in their final draft of their brochure along with their typed paper (about 2-3 pages).

Assessment Plan