TASK:
Your parents have saved $5,000
for a seven to ten day family trip to any place in Europe, where there are many
fascinating destinations and cultural attractions. But your parents are confused
because family and friends have been giving them advice about their favorite
places in Europe. Since you have a stake in the family vacation, your parents
have asked for your input and have challenged you to plan the family vacation.
While they make no promises or guarantees, that they will ultimately
choose your proposal, they are willing to consider it.
¨
You
and your fellow group members will plan an enjoyable yet educational trip within
the $5,000 budget! Your group will consider expenses and fees for roundtrip
airline tickets, ground/land transportation,
lodgings, food/meals, tours, museums, tourist attractions, entertainment,
souvenirs, and emergencies. Additionally, you will create travel budgets and
itineraries. Then you and
your group members will create a PowerPoint Presentation to persuade your
parents to visit the European country of your choice. Finally, your group will
share its project with the class.
¨
Initial
Investigations: Choose a recorder to record notes.
Brainstorm about possible destinations (use INSPIRATION Software). Each group
member will use the Internet to research possible destinations and the strength
of the United States Dollar (USD) against the national currency or the Euro.
Meet to discuss the findings and to determine the group's destination.
Ø
Dazzling Destinations
·
Will you visit a major city in one
country?
·
Will you visit one major city and take
day trips to the neighboring countryside?
·
Will you visit the capitol and one other
major city in one country?
·
Why do you want this city?
q
historical
significance
q
cultural/tourist
attractions
§
museums
§
architecture
§
theatre
§
the arts
§
shopping
§
food
Ø
Monetary Madness or Currency
Concerns
Your
family wants to enjoy its vacation but it does not want to be a spendthrift or a
miser. However, your parents do appreciate value for their money or the power of
the purse.
·
How does the US Dollar (USD) fare/compare
against the European currency? Create a chart, which compares and contrast the
local currency or the Euro against the USD.
·
Is it strong? The USD will give you more
buying power; you’ll get more value for your buck.
·
Is it weak? You’ll spend more USDs to
match the European currency.
¨
GENERAL LINKS: These
links provide information on countries. Additionally, some have
Destination/Theme/World Guides while others have information on flights,
lodgings, and special vacation deals.
¨
TRAVEL ADVISORIES: These
links provide important warnings about civil unrest, conflicts with other
nations, terrorism, and health issues such as infectious diseases and epidemics.
Ø
http://aglobalworld.com/Countries
Ø
http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html
Ø
http://tripprep.com/index.html
Ø
Meet
to discuss the findings and to determine the group's destination.
Ø
Discuss
and establish a framework or guidelines for the project.
Ø
Establish
group responsibilities.
Ø
Designate
individual responsibilities for airline reservations, lodgings, tourist/cultural
attractions, food expenses, ground/land travel fees, graphics/layout designer
PowerPoint, …)
Ø
Allow
for travel time and differences in time zones.
Ø Set deadlines, which may be revised.
Ø Settle on individual roles for the group presentation.
Ø Always set agendas for the next session.
Ø
What
math skills did you use in this project?
Ø
How
did math influence your decision-making?
Ø
Was
it difficult to include the criteria and stay within the budget?
Ø
How
does this project relate to real-life events?
Ø
Can
the knowledge, which was acquired in this project, be applied in other
situations? How?
Ø
Think
about your experiences as a group member.
·
What did you learn about yourself?
·
What did you learn about your group
skills?
·
What did you do well?
Ø
What
do you need to improve?