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A
Virtual Tour of Brazil
Project URL: http://www.teachnet-lab.org/ps101/chornik/travelcontents.htm
How it works:
This
is a fifth grade social studies unit about life in Brazil.
Working in cooperative learning groups, the students create a class
virtual travel brochure. Roles include: researchers who find
information using Web sites chosen by the teacher, a recorder who sets
down the information found by the researchers (using a word processing
application such as Student Writing Center or Microsoft Word),
illustrators who locate online photos (from prescreened sites) or
create illustrations researched by the group (using a drawing and
painting application such as Kidpix),
reporters who share the information with the class in oral and written
reports, and web designers who place the textual information and
graphics onto a site for the virtual brochure. Topics include:
Brazil
's location, geography, climate, government, economy, people,
education system, natural resources, and important sights. The time
frame for this unit is three months.
Standards addressed:
A Virtual Tour of
Brazil focuses
on economic/geographic, social, cultural, political, and historic
elements of
South America
. It develops proficiency in using the Internet as a research tool.
Students produce and share written and oral reports; participate in
group meetings; and use maps and other geographic representations,
tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information.
They learn how geographical and topographical
factors result in varying climates, and understand of how the a
region's climate affects it's economy and
way of life. They interpret graphs and charts; focus
on the social and cultural elements of a Latin American country;
understand how people in various regions affect/are affected by their
physical environment; explain technology's impact on the environment,
economy, and people; and describe how people of diverse cultural
backgrounds in the
Western Hemisphere
influenced each other.
Materials used:
A
computer with Internet access is required, along with a printer and
software programs that include Microsoft
FrontPage, Kidpix,
AppleWorks, and Student
Writing
Center.
The students:
This
program is designed for fifth graders of average ability, but it can
be adapted for higher grades. Some of the students are second-language
learners. Research, word processing, editing, and web-authoring skills
are reinforced during this unit.
Overall value:
A
Virtual Tour of Brazil allows students to feel the
excitement and wonder of traveling to and learning about another
country while developing valuable skills. The thrill of seeing their
published Web pages online is a great motivator and an excellent way
of sharing projects the students do with the parent community.
Tips:
A
follow-up unit to this might be one in which students plan a trip to
Brazil, calculate expenses, and comparison-shop for hotels, travel
expenses, entertainment, etc.
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About the teacher:
Carolyn Hornik has
been a New York City
public school teacher for twenty-six years (12 as a classroom teacher
in third, fourth, and fifth grades, and 14 as a technology
coordinator). She teaches in-service courses for the New York City
Board of Education After-School
Professional Development Program and online courses for new teachers
through Teachers Network.
E-mail:
CHornik@aol.com
Subject
Areas:
Social Studies
English
Technology
Grade
Levels:
5-12
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