Explorers' Project
(Based on a webquest
created by Brooks
Widmaier)
Click
here to view the original webquest.
|
Who Owns the Trunks?
|
Introduction: European
explorers left their mark on the Americas. Countries looking for
treasure, including valuable spices, were astonished to find a new land.
Task:
You and your partner will research one of the explorers given in
the links provided in the resources, then create a trunk containing the
items below. The trunk can be made from many different materials,
such as shoe boxes or tissue boxes, that are the painted, covered with
construction paper, or decorated with other materials. Here are
the items that must go into the trunk:
- Date of the explorer's birth
and death
- Country for whom the
explorer sailed
- Voyage dates
- Country of intended
destination and where the explorer actually landed (if it was different)
- Discoveries
- Interesting facts
- a luggage tag
- the explorer's passport
Here are the directions for
creating the luggage tag and passport:
- Design a luggage tag in
KidPix Studio Deluxe. Attach it to the trunk. The tag should include:
- Name of explorer
- Name of ship he traveled
on
- Country where the voyage
started
- Fill in the passport (Passport page
1, Passport page
2). On the outside of
the passport:
- Draw the flag of the
country where the explorer was born.
- Write the name of the
country.
- On the inside of the
passport:
- Fill in the name and
birthdate
- Create a stamp for each
country the explorer visited
- Draw a picture of the
explorer
Once all trunks are completed, students will visit other trunks and try
to determine which explorer owns the trunk. Luggage tags and
passports for each
trunk will be attached later.
Process: Once
trunks are completed, student partners will be given another group's
trunk to examine.
- Open the trunk and examine
each of the items. Discuss them with your partner.
- Using the Evidence
Worksheet, list the
items in the trunk.
- Visit the websites listed in
the resources section and eliminate explorers until you have found the
one that you think is the owner of the trunk.
- Make notes beside each item
of evidence on the worksheet that supports your decision.
- Choose the passport and
luggage tag that you believe goes with the trunk.
Resources:
Use the links below to do
your
investigating.
Learning
Advice:
You will be working together in
pairs. Each person should share in the work. Remember, for each
off-task behavior noted by the teacher, one point is lost.
Grading Rubric: Click
here to find out how this project will be graded.
Conclusion: Congratulations
on a job well done! Your hard work has enabled your classmates to
learn about your explorer.