WORLD'S FAIR&EXPOSITION
Group Process Effective team work and research will enable you to understand the history of the country that you have selected; to outline the challenges the country faces; and to propose solutions to those challenges. In order to accomplish all this you need to divide up the tasks listed below, do your research, and report the information you have uncovered back to your team. Each member of the team should become an expert in one of the following areas:
People who know a lot about a subject are better problems solvers. Your team must agree on an action plan to meet the challenges your country faces. The action plan will be easier to design if each member of the group engages in effective research. |
Evaluating Resources
As you research, evaluate each one of your sources. With so much information available today it is important that we evaluate where the information comes from and how accurate or effective it is before we include it as "facts" in presentations. This is called "Information Literacy". Your teacher has some sources for evaluating web sites or your teacher may give you a hand out. Your Web site and source evaluations along with your bibliography will be part of the evaluation of this project.
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Team Meeting
After each member of your team has completed their research hold a team meeting to outline the information you have gathered. Have each team member share what they have learned. Take notes on what each team member states about potential problems or challenges that your country will be facing. After listening carefully to each person and asking questions, the team will choose three "challenges" or problems to focus on. Members may have to compromise to select just three. If an issue comes up in more than one individual's report it should be considered as a possible selection.
Once your team has selected three challenges, brainstorm these two questions:
- What do we know about these challenges?
- What do we need to know about these challenges?
After brainstorming, divide up the "What do we need to know" list among team members. Do further research in order to answer the questions. Continue to evaluate your sources with the "information literacy" guide.
Challenges and solutions
Now your team must write a position paper or develop an action plan. How should the country meet its challenges? Make sure you take the cultural perspectives of your country into account as you come up with solutions. Remember you are a member of that country not an American citizen. Also make sure you evaluate solutions that would be good for the country as a whole, not just the government. If possible, make some e-mail contacts with citizens from that country. Also look for expert sources at the embassy (Yahoo has a nice listing @ http://dir.yahoo.com/Government/Embassies_and_Consulates/ ) and university level to comment on your challenges. (Contact through e-mail).
Building the Pavilion or Creating a Poster Presentation
Technology can help you present your information and solutions to the rest of the class in an interesting and powerful way. If you will be doing a poster presentation, make sure you know who will get the materials and how the artistic tasks will be divided. If you have access to web page software or multimedia software, team member should work in pairs. Each area should have one screen or page. (Honor the Past, Discover the Challenges, Imagine the Future) Present your information artistically. Remember one dominant image is better than a lot of little ones. Keep your colors and fonts consistent across you pavilion and make sure you take your countries culture into account when designing your pavilion. If you use background music make sure it is culturally accurate. The art can take a lot of time. Check with your teacher for procedure of using downloaded picture or Xerox pictures on your poster project.
Content is also essential. It is not necessary for you to "write" all your ideas or solutions on your multimedia, web presentation or poster, but instead outline the main points. Your team, acting as tour guides, will lead the class through your electronic presentation or poster and will fill in all the detail with your oral presentation.
Once your electronic pavilion is complete, practice your presentation several times. Make sure each team member is prepared to answer questions on their section and make sure all team members can speak on how your solutions will serve the cause of individual freedom and democracy in your country.
THE INVITATION | THE TASK | THE PROCESS| THE RESOURCES
THE LEARNING ADVICE | THE EVALUATION | THE TECHNOLOGY | LESSON MAP
THE TEACHER NOTES | THE LESSON SEQUENCE| THE STANDARDS |
THE RESOURCES | THE EVALUATION | THE TECHNOLOGY | LESSON MAP