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Lesson plan In this lesson, students learn about the geography of their state (and/or other states) as they create a travel plan, construct a map with Microsoft MapPoint, research various locations throughout the selected states, calculate distances, and write postcards to send home. On This PageLesson plan information|
School level | | Curriculum areas | | Class time | | Software required | | • | Microsoft MapPoint | | • | Microsoft Office Publisher |
| Materials needed | | • | Student directions (Web access) | | • | Postcard sample (Web access) |
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Teacher guideGoals| • | Students will become familiar with the geography of their state and/or other states. | | • | Students will practice narrative writing to communicate information effectively. | | • | Students will use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. |
Objectives| • | Students will develop a travel plan for a trip across their state or other states. | | • | Students will use Microsoft MapPoint to create a custom map of their trip. | | • | Students will write informational "postcards" about their travel destinations and publish them with Microsoft Office Publisher. |
Lesson procedureIntroductionHow much do you know about the geography of our state? What places have you visited in our state? What do you know about each of the locations? Even though we live here, we may not be that familiar with the various communities, towns, and cities within our state. Part of geography, the study of the earth and its features, inhabitants, and phenomena, is the study of places and regions. Today, with globalization, it is more important than ever to understand different places and regions around the world. To be an informed global citizen, it is also essential to have an understanding of your own local area. In this activity, you will learn about various towns, communities, and cities within our state by planning and taking a two-week trip. During your trip you must: | • | Visit one or more major cities with populations of 1,000,000+. | | • | Visit two or more cities with population between 500,000 and 999,999. | | • | Visit one or more minor cities with population of 100,000-499,999. | | • | Visit one or more towns with population between 20,000 and 99,000. | | • | Visit the state capital. | | • | Visit two or more other areas of interest within the state. |
Main activityStep 1: Read the Student directions.
Make sure you understand the entire process before you begin.
Step 2: Create a travel plan| • | Software: Microsoft MapPoint
| | • | What to do Use MapPoint to create your travel plan 1. |
Open Microsoft MapPoint, and create a route using the Route Planner tool.
| 2. | Enter the locations you wish to visit, and plan the route you wish to take. Check to make sure that the locations you have entered include: | • | One or more major cities with populations of 1,000,000+ | | • | Two or more cities with population between 500,000 and 999,999 | | • | One or more minor cities with population of 100,000-499,999 | | • | One or more towns with population between 20,000 and 99,000 | | • | The state capital | | • | Two or more other areas of interest within the state |
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Under Tools, select Find Nearby Places. This will show you many interesting attractions.
| 4. | On your route, calculate the miles between locations. You will need the number of miles between locations for your postcards. | 5. | Calculate how many hours and/or days you plan to stay at each location. | 6. | Save your map and route plan. |
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Step 3: Write postcards to send home| • | Software: Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft MapPoint, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Encarta
| | • | What to do Use Publisher to create postcards home from stops along your route For each stop, write one postcard home using Microsoft Publisher. Each postcard should include: | • | Location | | • | Date | | • | Miles driven since last postcard (location) | | • | Number of days you've been at the location | | • | Interesting sights at the location | | • | Place you plan to go next | | • | Picture—if possible—of the location (Hint: You can search the Web or Encarta for pictures.) | | • |
Latitude and longitude of location (Hint: Use the Location Sensor under the Tools menu in MapPoint.)
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Create a postcard 1. | Open Publisher. | 2. | Select a postcard template and color scheme. Use the same template and color scheme for each of your postcards. | 3. | Enter the required information in the list above using complete sentences in a narrative format. | 4. | Check to make sure you have included all required information. | 5. | Save your postcard. |
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Step 4: Complete your trip, and record it| • | Software: Microsoft MapPoint, Microsoft Publisher
| | • | What to do When you have completed your trip, print all postcards, your MapPoint map, and route planner. |
ConclusionAssess students on: | • | Their route planner and map. Check that all required locations are included. | | • | Their postcards. Check that all information is included, interesting sights are represented, and that the writing is grammatically correct, coherent, and interesting. |
Materials needed| • | Student directions. Save this document to your classroom computers. Adjust the directions as needed for your lesson. | | • | Postcard sample |
Lesson extension activities| • | Assign each student or group of students a different state and have them share their maps and postcards with the class. | | • | Have students create budgets for their trips, in addition to the travel plans and postcards. |
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