A webquest journey to South America

Introduction Are you ready to venture farther south from our continent of North America? Grab your passport! We are headed to… South America!!! We have already mapped the major physical features and countries of South America. Now you have the chance to explore the culture of one of these countries! You will use multiple sources to collect information on the language, clothing, food, art, music, and special customs of a South American culture. You will then present what you have learned with either a creative poster or PowerPoint. Let’s get started!

Task What is the culture like in a South American country? In this project you will: Work with a team to research the culture of a South American country. Complete the culture brace map as you take notes with examples. Create a poster or PowerPoint to present your findings to the class.

Process Each person choose a role: Technology Specialist: Leads computer research and typing Scribe: Leads note-taking from the sources Advertising Manager: Leads the creation of the poster or PowerPoint Each person is responsible for cooperating, problem solving, and sharing ideas respectfully. PARTICIPATE to make your project the best it can be!

Click on one of these South American countries to get started: Brazil Colombia Peru Argentina

Brazil Start with these sources. Take notes on the major parts of culture. Now try these sites for more information: Britannica Kids Enchanted Learning Fact Monster Explore Brazil National Geographic Kids Time for Kids Scholastic Global Trek All Around the World Say Hello to the World Brazil Culture Quest Also take a look at the class Atlases for more information! Finished taking notes? Click here to move on.

Colombia Start with these sources. Take notes on the major parts of culture. Now try these sites for more information: Britannica Kids Enchanted Learning Fact Monster National Geographic Kids Time for Kids Scholastic Global Trek Say Hello to the World Also take a look at the class Atlases for more information! Finished taking notes? Click here to move on.

Peru Start with these sources. Take notes on the major parts of culture. Now try these sites for more information: Britannica Kids Enchanted Learning Fact Monster National Geographic Kids Time for Kids Scholastic Global Trek All Around the World Say Hello to the World Also take a look at the class Atlases for more information! Finished taking notes? Click here to move on.

Argentina Start with these sources. Take notes on the major parts of culture. Now try these sites for more information: Britannica Kids Enchanted Learning Fact Monster National Geographic Kids Time for Kids Scholastic Global Trek All Around the World Say Hello to the World Also take a look at the class Atlases for more information! Finished taking notes? Click here to move on.

Evaluation_____ /100 Excellent! (8-10)Good (4-7)Poor (0-3) Poster or PowerPoint All information is included in a poster or PowerPoint format and is completed on time. Some information is included in a poster or PowerPoint. Some details are missing or late. No poster or PowerPoint was created. Visual Appeal Project is neat and well organized. Information and captions are easy to read. All pictures and illustrations accurately represent the country Project is somewhat neat and organized. Most pictures or illustrations accurately represent the country Project is not neat and organized. Few illustrations or pictures that represent the country. Not easy to read LanguageIncludes name of the language of country and at least 3 words or phrases of the language Includes 2 words or phrases of the language Includes 1 or no words or phrases of the language ClothingIncludes at least 3 examples of clothing of the country Includes 2 examples of clothingIncludes 1 or no examples of clothing FoodIncludes at least 3 examples of food of the country Includes 2 examples of foodIncludes 1 or no examples of food ArtIncludes at least 3 examples of art from the country and at least 1 photo or illustration Includes 2 examples of artIncludes 1 or no examples of art MusicIncludes at least 3 examples of music, song, or instruments from the country Includes 2 examples of musicIncludes 1 or no examples of music Special customs Describes at least 3 special festivals, holidays, manners, or other customs from the country Describes 2 customsDescribes 1 or no customs CooperationActively participates in research, taking notes, and creating the product and works to cooperate with group and solve problems Mostly participates in research, taking notes, and creating the product and works to cooperate with group Sometimes participates in research, taking notes, and creating the product and works to cooperate with group PresentationParticipates in presenting project to the class, on time, easy to hear and understand, and shows good listening skills during others’ presentations Presents to class but may be hard to hear, late, or does not show good listening skills for others Does not help present project. Shows poor listening skills

Conclusion You have now successfully learned about the culture of a South American country! How is this culture similar to yours? All cultures have some things in common, such as music, art, language, clothing, and food. This year we will also learn about cultures all over the world.

Teacher Page/ Rationale Time Frame: For 1 ½ hour classes, students will research for 2-3 days. Students will have 1-2 days to prepare their poster or PowerPoint in class. Presentations will take 1 day. Teacher preparation: Make copies of the brace map note taking sheet. Gather the technology needed (laptop cart or computer lab). Gather poster board and needed art supplies. (Students are already familiar with using the reference sites and creating PowerPoints.) Rationale: This webquest was designed to support a TN 3 rd grade social studies standard (3.31), provide students with an exciting, project based learning activity, and further develop their research and technology skills. Students will also gain practice in working with a cooperative group to accomplish a goal, and further develop presentation skills.

TN State Social Studies Standards: South America: 3.31 Conduct short research projects to describe the major components of history and culture including language, clothing, food, art, beliefs, customs, and music. ALA/AASL standards: Follow an inquiry- based process in seeking knowledge in curricular subjects, and make the real- world connection for using this process in own life Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (e.g., textual, visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning Demonstrate mastery of technology tools for accessing information Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding Organize knowledge so that it is useful Use strategies to draw conclusions from information and apply knowledge to curricular areas, real- world situations, and further investigations Use technology and other information tools to analyze and organize information. NETS-S (National Educational Technology Standards for Students): 3. Research and Information Fluency: Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students: a. plan strategies to guide inquiry. c. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.

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