Missouri's Fab Five

A WebQuest for
4th Grade Social Studies

Introduction

There is good news and bad news kids.... The good news is your family's vacation is coming up quickly and the whole family is excited. The bad news is that since the gas prices are so high, your parents have decided to show you the sights and sounds of your great home state...Missouri. They thought this would perfect since you are going to be in 4th grade and will be studying all about it this year.

Since Mom and Dad are busy working this summer, they have appointed you to figure out key points of interest within the state. You will spend one to two days in each of the five geographic regions of the state. Missouri has a lot to offer. Planning your family vacation so that it runs smoothly will make your parents happy and is sure to impress your teacher this fall.

Task

With your group members you are to research each of the 5 geographic regions in Missouri and create a travel itenerary with your plans for your vacation including where you will go and what you will do in each region. You will also need to plan your trip so that it has the most direct route (you will not want to visit the Glaciated Till Plain and then go to the Mississippi Lowlands, and then to the Alluvial River Plains). After you have gathered your information, you will create a travel brochure highlighting each region you have traveled to.

Process

Part 1: Becoming an Expert

Once in your groups, each person will draw sticks to determine the region they will be come experts on. There will be no trading and you need to tell Ms. Marquart which region you picked.
Regions are:
a. Glaciated Till Plains
b. Osage Plains
c. Ozark Highlands
d. Mississippi Lowlands
e. Alluvial River Plains
After each person has picked what region they will research, you will jigsaw with the others from the other groups that have the same region.

In your new group, you will research the region with the other members. You will need to fill out the form given to you by Ms. Marquart. This must be filled out and turned in for each person in your group. The information you write down will help you teach your group about the region. It is also important that you fill the form out completely and accurately because someone else in your group will be using the information to create that portion of the brochure for your group.

The following sites will help you to become an expert on your region. Don't forget you can also use your Social Studies book.

County Map of Missouri	Natural Areas in Missouri	Missouri's Natural Divisions
Things to do in Missouri	eThemes: Missouri Geograph and Lanscapes	eThemes: Maps of Missouri

Part 2: Creating

After you have finished your form for your region, you will get back together with your group and share what you have learned about your region.
You will then re-draw for what region of Missouri that you will be working on for the brochure.
As a group you must decide what attractions you will visit in each region.

YOU MUST include at least the following when selecting your stops:
2 Historical Sites, State Parks, or National Sites
2 Natural Features
2 Recreational Activities
Each member in your group will then take their new region and sketch the layout of their portion of the brochure. Ms. Marquart MUST approve your section before you can start on the final brochure.
After approval, combine all parts of your brochure. Make sure it is colorful, accurate, and that everything is spelled correctly.
Present your trip to the class

Evaluation



Making A Brochure : Missouri's Fab Five



Teacher Name: Ms. Marquart


Student Name: ________________________________________

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Writing - Organization	Each section in the brochure has a clear beginning, middle, and end.	Almost all sections of the brochure have a clear beginning, middle and end.	Most sections of the brochure have a clear beginning, middle and end.	Less than half of the sections of the brochure have a clear beginning, middle and end.
Spelling & Proofreading	No spelling errors remain after one person other than the typist reads and corrects the brochure.	No more than 1 spelling error remains after one person other than the typist reads and corrects the brochure.	No more than 3 spelling errors remain after one person other than the typist reads and corrects the brochure.	Several spelling errors in the brochure.
Content - Accuracy (x2)	All facts in the brochure are accurate.	99-90% of the facts in the brochure are accurate.	89-80% of the facts in the brochure are accurate.	Fewer than 80% of the facts in the brochure are accurate.
Attractiveness & Organization	The brochure has exceptionally attractive formatting and well-organized information.	The brochure has attractive formatting and well-organized information.	The brochure has well-organized information.	The brochure's formatting and organization of material are confusing to the reader.
Graphics/Pictures	Graphics go well with the text and there is a good mix of text and graphics.	Graphics go well with the text, but there are so many that they distract from the text.	Graphics go well with the text, but there are too few and the brochure seems "text-heavy".	Graphics do not go with the accompanying text or appear to be randomly chosen.
Knowledge Gained	All students in the group can accurately answer all questions related to facts in the brochure and to technical processes used to create the brochure.	All students in the group can accurately answer most questions related to facts in the brochure and to technical processes used to create the brochure.	Most students in the group can accurately answer most questions related to facts in the brochure and to technical processes used to create the brochure.	Several students in the group appear to have little knowledge about the facts or technical processes used in the brochure.
Required Elements (x2)	Brochure includes all of the required elements. (2 of each: Historical Places, Natural Features, & Recreational Activities)	Brochure includes most of the required elements. (Historical Places, Natural Features, & Recreational Activities)	Brochure includes some of the required elements.	Brochure includes none of the required elements.
Date Created: Jul 29, 2008 09:58 am (CDT)

Conclusion

Whew... what a trip! Your family had a blast and learned about the geographic regions of our state at the same time.

What was your favorite stop? Why?
If given the chance would you like to take a trip like this? Why?
What was your favorite region of Missouri? Why?

Credits & References

Regions Form
www.freebackgrounds.com
The WebQuest Page and the Design Patterns

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