Australian Adventure

Introduction

Task

Process

Resources

Evaluation

Conclusion

Introduction

The 2000 Summer Olympics will be held in Sydney, Australia.  You have been selected by the United States Olympic Committee to go on an all-expense paid journey to Australia.  This is not a vacation, however.  Your purpose for going is to develop travel information for prospective U.S. citizens visiting Australia for the Olympics.  You will be very busy searching for events, landmarks, animals, and history that travelers will not want to miss on this once in a lifetime experience.
 
 

The Task

1.  Your task is to find out as much information as you can about the country of Australia.  The information that you find should relate to interests of travelers who have never visited the country.

2.  In groups of four you will choose a role and research your topic using the world wide web according to your expertise.

3.  You will keep a field journal to record information to be used in your final project.

4.  Your group will put together the information you found into a travel brochure or a travel movie (Hyperstudio stack).
 
 

The Process

Part 1-Journey to Australia

1. You will be assigned to a group with 3 other adventurers.

2.  Each member of the group should select a role.  A description of the roles are described below.
 

Biologist As the biologist, your primary responsibility is to research and find out information about the various animal and plant life unique to the country.

Historian As the historian, you will explore the history of Australia and report on the landmarks, points of interest, and attractions found in the country.

Geographer As the geographer, you will expore the various regions of the country, including the outback region.  You will report on the landforms and features of the land.

Journalist As the journalist, you will cover the Olympics, reporting on the sporting events, the athletes, and the participating countries.

3.  Click on the role you selected and read through the guidelines and questions that will guide your research.  You may choose questions that you think are most important.  Not all the questions need to be answered.  This is a guide to help you get started.  You may include any questions or research that is not listed in the job description.

4.  Use the resources listed to conduct your search of Australia.

5.  As you find out information to be included in your project, write down notes, drawings, and diagrams in your field journal.

Part 2-Return to the United States

1.  Now that you are back in the U.S.A., it's time to work with your fellow adventurers to put your project together.

2.  You will need to choose which project you will complete.

Each member of the adventure team will create 1-2 pages focused on the infomation found while researching and exploring Australia.
The travel brochure should include (but is not limited to) the following:

• A cover page
• Information pages describing the biology (animal and plant life), history, geography, and current events of the area.
• A map, including major cities and other important locations of the country.

Each member of the adventure team will create 1-2 slides to be combined into a Hyperstudio stack on the information found while researching and exploring Australia.  Each slide should contain text, a picture, and sounds.
The Hyperstudio presentation should include (but is not limited to) the following:
 

• A title slide (including names of the authors)
• Information slides describing the biology (animal and plant life), history, geography, and current events of the area.
• A picture of the Australian map from a clip art file.

3.  Share your field journal with the rest of your group members and organize your information.  Decide what information you will use from your field journal.  (It is OK not to use every bit of information you found.  Pick out the important stuff!)  If you have the program Inspiration, you may want to create a web or an outline.

4.  Use your web/outline to begin your rough draft of your project.  Using paper, sketch out your plans.  If you are completing the Hyperstudio project, use index cards or a storyboard to sketch your plans for your slides.

5.  When everyone in the class has completed their projects, the class will particpate in an Australia Day.  Students will present their projects to the whole class and discuss the information found while their group explored Australia.
 
 

Resources

You may use a variety of resources to complete your Australian Adventure.  Below are listed some sites which will be beneficial to all roles.  Some resources that my help include:  books, magazines, CD ROM encyclopedias, and other resources available in the library.  The following list of web sites will give you most, if not all, of the information needed to complete your quest.
 

• Destination Australia is a good place to start on your journey.  This site provides information on all of the cities along with a map of the country.
•  All About Australia offers a map of the territories, information on the Australian flags, history, and government of Australia.
• Australia is a site written by fifth grade students, providing interesting information about the country.
• Australia Downunder provides information about the people, history, geography, cities, and culture of the region.
• Trishan's Page is a site created by an Australian boy.  Great pictures and information about animal life is found here.
• Zoom School has many resources about Australia.  Try the Australia quiz and see how much you know about this unique country.
• NBC Olympics gives you daily information and news about the Sydney 2000 games.

Evaluation
When you have completed your final project, print out the Self-Evaluation form and fill it out.  You will be graded on the process in completing the assigned tasks and the final product, whether it be a Hyperstudio stack or a travel brochure.

Process Evaluation
Product Evaluation
 
 

Conclusion
Congratulations!  You have successfully completed your mission to create a visitor's guide to the country of Australia.  Visitor's planning on visiting Australia for the Olympics will truly appreciate all of your hard work in developing the guide.  On your journey you have experienced many unique characteristics of this diverse country.  As you watch the 2000 Summer Olympics, look for some of the people, places and things that you researched for this WebQuest.  Let the games begin!

To the Teacher:
    The above WebQuest was created to focus on a study of Australia.  Since the Olympic Summer Games will be held in Sydney, Australia, this gives students an opportunity to explore Australia centered around the Olympics.  It is strongly suggested that the WebQuest project be used at the conclusion of or during a study about Australia.  Students need to have background knowledge and understanding about the country before completing this project.
    Many classroom experiences can complement this WebQuest.  Students can keep track of the daily events occuring at the Olympics through logging on to the internet and watching events as they unfold.
    This WebQuest will be updated following the Olympics to include different tasks and so it will be kept current.