Countries Research WebQuest

By Mr. Trenton Fulton, Long Middle School

INTRODUCTION 

HELLO scholars and welcome to the world!! No, seriously. Over the next couple of weeks we are going to make a change to how we do our work for Elearning. We are going to do something called a webquest. This basically means there is a mission you are all going to go on, individually, through this website to conduct research and learn about two countries around the world. Instead of me picking what you guys research, and what you turn in, you are going to do that. GET CREATIVE, and lets get started!

You are going to pick 2... YES 2 countries to research. They need to be from DIFFERENT regions (Africa, Middle East, Europe, South America, Central America, North America, Asia, Australia).  With the information that you find you have many options for how to present your research/work. You can write a paper, make a presentation, do a video telling people about your countries, make a picture book, come up with your own project (Mr. Fulton needs to approve what you decide). YOU CAN HAVE SOME FUN WITH THIS!!! So lets get started, scroll to the TASK page to move on to the next step. 

The following steps are what you need to complete, in order, to be successful on this project. 

1. Students will choose one country from two different regions that they are interested in. 2 TOTAL countries.

2. Students will conduct research on their countries using a variety of web resources. Both provided by the teacher, and found by themselves. 

3. Students will use their research to create a culminating project (powerpoint, research paper, info video, story book) that is approved by Mr. Fulton. 

Part 1: Choose a country

You will need to choose a country of your interest to conduct your research on.  Before making your selection, please browse the World Atlas & Map Library (Take into consideration different continents and regions).  If you would rather, simply choose your country from the alphabetical list. 

Once  you have made a decision, submit the name of your countries and write a 3-5 sentence paragraph explaining why you want to research your chosen country.  If you cannot write this paragraph, you may want to go back and look at other countries (this may not be the one for you). Do this on the Assignment "Webquest countries selection"

Part 2: Organize your research notebook

You will be asked to research (but are not limited to) the following categories:

• Geography (water/physical features, climate)
• Government
• Economy/Language
• Customs
• Food/Clothing/Homes
• Families/religion
• Education
• Art/Music
• Miscellaneous facts 

Use a notebook, or word document online, and label in the table of contents, the above categories.   Leave at least 1 page for every categories research.

Also include a seperate page titled Bibliography.  This will be where you write down all sources used (Internet sites, books, and other tools). 

 You WILL turn in your notes. I want to see them just like I would in class. 

Part 3: Gather Information

You will need to gather a minimum of 35 facts for EACH country.  You should have a minimum of  3 under each category.  Use the reliable resources below to gather information. 

• World Atlas (click on the map to find your country and then click the country to find the information)
• National Geographic (find the looking glass symbol in the top right to search your countries name to find information)
• The World Factbook (Above the world map is a  "Please select country to view" button. Click that to find your countries) 
• Atlapedia Online (Click where it says "Countries A-Z", choose the letter your country starts with, click your country to find info)
• Culture Grams (Username: hopkins, Password: royals. Then you can choose the "world edition" or "kids edition" to find your country))
• If you find your own website make sure that it is a responsible and legitimate website. Include the name of any other places you do research in your BIBLIOGRAPHY.

Use the questions below to gather information on each category.

(Remember, each category needs at least 3 facts, an at least 35 facts for EACH country. 70 total)

Geography: Find the latitude and longitude coordinates of the country.  Indentify landforms.  What are the major mountain ranges? List all the major waterways (rivers and lakes).  Describe the climate?

Government: Describe the government of this country.  Who is the current leader?  What is his or her title and length of rule?  

Economy/Language: Describe the money system. List the natural resources found in this country (Things that come from the earth).  Describe the major industrial products (things made by humans). What is the official or primary language that is spoken in your country?  What other languages are spoken?

Customs: Describe 2-3 customs that people in this country have that are unusual to what happens in the USA.  Describe holidays that are celebrated in this country that are not celebrated in the U.S.  What sports and recreational activities are popular in this country?

Food/Clothing/Homes: What eating customs do the people in this country follow that are different from  yours?  List some foods that originated in this country.  Describe a typical native outfit.  List and describe at least two different types of shelter that are found in your country.

Families/Religion: Compare and contrast family life in your country with family life in the U.S.  Is there one religion or many in your country?  What religions are found in your country and do people have freedom of religion?

Education: Are there schools?  Who goes to school and how old do you have to be?  How long do you go to school and what do you learn?  How are the schools like ours and how are their different?

Art/Music: What is the national anthem of your country? What types of music are popular in your country?  Name a famous artist from your country.  Find the name of an art museum in your country and tell where it is located.

Miscellaneous facts:  What continent is your country on?  Find the current population.  Find the capital city.  How many square miles is your country?  What is your country primarily known for? What animals can you find there? Who is famous from your country? Is your country safe right now? Or is there conflict/drought/poverty/hunger?

Part 4: Compile and organize information in your final project

Decide how you want to organize your data. depending on the type of project you decide to do, you will want to organize your information in different ways. Here is an example of how students in the past have grouped their ideas on their powerpoint slides. It is okay to spread information out so it is easy to understand!

1. Geography, Government, Economy, and Language
2. Customs, food, clothing, families, and homes
3. Education, religion, art, and music
4. Miscellaneous facts – Graphics, map & fun facts.
5. Country flag & Bibliography – Map, Bibliography, icon, and personal information.

 Adapted from "Country Research Webquest" by Betsy Julien, Eisenhower Elementary

WELCOME HOME!

Congratulations on completing your country research webquest. This journey took you around the globe with out having to leave your home! I hope that you learned a lot about the countries your researched, and maybe you have developed a deeper appreciation for the world around us. It is big, it is diverse, and it is special. This world is waiting for you to go and explore every continent, every country, every city. I am so proud of the hard work you put into this project. Hopefully you will be able to visit your countries someday. When you do, don't forget to tell Mr. Fulton all about it!

Permissions

We all benefit by being generous with our work. Permission is granted for others to use and modify this WebQuest for educational, non-commercial purposes as long as the original authorship is credited. The modified WebQuest may be shared only under the same conditions. See the Creative Commons Attribution • Non-Commercial • Share-Alike license for details.