Introduction
Hello Students!
Have you ever seen the animated film Cars? Have you ever noticed the famous Route 66 that appeared in this film? If yes, have you ever heard about Route 66 and for what it is known?
U.S. Highway 66, popularly known as Route 66, holds a special place in the American consciousness. Its name commonly evokes images of simpler times, mom-and-pop businesses, and the icons of a mobile nation on the road. Travelers on Highway 66 today can easily experience this past, as many of the motels, gas stations, cafés, parks, trading posts, bridges, and others remain along the thoroughfare. These historic resources are reminders of our past and evidence of the origins of our current automobile-influenced society.
So... travelling on Route 66, where is it worth making a stop?
This WebQuest will involve group working and enable you to explore some stops on Route 66 that are worth visiting.
Before that, however, let's learn about Route 66 itself!
This video and articles may be helpful:
ARTICLES:
1) https://www.nps.gov/nr/Travel/route66/Route66_overview.html
2) https://www.route66roadtrip.com/route-66-facts-faqs.htm (question-answer structure)
VIDEO:
Additionally, you can listen to the song recorded by Nat King Cole Trio in 1946 about Route 66 - "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66". Enjoy!
Task
Your class is going on a school trip to the United States, which also includes driving on Route 66. However, it is impossible to visit each State and every interesting place on this route.
Your task for this WebQuest: in teams of three, you will choose two places within your State that, according to you, are the most worth seeing and create a convincing presentation and poster that will encourage others to your proposals. Remember to be critical of the suggested sources and use them in clever and creative ways.
PowerPoint presentations must consist of 10 slides.
Posters can be created with the usage of CANVA - a free graphic design platform that allows you to design without extensive photo editing knowledge or experience.
Image of poster example - https://www.canva.com/design/DAEdYK2tImM/X4x9N9ugcRZcY055HSesfw/view?utm_content=DAEdYK2tImM&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=homepage_design_menu
While giving your presentations, please remember to be persuasive to convince your classmates and teacher that your stops are the best to see!
If you will find an interesting article, video, or photo that is not included in the proposed sources, you are allowed to use them, but remember to acknowledge these sources at the end of your presentation.
If you get stuck, your teacher will be there to give you some advice.
When each group gives their presentations, you will complete a short quiz about Route 66 from the sources given in the introduction (two articles and a video) to check your general knowledge about the subject.
After you follow the steps described in the Process section of this WebQuest and dig through the Resources that I prepared for you, you will develop some new skills and knowledge. By completing your task, you should be able to:
- gather relevant information from multiple sources and assess the accuracy of each source,
- quote or paraphrase the data while avoiding plagiarism,
- explain what Route 66 is and why it is so popular,
- say what places are worth seeing while driving along Route 66,
- know how to create presentations and posters, the aim of which is to persuade others to your proposals,
- employ persuasive vocabulary,
- better understand spoken content (YouTube videos),
- master reading comprehension to complete a quiz correctly and select valuable content for your presentations.
Process
STEP 1
First, you'll be assigned to a team of 3 students. Each team will have a different State where you will choose which two interesting stops you would like to see. The work and responsibilities of each group should be divided so that everyone has the same contribution. You can share in such a way that someone deals with the visual issue of the project (poster, presentation) and the other two with the content.
States will be assigned by a draw.
STEP 2
Once you've received your State and shared responsibilities, go to individual links, analyse materials, and choose two stops within your State you would like to visit most.
STEP 3
Use the provided websites to find as many facts and details about the stops you have chosen and use them while creating your presentation (10 slides). Get creative!
Make sure you included:
- introduction - the name of the State, most relevant information about the State,
- the names of your chosen stops,
- where these stops are located on the map,
- interesting facts about each stop,
- a brief history/historic facts about each stop,
- interesting and eye-catching photos (at least three for each stop),
- at least 5 arguments why your stops should be visited (at least 5 for each stop),
- any additional sources (in addition to those listed in the section 'Credits').
STEP 4
Having finished the presentation, you should focus on creating a poster that promotes your stops. You must include the names of stops and their photo(s). The rest is left to your imagination!
STEP 5
Present your presentation and poster to the class. Before giving the presentation, you should share who says and what. Remember to be persuasive and create a fluent speech.
STEP 6
You will be taking a quiz that consists of 16 questions and bases on the materials available in the section - introduction.
General knowledge of Route 66 is as important as the project, so the results of the quiz will be taken into account for the final evaluation.
Evaluation
Your performance will be evaluated as a common grade for the group.
| Element | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Score |
| Content | All required elements were included. | One of the seven elements was not included or it was not explored properly. | Two of the seven elements were not included or they were not explored properly. | Three of the seven elements were not included or they were not explored properly. | Most elements were not included in the presentation or they were not explored properly. | |
| Originality | Group created an eye-catching, interesting, and convincing presentation and poster. The group showed ingenuity and originality. |
Group created an interesting but not convincing presentation and poster. |
Group created an unconvincing and quite average presentation and poster. |
Presentation is a rehash of other people's ideas and/or graphics and shows a very little attempt at original thought. |
Group created neither presentation nor a poster. | |
| Structure | The presentation had 10 slides and was well-organized and easy to understand. | The presentation had 9 slides. The presented information was slightly disorganized. | The presentation had 8 slides. The presented information has little organization. There were some missing headers. | The presentation had 7 slides. The presented information has no organization and was difficult to follow. | The presentation is short and has no organization. | |
| Pronunciation and Grammar | Spoke clearly and distinctly all (95-100%) the time, and mispronounced no words (or only one). Grammar errors 0 - 1. | Spoke clearly and distinctly all (100-95%) the time, but mispronounced from two to three words. Grammar errors - two. | Spoke clearly and distinctly most (94-80%) of the time. Mispronounced 4-6 words while presenting. Grammar errors - three. | Frequently mumbled or mispronounced several (6+) keywords in the presentation. Grammar errors - four and more. | There is a lack of control over pronunciation and grammar. | |
| Delivery | Held attention of the entire class with the use of direct eye contact, seldom looking at notes. Group used persuasive language and presented their materials in a professional manner. Fluent speech. | Consistent use of direct eye contact with the class, but the group still returned to notes. The group used proper language but was not persuasive. The group presented their materials in a most professional manner. Mostly fluent speech. |
Displayed minimal eye contact with the class, while reading mostly from the notes. Most of the time, the group used proper language but was not persuasive. The group presented their material in a somewhat professional manner. Partially fluent speech. |
Held no eye contact with the class, as the entire presentation was read from notes. The language was frequently misused. There was nothing persuasive in the group's delivery. The group was playful and did not take the presentation seriously. The speech was not fluent.
|
No delivery. | |
| Poster | The poster was interesting and persuasive. It included names of the chosen stops and photos. | The poster was interesting but not persuasive. All elements were included. | The poster was unconvincing and quite average. It included all elements. | The poster was average, uninteresting, and it did not include either names or photos (or both). | No poster. | |
| Total | - | - | - | - | - |
The number of points from the quiz is added to the above result, but INDIVIDUALLY.
| Element | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Score |
| Quiz | 16 - 14 correct answers | 13 - 11 correct answers | 10 - 8 correct answers | 7 - 5 correct answers |
4 - 0 correct answers |
Grades (the sum of points for group work and quiz):
28p = 6
27p - 24p = 5
23p - 20p = 4
19p - 16p = 3
15p - 12p = 2
11p - 0p = 1
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have just completed your virtual tour of Route 66. Now, you not only know what to see on the most popular route in the United States but also know how to create a presentation and poster that will convince others to your proposals. You have improved your speaking, reading, and listening skills while choosing the most valuable content from provided websites.
After completing this project and becoming an expert of the State and stops you chose, think about your favorite facts you learned.
What is something you didn't know before this project?
What did you enjoy most about this project?
What achievements are you proud of from this project?
What would you do differently if you were doing this project again?
Think also about the stops presented to you by your peers - what is one stop you especially liked?
In the end, let's listen to the classic again.
Credits
Sources: There are different websites you can use to get information for your PowerPoint presentation.
On this page, you will find some examples of sites you can use - websites are grouped by States.
ILLINOIS
https://www.drivingroute66.com/10-things-to-see-on-route-66-in-illinois/ (10 things to see on Route 66 in Illinois)
https://www.tourradar.com/days-to-come/66-things-to-see-on-route-66/ (66 things to see on Route 66, including Illinois)
https://roadtrippers.com/the-ultimate-guide-route-66/ (Route 66 State by State)
https://www.theroute-66.com/illinois.html (Route 66 itinerary across Illinois)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1u6sUBfqjA (video)
MISSOURI
https://www.tourradar.com/days-to-come/66-things-to-see-on-route-66/ (66 things to see on Route 66, including Missouri)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzOZLT4Dk8Q (video)
https://www.drivingroute66.com/10-things-to-see-on-route-66-in-missouri/ (10 things to see on Route 66 in Missouri)
https://roadtrippers.com/the-ultimate-guide-route-66/ (Route 66 State by State)
KANSAS
https://www.drivingroute66.com/7-things-to-see-on-route-66-in-kansas/ (7 things to see on Route 66 in Kansas)
https://roadtrippers.com/the-ultimate-guide-route-66/ (Route 66 State by State)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z30LQkYdh5g&t=99s (video)
OKLAHOMA
https://roadtrippers.com/the-ultimate-guide-route-66/ (Route 66 State by State)
https://www.drivingroute66.com/10-things-to-see-on-route-66-in-oklahoma/ (10 things to see on Route 66 in Oklahoma)
https://www.travelok.com/at/article_page/oklahomas-top-attractions-along-route-66 (Oklahoma - top attractions along Route 66)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX74CHItXWk (video)
TEXAS
https://roadtrippers.com/the-ultimate-guide-route-66/ (Route 66 State by State)
https://www.drivingroute66.com/10-things-to-see-on-route-66-in-texas/ (10 things to see on Route 66 in Texas)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRA73rwDwHY (video)
NEW MEXICO
https://roadtrippers.com/the-ultimate-guide-route-66/ (Route 66 State by State)
https://www.drivingroute66.com/10-things-to-see-on-route-66-in-new-mexico/ (10 things to see on Route 66 in New Mexico)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCUpaA-OYcg (video)
https://www.travelawaits.com/2456641/driving-route-66-in-new-mexico/ (Driving Route 66 in New Mexico)
ARIZONA
https://roadtrippers.com/the-ultimate-guide-route-66/ (Route 66 State by State)
https://www.drivingroute66.com/10-things-to-see-on-route-66-in-arizona/ (10 things to see on Route 66 in Arizona)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-nsNedw5kY&t=255s (video)
CALIFORNIA
https://roadtrippers.com/the-ultimate-guide-route-66/ (Route 66 State by State)
https://www.drivingroute66.com/10-things-to-see-on-route-66-in-california/ (10 things to see on Route 66 in California)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_lc8S3MIXI (video)
https://www.roadtripusa.com/route-66/california/ (Following Route 66 through California)
FOR ALL GROUPS:
https://www.visittheusa.com/trip/explore-heart-usa-route-66 (Route 66 step by step)
CANVA (a free graphic design platform that you can use while creating posters) - https://www.canva.com/
Teacher Page
Throughout this WebQuest, students will explore Route 66. Students will create a poster and PowerPoint presentation to display and present State and two stops they became experts of. This is a lesson that can be provided in English classes. This is a project that needs to be done in small groups (except is a quiz that is completed individually).
link to quiz - https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/608fe1926a8764001b5aa3c0
The project involves critical thinking, manipulating information, combing text and images into a finished presentation. Moreover, after finishing the projects, students will be able to (as mentioned in section 'Tasks'):
- gather relevant information from multiple sources and assess the accuracy of each source,
- quote or paraphrase the data while avoiding plagiarism,
- explain what Route 66 is and why it is so popular,
- say what places are worth seeing while driving along Route 66,
- know how to create presentations and posters, the aim of which is to persuade others to your proposals,
- employ persuasive vocabulary,
- better understand spoken content,
- master reading comprehension,
- select valuable content for future presentations.
* Temat jest zgodny z Podstawą Programową Kształcenia Ogólnego Szkoła ponadpodstawowa: liceum ogólnokształcące, technikum oraz branżowa szkoła I i II stopnia Język Obcy Nowożytny
punkt 8 - podróżowanie i turystyka (...orientacja w terenie, wycieczki, zwiedzanie...)
** Owy WebQuest może być przeprowadzony w szkole podstawowej jeżeli poziom uczniów na to pozwala lub w ramach szkolnego konkursu.
Podstawa Programowa Kształecenia Ogólnego Szkoła Podstawowa Język Obcy Nowożytny II etap edukacyjny
punkt 8 - podróżowanie i turystyka