Introduction
Our class is going through the first half of the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osbourne as part of our Language Arts unit.
In this series Jack and Annie have a magic tree house filled with books. A woman named Morgan leaves them clues about a mystery that needs to be solved in another land. Anytime they want to go somewhere to solve the mystery all they have to do it to pick up a book, pick a place, close their eyes, and WHOOSH! The magic tree house takes them directly to that spot! They learn all about Egypt, China, England, Japan, Afirca, The Amazon, Australia, Baghdad, and more through their travels. Now it's your turn!
Task
As new admins to the Magic Tree House Detective Club it is now your job to solve the mysteries, just like Jack and Annie! You will be given a destination and questions to answer that will help you solve the mystery! Through out your time "abroad" you will be keeping a notebook where you will keep track of the questions provided and answers that you come up with, along with any other information you find important regarding the culture you are now imeresed in. By the time you leave, you an expert on that culture, and will have solved the mystery!
You will then present what you have discovered with your classmates.
Process
Step 1: Each of you will draw from a hat a a piece of paper with a culture to immerse yourself in written on it.
Step 2: One you have drawn out a pieces of paper with the specified culture written on it, you will pair up with the other student who drew the same culture as you, and work together.
Step 3: Listed below are the different cultures that are going to be represented in the final presentation. Find your culture and click through the links. These links will give you information about the mystery you need to solve (found on your handout), along with the questions (again, listed on your handout) that will help you answer it along the way.
Step 4: Make sure to keep a written record in your notebook of the questions and answers, interesting facts, and anything else you would like to include that is relevant to the project.
Step 6: Be prepared to share your information that you have collected with the rest of the class in three days. Each group has a minimum of 10 minutes to present.
Cultures
Italian
http://www.livescience.com/44376-italian-culture.html
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/italy-countr…
http://passionforitaly.info/43-Italian_Customs/Default.html
Chinese
http://www.livescience.com/28823-chinese-culture.html
http://www.cultural-china.com/
http://www.chinese-traditions-and-culture.com/
Irish
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/ireland.html
http://www.yourirish.com/culture/
http://www.celticspiritband.com/customs.htm
Mexican
http://www.livescience.com/38647-mexican-culture.html
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/mexico-count…
http://www.history.com/topics/mexico
Australian
https://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/people_culture.html
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/australia.ht…
http://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/Australia.html
Brazilian
http://www.brazil.org.za/brazil-culture.html#.U0rWNeZdXQU
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/brazil-count…
http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Brazil.html
Russian
http://www.livescience.com/44154-russian-culture.html
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/russia-count…
http://masterrussian.com/russianculture/Russian_Culture.htm
Evaluation
Did they follow directions (5 points)
- pass/fail
Did they answer all of the questions (25 points)
- 5 points off for every question not answered
Did they keep a detailed log of their findings (15 points)
- To reicieve full credit, students must use complete sentences and detailed descriptions. Points will be deducted if this is not the case.
Was it organized (10 points)
- Findings are categorized by the topics generated in the questions given. The notebook should be kept neat and clearly marked for each category (ex: food, traditions, style, etc)
Did they meet the time requirement for their presentation (5 points)
- pass/fail
TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS: 50