Introduction
President Obama is considering the creation of a new National Park in Illinois. He is asking students across Illinois to select a location in the state. Your job is to figure out the best place and explain your reasoning for your choice.
Task
Decide where in Illinois to locate a national park. Some things to consider are the location in the state, natural landforms, wildlife, if people would be displaced from their homes, and the cost of buying land.
Watch the videos on John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt, both of whom, were instrumental in creating the National Park System. Use their experiences to help you in this project. http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/watch-video/#645 and http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=John+Muir+Biography&Form=VQFRVP#view=detail&mid=F307B155C83FA28CB7DEF307B155C83FA28CB7DE
Process
Each group will choose a current national park to research. It will be necessary to determine the year the park was created, what groups of people supported the park, why the land and everything on it needed to be protected, its importance in history, and its value to society today.
In order to do this, your group will visit www.nps.gov to pick a park and do some research. After finishing your research, create a 3-4 minute presentation including pictures of your park to share with your classmates.
After learning about your park, decide what is important to an Illinois National Park. Conduct research on Illinois landforms, wildlife, plant life, importance to society, and educational value. Once you have this information, your team will create a brochure outlining what you have learned and where you have decided to locate the national park.
Useful sites are www.e-referencedesk.com/
http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/il_geography.htm
http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/nytmaps.pl?illinois
Maps of Illinois are available for your use in the classroom.
Evaluation
Now that you have completed your research and decided on the best site in Illinois for a national park, it is time to market your idea. Each group will design a two minute video highlighting your location and reasons it should be our nation's next national park. The video will contain pictures, narration, maps, and music to convince your audience.
Besides the video, a letter written to President Obama outlining your national park location and reasoning for it will be sent to the White House.
The rubric for the brochure is contained here. The rubrics for the video and letter will be added as we work.
Conclusion
You have completed your research and are ready to send your recommendation to President Obama. Make sure to look up the address for the White House and we will send it in the mail.
Good job!