Introduction
You wake up in a wagon that is being pulled out by two horses. As you look around you notice that things have changed: you’re dressed differently, your surroundings seem emptier than usual, and you aren’t in your bed at home. Clearly you are not in the same time zone you were in when you went to sleep. You look over at your mother who is smiling at you as you wake up.
You ask “Mom where are we headed?”
“We are moving out west baby” she replies.
“But why, we will never make it with these two horses pulling us, it will take forever” you explain to her.
“Well” she sighed with a smile, “looks like a great opportunity for you to learn about the states that we will pass through, graph the distance we will travel, and document the holidays we will spend together on this two month journey”
You look over at the calendar displayed on the wall of the wagon. It is November 23, 1817. Then it all starts to become reality to you. You’re trapped in the 1800’s days before Thanksgiving and you are on an expedition out west with your family that will take two months. You walk to the front of the wagon with your father to see a vast opening of space that tends to change as you get closer.
"Dad why is everything in front of us changing as we get closer to it" you asked your father.
"Well son as we get closer to our destination the old town fades away and the new world comes into view" dad responded. "Gives you a chance to see just how much things have changed in 200 years"
"Woowww" you say in shock "So all this land was once empty?"
"That is correct" dad replied.
"Then this is what it looks like now in our time zone?" you ask.
"Son we are still in our time zone this is just a great experience for you to see how far we have come" dad winked and focused on the path he was traveling.
How many days will it take you to get to your destination? What state lines will you cross from Alabama to California? What holidays will you end up celebrating on the journey with your family? So many questions are running through your head and there is only one way to find all the answers . . .
Images of Alabama in the 1800's
Task
1.) In order to get the answers to the questions first you have to know exactly where you are going. Using the map connected to the link below, how many states will you pass through to get from Alabama to California?
2.) Mom said it will take two months to travel to your destination. It is November 23rd. Estimate how many days will it take to reach your destination? How many weeks? What is a good date to guess you will be in California? Use the 2015 calendar below to answer number two.
3.) What are two different landmarks or places you might pass as you navigate through the following states: Louisiana, Texas, and Arizona.
Louisiana
http://landmarkunitedstates.com/state/Louisiana
Texas
http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/texas/historical-landmarks-tx/
Arizona
http://azbigmedia.com/scottsdale-living-magazine/lists/10-top-arizona-landmarks-sights
Process
To find the answers to the three questions listed in the task, read each question carefully and click the links below each question to further understand what is being asked.
Number One asks you to list the states you will pass through on your journey from Alabama to California. This question is Social Studies based. Put your finger on Alabama and list the states you will pass through as you travel to California. Make sure you use capital letters when you are listing the names of states.
Example: georgia = Georgia
Number Two asks you to pull from your Mathematics skills. Your mother said it is a two month journey: if there are 7 days left in November, 31 days in December, and 23 days in January. How many days will this journey take in all? Looking at the calendar, count how many weeks will pass while you are on this journey.
Example: 5 + 14 + 20 = 39
Number Three asks you to pull from your Language Arts area of expertise. When documenting the different landmarks and places you will pass along the journey make sure you use the proper grammar rules.
Example: We will pass the grand canyon in arizona = We will pass the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Evaluation
Webquest will be graded upon three criteria: Participation, Engagement, and Completion.
Students are to participate in the activity and work diligently, to be engaged in the activity by utilizing technology and collaborating with each other, and turn in their completed assignment for full credit.
Conclusion
Once you have completed the entire activity complete the following quiz:
1.Did you enjoy this activity?
Yes or No
2.The correct way to write the following state is: mississippi
True or False
3.If there are 31 days in a month and 8 days have passed, how many are left?
4.In the 1800's Alabama had a huge shopping mall, Wal-Mart, and a gas station on every corner?
True or False
5.What was your favorite part of this activity?
Credits
Social Studies
Standard 6) Identify states, continents, oceans, and the equator using maps, globes, and technology.
-locate points on a grid
Mathematics
Standard 23) Draw a picture graph and a bar graph (with single-unit scale) to represent a data set with up to four categories. Solve simple put-together, take-apart, and compare problems using information presented in a bar graph
Technology
Standard 7) Use digital tools to access and retrieve information
-Evaluating accuracy of digital content
Language Arts
Standard 36) Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing
- Capitalize holidays, product names, and geographic names
Teacher Page
This was webquest was created by Mr.Rodney Siran O'Neal. This lesson is a Social Studies unit review on second graders being able to locate states on a map and properly spelling them as well. Using two digit addition and subtraction pulled from second grade curriculum. Also reviewing the Language Arts grammar facts using capitalization and punctuation. Technology is the main highlight of the lesson, without appropriate internet access this lesson will not be able to be completed.
Navigating West With O'Neal