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Destination Fun!

Congratulations! You and two of your classmates have just been chosen to be the founders of a new travel company called "Destination Fun". This company will be marketing to children and their families who enjoy travelling, but don't have the time, resources, or perhaps the energy to research the places they would like to visit. This opportunity will enable you to work in a team to explore vacation spots around the world.

The Task

Welcome to your first assignment! You and your partners need to research a vacation destination somewhere in the world that you think kids and their families would enjoy, by using Internet web sites. You will design and create an advertisement for that destination in the form of a unique travel brochure. The brochure will include general information about the destination such as climate and location, areas of historical and recreational interest, and details that would be key to planning a trip to this destination. Make sure that you plan the layout, pictures and other graphics so that your brochure is attractive to your customers.
    

The Process

1. Preparing:

a. The first thing that you and your team will need to do is to decide on the destination for which you will create your travel brochure. Brainstorm possible destinations that you think kids and their families would be interested in. Once you have a list of destinations, set a list of criteria for choosing the destination for your brochure, e.g. entertainment for kids and families, interesting historical sites to see, good climate, safety, enough information about the destination..., and eliminate those sites that don't meet your criteria. To narrow the choices down to one, vote on the sites that met your criteria.

b. Next, you need to decide which role each of the three members of the team will take. Below is a list of the roles that must be filled, with their descriptions.

Geographer:

The geographer will provide a complete profile of the destination:

	detailed map of the destination
	geographic and environmental descriptions
	weather reports
	language(s) spoken
	holidays, celebrations, and other fun events
	currency used

Historian/Tour Guide:

The historian will provide:

	a brief history of the destination
	a map showing the historical locations
	a brief description of the significance of each historical location
	a list with descriptions & prices of available site seeing tours
	a list of recreational activities available, ie. sports, shows, museums, & art galleries...

Travel Agent:

The travel agent must keep in mind that people of all incomes and interests travel. Some like to travel expensively and some just like to get to their destination. Not all people like the same types of transportation, hotels, and restaurants. The key to success is offering a variety of packages that include a variety of choices. To create a variety of packages the travel agent will need to shop around and find the best prices for:

	transportation to the destination
	transportation within the destination (car rental, subway, bus, etc.)
	accommodations (hotel, bed and breakfast, efficiencies etc.)
	dining (restaurants, all-inclusive, ...)

2. Accessing:

Once all roles have been decided, each group member should visit the appropriate web sites from the listed resources and select the information and pictures that will help to complete the assigned tasks. *Note: copy only those parts of text and images that you need and note the citation.

^Resources:

 
The following links will be extremely helpful to you when your team researches its chosen destination.

3. Processing:

Once you have found the information to complete your tasks, as individuals you must sort through your collection, selecting the important information and discarding the rest. You will then need to begin the writing process.

You need to convey the information you have collected in a persuasive fashion. After all, you do want to rally some interest in your customers rather than discourage their travels. Persuasive language includes lots of detailed descriptions, action verbs, and imaginative phrases.

Create your rough draft and then share it with your team.

4. Transferring:

Once all information has been collected and rough drafts have been written, your group needs to begin putting together the travel brochure. Your group may take advantage of the technology available to you and cut and paste electronically with a wordprocessing or desktop publishing program.

 
Plan the layout and final content of your travel brochure when all of the drafts are complete and the images have been collected. Then proceed to put the brochure together. You may use a wizard or template available in the software program you are using to help create the brochure. Edit the brochure before you print enough copies for the class. Present your brochure to the class, explaining how you would use it to market your fun destination to kids and their families.

Evaluation:

Learning: Students will be evaluated with a rubric based on the following strands.

• Concepts: information problem-solving, information technology, information responsibility, travel planning
• Problem-Solving: approach to problem-solving, use of strategies, use of complex ideas
• Communication: clarity and precision of communication of new terms and student's ideas
• Organization of Ideas: complexity and logic of organization of information
  

Learning Skills: Students will be assessed based on observation of whether their skills are good, satisfactory or need improvement in the following areas.

• Independent Work
• Initiative
• Use of Information
• Cooperation with Others
• Class Participation
• Problem-Solving

Conclusion

The Internet can be a very valuable source to all people, particularly when they need to get information quickly and successfully. Traveling on the Internet can be just as enjoyable for cyber surfers as it is for tourists.

By completing this web quest, you have cooperated with your peers to gain:

	knowledge about travel planning and fun destinations,
	information problem-solving skills to research and present your findings,
	information technology skills to find information & create electronic products.

 
Adapted from Create a Travel Brochure: A WebQuest for grades 7-12 by Miss Kelli Grammes

* Teachers' Note: This is an enrichment webquest. It might be used in conjunction with the Ontario Social Studies Curriculum to extend the grade 6 unit, Canada and World Connections: Canada and Its Trading Partners (Developing Inquiry/Research and Communication Skills expectations).

* To return to the Home Page, click on the rocket button.