A Vacation to South Africa

A Vacation in South Africa<!--This file created 11/24/99 2:14 PM by Claris Home Page version 3.0-->VacVaVvaftjflkdjksdl

A Vacation in South Africa

A WebQuest for 4th Grade Social Studies

Designed by

L. Coiner

Overview (for teachers)

The Vacation in South Africa is a Social Studies activity for the 4^th grade. The activity is designed to introduce students to South Africa and to clear up any misconceptions that may exist about this Africa nation. Students will also be required to use research skills to discover the beauty and culture of South Africa, which they may not have been exposed to before. They must also be able to compile the information into a brochure and make it easily understood by an outside reader. The goal of this activity is to expand the students’ minds and to expose them to a new culture and people.

The Georgia Performance Standards addressed by this activity are:

13 Topic: Research Standard: Uses basic research techniques with teacher guidance.
29 Topic: Information Processing Standard: Gathers information through reading, listening, observing, and surveying.
35 Topic: Information Processing Standard: Organizes information into useable and efficient forms, e.g., graphs, charts, tables, outlines.
46 Topic: Civic Participation Standard: Works in a group, following set rules of procedure to complete an assigned class.
55 Topic: Map and Globes Standard: Determine the type map needed for a specific purpose.

Resources needed for this activity are:

1. A computer for each group with Word Processing software.

2. Internet access on each computer.

3. A printer with colored ink.

Introduction

One day while watching television at home, you hear the doorbell ring, so you run to the door to open it. At the door is a tall man wearing a fancy suit and a serious expression on his face. He looks at you and says that he works for a See the World Travel Agency that books trips all around the world. Lately, they had been trying to advertise a vacation to South Africa with no luck. Most people visualize South Africa as a country in the wilds of Africa that could only be visited by taking a safari and staying in tents outside, making it undesirable for a vacation. He then asks you to create a brochure for the agency in order to show customers what South Africa is really like and to give the brochure a fresh, young look. You must research the people, culture, and sights of the country and present it in a colorful, fun way that vacationers will be attracted to.

Task

In order to give the vacationers a clear picture of South Africa, you must create a brochure that will accurately show the country as it is, not as people usually see it. You must split into groups of three and put together a brochure for See the World Travel Agency that is divided into four sections: Facts about the country, facts about the economy and government, facts about the culture, and a persuasive argument to convince people to visit the country. The group must cooperate and each take a role to thoroughly research and explain the country of South Africa. Each member will take a section of the brochure and will collaborate on the final persuasion.

The Process

Split into groups of three.
Decide who will research the facts about the country, the culture, and the political and economical situation in South Africa.
Look at the sites mentioned below for each part of the brochure and answer the questions.
Organize the information on note cards in order to best arrange it.

The Country

1. Where is the country located and what does it look like? (Look on the Website for a picture of the country.) http://www.lonelyplanet.com/mapshells/africa/south_africa/south_africa.htm This site will show which continent and where on the continent South Africa is located.

2. What is the capital of South Africa? ( There is more than one, so name them all) What is the purpose of each capital? http://geography.about.com/library/faq/blqzsafcapitals.htm This site answers the question of many capitals there are and what their purpose is.

3. What kind of climate does South Africa have? What are the seasons that can be found in the country and what months are they found in? http://www.southafrica-travel.net/climate/eklima_f.htm This site will explain how South Africa gets its climate and gives a chart showing what months the seasons occur.

4. What is the most popular time to travel to South Africa? http://www.southafrica.net/index.cfm?SitePageID=13541#When In order to find the peak tourist season, you must click on the red link that says “what is your peak time to visit South Africa”.

5. What are some popular sites to see in South Africa? (Include pictures to place in the brochure.) Choose five and describe those including pictures. http://www.capetownpass.co.za/attractions/list.asp This site includes links to many different attractions that have information and pictures.

The Culture

1. How many people live in South Africa? http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sf.html The population can be found by clicking on the blue link which says “people” at the top of the website.

2. What are the official languages of South Africa (there is more than one!) and what other languages are spoken that are nonofficial? http://www.cyberserv.co.za/users/~jako/lang/ The site lists the languages underneath headings that say official and non-official languages.

3. What are the different races of people that live in South Africa and what percentages of the total number of people are they? http://www.geographia.com/south-africa/ Scroll down to the History and People section to find the answer.

4. What different religions are there in South Africa and how many of the people belong to them? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa#Religion Scroll down to the Religion section to find the different religions and percentages.

5. Are there any art museums or theaters in South Africa? If so, what are some of them? http://www.info.gov.za/links/artscult.htm#galleries This site lists some of the sites that can be seen in South Africa. Only list 7 places to visit that you find most information.

The Government and Economy

1. What type of government is South Africa? http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/fields/2128.html Scroll down to South Africa to see what kind of government there is.

2. What kind of leader does South Africa and who is the current one? http://en.efactory.pl/President_of_South_Africa Look down at the section marked Presidents of South Africa 1994- Present and find the most recent one.

3. What does the flag of South Africa look like? (Find a picture to put in the brochure) http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/flags/sf-flag.html

4. What is the major industry of South Africa? http://www.mbendi.co.za/land/af/sa/p0005.htm Scroll down to Industry Sectors to find the major industry.

5. What is the currency of South Africa and how does it compare to US dollars? http://www.x-rates.com/d/ZAR/table.html Look at what one ZAR is in US dollars.

5. After all the members of the group have gathered the information to answer the questions and have organized them onto note cards, gather together and discuss what you have discovered.

6. Discuss the last section and how you will persuade tourists to come to South Africa.

7. Discuss how you want to design the brochure. You may staple multiple pieces of paper together and make a booklet or you may fold one sheet of paper into multiple sections. Design a cover that is attractive with the name of the travel agency and a picture of the country that will catch the readers’ eye.

8. You will have a chance to show your brochure to the class and explain what you have learned from the research.

Evaluation

Students will be given a group grade for the entire brochure, including effort used working on it, creativity, cooperation in the group, and the fulfillment of the requirements given.

	Beginning -1	Developing - 2	Accomplished - 3	Exemplary – 4	Score
Creativity of the Brochure	No thought shown on the appearance of the brochure and information is presented blandly with no images or design.	Some thought shown in the design. A few images given and a few design elements used.	Adequate thought shown, images used to make the brochure creative, and the information has been creatively put together.	The brochure is attractive and catches the eye. Appropriate images are used to emphasize the information. The design of the brochure flows throughout all of the sections.
Group Cooperation	Did not work well together. Did not work together on the final conclusion.	Attempted to work well together. Some ideas for the final conclusion were worked on together.	Worked well together, sharing responsibilities. The final conclusion is a conglomeration of each member’s ideas.	The group functioned exceptionally well with each other, allowing each member a chance to express his ideas. The final conclusion is persuasive and shows each member’s creativity and ideas in a coherent flow.
Research Methods	The information gathered was flawed. The note cards made were unorganized and messy.	The information gathered was incomplete, with only parts of the questions answered. The note cards held some information, but were incomplete.	The questions that were researched were answered with the correct information. The note cards were neat and organized, containing all the information.	The questions were answered fully and in a thoughtful manner. The note cards held a lot of information, organized in such a way to be easily accessed. The information gathered was thoughtfully chosen and arranged in a definite way.
Brochure	The brochure is not creative and lacks the required information.	The brochure includes some information, but lacks some required elements. Some creativity is shown.	The brochure includes all of the required elements. Creativity is shown and it is arranged tastefully.	The brochure includes all the elements, creatively placed. It attracts the eye and shows careful planning and thought.

Conclusion

Your brochure attracted many new tourists to South Africa and See the World Travel Agency gave you a free vacation to South Africa to see in person all that you had written about. You have learned about a new culture and have expanded your mind. You now have a better view of this nation in Africa and have cleared up any misconceptions that you have had. Continue to explore nations that you do not know about and learn all you can about the world around you.

Think about all of your research on South Africa and ask yourself:

1. What did you first think about South Africa when you heard the name?

2. What was the most interesting fact that you learned from your research?

3. How is South Africa like the United States and how is it different?

4. Did your brochure make you want to visit South Africa? Why or why not?

5. What did you find made your brochure interesting for people to read? (e.g. photos, font, information)

Credits & References