Process
Part One -
Each group will be given a region of the country to research. Students in each group will have research assignments and roles for putting together the power point and the brochure. Each of you will be a specialist about climate (seasonal weather), demographics (who lives there and what do they do), transportation (how can people get there to enjoy the park), or other places of interest (what other kinds of things can people do when they get there).
Why are the areas of study listed above important to the Six Flags Corporation?
Climate - The corporation wants to be sure that the public would have enough good weather days to enjoy the park. The The 5 U.S. Regions website will give you information about your regions climate. Look carefully as there may be certain areas in your region that are better than other when it comes to theme park weather. For instance: if you are studying the west, the weather may be better for a theme park in Nevada than in northern Montana.
Demographics - Demographics are related to the people who live in a particular area. The company wants to make sure there are people in the right age and economic status groups to financially support the park. Look at the Census Bureau and WikiPedia Demographics websites to find information about the population of your region. You will not find exact inoformation about the populations but you can make an educated judgement based on the information you find.
Transportation - Transportation is extremely important because people ahve to be able to get to the area easily and economically. Which part of your region has the best airports, highways, train stations, rental car locations, etc? Searching Expedia and Mapquest are good sites to check on air travel, rental cars, routes, etc.
Tourist Attractions - Often people plan to take in many sights when they travel to get the most entertsinment for their money and to make lasting memories for their family. The National Park Service: Find a Park and Discover America: Places list many fun, interesting, and unique places to visit in the U.S.
You will find more websites to check out on my eDesk in the Fifty States folder. Just remember that sometimes one can get too many facts and details by spending too much time searching.
You will want to find the "Seven Wonders of Your Regions" to include in your brochure and your power point to showcase some of the awesome things about your region in addition to climate, demographics, transportation, and tourist attractions. The "Seven Wonders" include: natural and historical landmarks, leading or unique industry, cultural sites and activities, inventions and inventors, famous people, recreational sites, and hidden gems.
Reminder: Your brochure and power point are not completed until you have revised and edited your work! Be sure to save your work in each team member's folder as well as Mrs. Repp's "brochure" and "power point" folders.
Part Two -
As a group you will be taking a tour through your region. First, you must share your individual information and put it all together. In the end, you will have completed a regions power point project to share with the Six Flags Corporation (the class).
When all of the information has been shared, you will establish experts within yor regions group. There are four jobs including: discussion leader, stenographer, copy reader, and software manipulator.
Discussion Leader is in charge of starting and managing all group discussions and decision making. Must make sure all group members participate to the best of their abilities.
Stenographer is the group note taker. Must document all information gathered and discussed, keep it all organized, and hand it in on time.
Copy Reader will proofread all parts of the project to be sure they are clearly understood by the audience. Must be good at spelling and other mechanics.
Software Manipulator is in charge of creating and managing the power point and brochure projects. Other team members will assist when their jobs are involved.
Part Three -
In this section you will actually put the slides together for the power point and construct the brochure. The following are reminders and details that will help you stay on track.
Use the Microsoft Power Point and Microsoft Publisher programs. Your power point needs to include the four main categories of climate, demographics, trransportation, and tourist attractions; and the "Seven Wonders of Your Region" information, as does the brochure.
Make sure that text is done first - spell and grammar check are crucial - before adding graphics, animation, etc.
Be sure to include graphics where appropriate, but do not expect that they will replace text. There needs to be a nice balance of the two.
Consider the style and color of font that you use very carefully. Word art is fine when used correctly.
Animation can be a positive or negative aspect of your presentation, depending on how it is used. Sound is not needed for this project, but can be used sparingly.
Check out the grading rubric found under assessment to make sure that you have included everything that is required.
He who finishes first doesn't necessarily finish best! Budget your time and make good choices for information that you include.
Prepare and practice an oral presentation for your group's power point. Decide ahead of time what each person will say or do during the presentation. Be fair and share the duties as equally as you can.
Most importantly, learn about your assigned region of the United States and Have Fun!