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Virtual Vacation

Students will learn about the culture and geography of a foreign city by creating a virtual vacation.

Objectives

Students will:

  • Learn cultural and physical geography of a foreign city.
  • Use Internet for research.
  • Use spreadsheet.
  • Use foreign phrases.
  • Use technology.
  • Utilize time and resource management.

Procedure

  1. Each student will select a city outside of the USA to visit.
  2. Using all resources available, the student will plan a eleven-day ten-night vacation to that city. The unit is planned to take three weeks, depending upon class schedule. For the European trip, the budget is set at $3,000. The majority of the information will be located on Internet sites.
  3. Plans must include:
    • Information and cost for each of the following:
      1. Flight
      2. Lodging
      3. Ground Transportation
      4. Food
      5. Entertainment
      6. Miscellaneous
    • Plan activities for ten days. It is recommended students spend at least 60% of the time with cultural activities. Some of the activities might include the following:
      1. Museums and other cultural sites
      2. Concerts or Plays
      3. Amusement Parks
      4. Sporting Events
      5. Shopping
  4. All information and costs must have printed documentation.
  5. Using the internet and scanners, students must locate and save images that represent all activities concerning the vacation.
  6. Students must compile a booklet containing all documentation of activities and expenses. Most of the documentation will be found on internet sites.
  7. Students must create a spreadsheet that depicts the different categories (transportation, lodging, food, entertainment, and miscellaneous), of the budget. They will learn to create a circle graph by hand and then create a pie graph on the computer to check their work. The instruction for the spreadsheet and graphs will be given in Math class.
  8. Students will create an I-movie to represent the city visited.
  9. Students will create a travel brochure suitable for use by a travel agency. The brochure should represent the vacation and encourage others to take the same vacation. To create the brochure, use either Appleworks or Microsoft works and select the tri-fold option. The brochure should include even amounts of text and graphics.
  10. Students will include 10 phrases that tourists might find useful when visiting the country. The phrases must be in the native language of the country they are visiting.
  11. Students will plan a 10-day itinerary of their trip, listing times and activities. The itinerary will be placed as the first page of the documentation folder.

Sunshine State Standards

  • SS.B.1.3.1
  • SS.B.2.3.2
  • SS.B.2.3.3
  • LA.A.2.3.8
  • LA.A.1.3.4
  • LA.A.2.3.7
  • LA.A.2.3.6
  • LA.A.2.3.5

NETS Profiles for Technology Literate Students

  • Use content-specific-specific tools, software, and simulations to support learning and research
  • Design, develop, publish, and present products using technology resources that demonstrate and communicate curriculum concepts to audiences inside and outside the classroom

Materials

  • iMovie
  • MS Works/ Appleworks
  • Excel


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