Travel Across America

Capstone Project

PurposeThe capstone project created for my 7th Grade Geography classes is an attempt to meet the 21st century needs of my students as they become experts about the country and culture in which they live. Students will gain strength in their 21st century learning skills along with technology as they complete the project.

Purpose• Each student will be assigned a group• Each student will be assigned a state from the

United States• Students will create various assignments

including billboards, postcard, literary work, and Points of Interest essay

• Students will focus on people, places, and things from their state

• Students will create a Photo Story presentation

Objectives

• In order to ensure that the students are learning at the best of their 21st century learning skills, I have included 12 of 16 21st century program objectives.

ObjectiveStudent Centered Learning:

• Students will be at the center of the learning process through the use of a group project.

• Students will complete a group project that will ask them to include 21st century learning skills, collaboration, and technology

Objective Learning and Doing:

• Students will be given light discussion and facts during the course of the unit.

• Students will utilize and combine those facts with their findings to complete their projects.

Objective

Facilitator:• I will act as a facilitator leaving the students in

charge of their learning. • The students are the focus and they will be

responsible for completing the assignments to the best of their ability.

Objective: • Multiple instructional and learning

modalities to include all students:• The project includes a variety of teaching and

learning methods including reading, writing, literature, collaboration, pictures, and maps to incorporate all learning styles

• Giving options and choices to students empowers them to learn at their best ability

Objective

Interdisciplinary:• The project includes various subjects including

science, art, and English• Incorporating more than one subject will give

the students a more rounded education and will help them see the impact and connection between all subject matter.

ObjectiveCollaboration:

• The project will allow students to work on a lengthy project where they will research 1-2 states of the United States.

• Each student will be responsible for learning items such as landmarks, history, famous people, and maps of their states

• Students will combine their ideas with the rest of their group to come up with a culminating project at the end of the project.

ObjectivePerformance based assessment:

• Students will present their states as a family vacation using the information that they learned.

• Each group will be graded on items such as maps, presentation preparation, visuals, and technology.

• Using various methods to grade gives all students a fair chance and does not limit them to a summative written test.

Objective

• Moving away from the textbook:• Using the internet, collaborative work,

literature, and songs students will have the opportunity to learn about their states as well as their home land of the United States as a whole.

Objective

• Technology fully integrated into the classroom:

• For the project students will be required to use technology through the use of power point and a wiki to relate their information to the rest of the class.

Objective

• Teachers addressing the learning styles of all learners:• Through this objective students will be able

to learn to the best of their ability due to the choices and options they are offered.

Objective

• Using a variety of types of information to complete authentic projects:

• Students will be able to identify various facts from their state including people, places, things.

• Students will complete a postcard, billboard, brochure, literary work, essay, and photo story

Objective• Students acting as professionals

in the discipline:• Students will be fully aware of the issues

and solutions of their topics and can discuss them with the aid of technology to the class with the teacher acting as only facilitator.

TimelineTravel Across America Timeline

Project Components

The project will incorporate various components

To ensure that students are learning at a variety

of levels and skills.

Inquiry

As students complete unit 4 they will be responsible for answering the following

questions:• Where is the United States?• How does the economy of the United States

compare to other countries in the world?• What makes my state valuable to the United

States?• What is my state economic value in the U.S.• Why should someone visit my state?

InquiryStudents will answer the questions by:

• Completing maps• Class Discussion• Group Project• Individual Essay Assignment: Information on 3

Points of Interest:Goal – Thoroughly research 3 Points of Interest in your states as you travel on your journey.

Use a variety of reference materials. Show and tell why someone would want to visit

each location.

Projects• Students will participate 6 week long group

project that will ask them to create several assignments along the way.

• Students will gain experience with collaboration and technology as they travel on their way to becoming an expert on their state.

Project Travel Across America Group Project

• You have just won the lottery and are planning a trip across the country. You will be taking several of your friends along with you. Your group will travel along one of three routes starting in California and ending in the East. Your job is to tell everyone back home what you have been seeing and doing along your way. When you arrive home be ready to show artifacts, postcards, brochures, pictures, songs and poems that you picked up along the way. Have a safe trip and we look forward to your return!

• Assignment: As you travel please pick up these items from each state along the way:

• Sightseeing Postcard• Song, poem, or literary work• Picture of a Billboard• State brochure• Information on 3 Points of Interest

Technology• Test/Quizzes/Practice for maps:

www.lizardpoint.com• Photo Story 3• Laptops• Wiki spaces

www.nswagnergeography.wikispaces.comhttp://period1stateproject.wikispaces.comhttp://period2stateproject.wikispaces.comhttp://period3stateproject.wikispaces.comhttp://period4stateproject.wikispaces.com

Dynamic, Flexible GroupingGroups are created by:

• LSI quiz • Learning ability• Students will have the opportunity to work

with students that share various learning abilities and styles.

Dynamic, Flexible GroupingLSI

• Name: • Directions: Read the following statements and circle yes if you feel the statement applies to

you and your personality or No if you feel the statement does not represent you. Be honest there are no right or wrong answers.

• Learning Strategies Inventory• Yes No 1. I try to remember things by picturing them in my head. • Yes No 2. I enjoy working with my hands.• Yes No 3. I like to see something being completed in order to understand it. • Yes No 4. I enjoy singing and/or talking to others or myself. • Yes No 5. I learn best by writing things down.• Yes No 6. I love listening to people talk and tell stories.• Yes No 7. I like to stand in the background and watch others.• Yes No 8. I like to read directions on a paper rather than on a computer.• Yes No 9. I like to read• Yes No 10. I like being outdoors and active.• Yes No 11. I move my lips when reading.• Yes No 12. I prefer talking to someone in person rather than over the phone or computer.• Yes No 13. I am easily distracted by my surroundings.• Yes No 14. I like phonetic devices to help me remember things.• Yes No 15. I tend to forget faces but remember names.

Authentic Teaching and Learning Experiences

• The students are responsible for becoming the expert on their state. As the expert they will be teaching the rest of the class about their state giving facts and information on people, places, and things that they can find in the state.

• The Photo Story allows the expert to display their state in photos and words and gives the audience the chance to see and hear about the state

Resources• Laptop computers• Textbooks: The World and Its People: Western Hemisphere, Europe,

and Russia

• Library• Power Point• Photo Story• Wiki Site: http://wilkescapstoneproject.wikispaces.com/

• Email: swagner@northschuylkill.net

• A full example of my capstone project can be found at the wiki site listed above

Desired OutcomesIt is my goal as a facilitator of this project that students will

be able to: • Arise as the master of their topic. • Educationally and correctly use technology as well as learn

social and group skills while educating themselves and each other of topics of importance.

• Conduct research in a social, collaborative and technology based environment.

• Understand the United States as individual states. • Understand the importance of technology and

collaboration in the learning process.

Cites and Resources• www.Lizardpoint.com• Wikispaces:

www.nswagnergeography.wikispaces.comhttp://period1stateproject.wikispaces.comhttp://period2stateproject.wikispaces.comhttp://period3stateproject.wikispaces.comhttp://period4stateproject.wikispaces.com