Spain Pathfinder
Spanish 2

Based on the webquest:  A Journalist's View of Spain by Jennifer McConnell

 

Introduction
 

You and your co-workers at your local newspaper just landed the biggest assignment of your life. You've been sent to Spain to write a feature article for the travel section of your newspaper. Where is Spain? What are some of the most important cities and why are they important? How do they differ? What are some of the architectural styles found in Spain? What are some of the typical foods of these cities? What are some interesting local celebrations? Why is bullfighting still a popular spectator sport? How is Spain different from the United States?


                            
Tasks

You and your team are about to immerse yourself in the Spanish culture by traveling the Internet through suggested resources to find information about Spain. As a class, we will brainstorm ideas for an introduction to your newspaper. Then, each member of your newspaper staff will become a specialized reporter in the areas of food, culture, sports, and architecture. Each group will explore one city in Spain for this project. Individually you will research your specialized area and prepare your section of the newspaper. You will then put your ideas together to produce a newspaper with articles and pictures that reflect what you have learned about the culture of Spain. You will use Microsoft Word to publish this newspaper and then as a group you will present this information to the class using a Power Point presentation.

 

Process
The process for this Webquest involves various steps as listed below:

1. The first step in this process will be a class activity to canvas the class and determine what kind of an introduction to Spain each group will write. We will brainstorm ideas in class to see what readers would expect to find in an introduction to a travel section. Perhaps about its location, a little about the climate, the best way to travel to Spain or perhaps about the buying power of the US dollar.
2. You will now be divided into groups of six. Your small group will write a brief introduction to your newspaper using the ideas brainstormed in class. Next, each member in your group will choose a role. See Individual Tasks Criteria.
3. Then, your group will be assigned the city to explore for this project. The cities we will be exploring as a class are Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, and Pamplona.
4. Next, individually you will research your role using the Individual Tasks Criteria and complete your section of the newspaper.
5. Finally, as a group, you need to decide on the format of your final product. Who will edit and type each section? Don't forget about the introduction! At this time, you also need to plan your Power Point presentation for the class.  You will also need to prepare a short quiz for the class at the end of your presentation.

Individual Tasks Criteria

Food Editor
You will use the selected Resources to research the food in Spain and in the city your group will visit. You should include a menu from a favorite restaurant from the city along with a critic of the food you tried. A recipe of a favorite dish would be a nice touch.

Culture (2 people)
You will use the selected Resources to research the different fiestas in the city you visit. Each city has its local festivals. You will attend at least two festivals and write about your impressions of these events. Be sure to also include some background and factual information. Also, remember that pictures tell a thousand words. How do these unique celebrations compare with our local traditions?  Each person should research one festival.
Architecture (2 people)
In your travels you will realize that your city you visit has its unique style of architecture. You will use the selected Resources to explore the particular wonders of your city. You will compare this architecture style with our own. Some pictures would be an interesting feature. What is your favorite style? Do you like the modern architecture or the more traditional? Each person should research one style of architecture in the city, for example, cathedrals, museums, modern architecture.

Sports
You will attend a bullfight while in Spain and write about your impressions. You can either be an animal rights activist or a true aficionado. Either way, be sure to use the selected Resources to research and explain the parts of the bullfight. You will explain what a bullring looks like, how many bulls are usually fought during the corrida and any other information that will help your readers to understand the Spanish point of view. Why is bullfighting still such a popular spectator sport in Spain? What are your opinions about it?

Resources
You will find the information needed to complete this project in this resource section.

Map

   Map of Spain
   Maps 101 database
About Spain
   CountryWatch database
   Spain Travel Guide
   All About Spain
   CyberSpain
   Spain Information Page
   Focus Mediterranean Magazine on Spain
   Food in Spain
   Authentic Spanish Food from Spain
   Spain Tour
   Spanish English Bilingual Food Glossary
   Spanish Culture
  Virtual Journey in Spain
   Welcome to Spain
   Coloquio Revista Cultural
   Spanish Culture
   World Heritage Cities of Spain
   Spanish Cooking
   Ethnic Cuisine
   Spanish Dance - Flamenco
  
    
 
Bullfighting in Spain
   Los Toros
   Bullfighting Outline and Terms
   Bullfighting in Spain
 Madrid
  
Barcelona
Valencia
Seville
Pamplona
  
 
  


Timeline

April 21st

Introduction - entire class period
Brainstorm
List individual responsibilities and Introduction

 

5 points

 

Week 1:  April 28th

Individual Rough Draft Due 

5 points

 

 

Week 2:  May 5th

Groups meet to format newsletter -20  minutes of class period
Articles must be completed prior to class.

 

 

Week 3:  May 12th

Groups meet - entire class period
Print newsletter
Create quiz
Rough Draft of individual PowerPoint Slides due

 

5 points

 

Week 4:  May 19th

Format Power Point Presentation - 20 minutes
Hand in completed quiz to make copies

5 points

 

Friday, May 23rd

Presentations

 

 

 

                                              

                                                     Total possible points

 

    

20

 

 

 



Research Report:  Newspaper for Spain Webquest

Student Name:     ________________________________________

CATEGORY

10                      9.4

9.2                    8.6

8.4                     7.3

7.0                     6.0

Amount of Information

All topics are addressed and all questions answered with at least 2 sentences about each.

All topics are addressed and most questions answered with at least 2 sentences about each.

All topics are addressed, and most questions answered with 1 sentence about each.

One or more topics were not addressed.

Mechanics

No grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors.

Almost no grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors

A few grammatical spelling, or punctuation errors.

Many grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.

Diagrams & Illustrations

Diagrams and illustrations are neat, accurate and add to the reader's understanding of the topic.

Diagrams and illustrations are accurate and add to the reader's understanding of the topic.

Diagrams and illustrations are neat and accurate and sometimes add to the reader's understanding of the topic.

Diagrams and illustrations are not accurate OR do not add to the reader's understanding of the topic.

 

Oral Presentation Rubric : Spain Quest Oral Presentation

 

 

 

 

 

Student Name:     ________________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

CATEGORY

4                     3.75

3.65                3.40

3.35                2.80

2.65               2.40

Preparedness

Student is completely prepared and has obviously rehearsed.

Student seems pretty prepared but might have needed a couple more rehearsals.

The student is somewhat prepared, but it is clear that rehearsal was lacking.

Student does not seem at all prepared to present.

Uses Complete Sentences

Always (99-100% of time) speaks in complete sentences.

Mostly (80-98%) speaks in complete sentences.

Sometimes (70-80%) speaks in complete sentences.

Rarely speaks in complete sentences.

Content

Shows a full understanding of the topic.

Shows a good understanding of the topic.

Shows a good understanding of parts of the topic.

Does not seem to understand the topic very well.

 

   













 

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