Introduction

Welcome to WebQuest! It's time to select a country to honor for Memphis in May and you have the opportunity to be on the development committee. The development committee has chosen France to be the country of the month. Now your job is to develop a proposal for the selection committee. Each member of the development committee has a job to complete before the proposal can be made. There will be an art director, music director, education director, cultural director, and a finance/political director. Each member must compile a report and develop activities for their category. Research must be done!

Back

The Task

By the end of this project you will have an individually developed report and a multimedia proposal developed by the group. The individual assignments are explained in the role folders below. The group must also develop some sort of multimedia presentation which could be in the format of a PowerPoint, Hyper studio, or ClarisWorks Slide Show presentation. Groups could also use a traditional slide show and they can make their own video presentation. Each category must be covered in the group presentation and to receive a minimal grade the following questions must be answered:

What are the similarities and differences in the economic systems of France and the United States?

What about the economic system makes France a good choice for Memphis in May?

What are the similarities and differences in the political systems of France and the United States?

What about the political system makes France a good choice?

What are some of the crucial turning points in French history and how do these events effect modern France?

What about the history of France makes it an excellent choice for Memphis in May?

How are the cultures of France and the United States similar/different? (Refer to art, music, religion, and cuisine in your presentation)

What about the culture of France makes it a good choice for Memphis in May?

For the individual portion of the WebQuest students must choose one of the following roles and complete the individual assignment. Note that these individual assignments must be completed before the group presentation.

Art Director - responsible for art exhibits

Music Director - responsible for organizing music venues and guests

Education Director - responsible for developing activities for students

Finance and Political Director - responsible for budget and forums

Cultural Director - responsible for catering and other cultural activities

Back

Resources

In this section you will be able to connect to a variety of web sites related to the different categories of the WebQuest. First all students must go to the Getting to Know France page and complete the activity in order to get some good background information on the country of France. After you complete the assignment feel free to look at the different resources available to you. It would be a good idea to become familiar with what all of the resources have to offer.

Resources

• France on the Web - a hot list for sites related to all aspects of France
• En voyage - a textbook for the third year of French
• French in Three Years - a workbook with information on French civilization
• Tresors du Temps - a textbook for the fourth year of French, focus on history
• Microsoft Encarta - a CD-ROM encyclopedia package

Back

The Process

To accomplish the task, you need to go through the following steps:

1. First you will be assigned to a team of 5 students.
2. Take a few minutes to read through the first page of the WebQuest without jumping to any linked sites .
3. Go to the Task section and read the assignments for the different roles.
4. Discuss with your teammates which role you would like to assume and why.
5. Once you have chosen roles, do the assignment in the Resources section.
6. When you complete that assignment you may begin researching for your individual assignment.
7. When you complete the individual assignment you may begin working on your group presentation.
8. Your group must complete some sort of computer slide show presentation in order to receive at least a grade of "C".
9. You must present your assignment during the group proposal presentation. Your part should take 2-3 minutes.

After you complete the individual portion of your project, you must now discuss with your group how to compile this information into a professionally presented proposal. Each person in your group must present his segment of the project to the selection committee( the teacher and the rest of the class). Your presentation must be accompanied by the slide show. Each person must give a brief description of their category and also must describe the activities they have developed for Memphis in May. The group presentation should last at least ten minutes but no more than twenty minutes.

Back

Evaluation

For this assignment you will be evaluated with the use of a rubric. With this rubric you will evaluate your own group and you will also be evaluated by the teacher. You will be given a group grade as well as an individual grade. Your individual grade will focus on your portfolio which will hold your individual assignments, your personal participation summary, and your group members participation summary.

Back

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have just completed a daunting task so you should be proud of yourself. You now have a glimpse of what goes into planning a major city festival. In the process you have learned a great deal of information about the country of France and have been able to see how these different areas influence each other.

Back