Assessment
Brochure rubric
Learning Context/ Introduction
In order to learn about six major regions of France, students will pretend that their family has received a free two-week vacation to the region of their choice. They must decide what their family's priorities are and research each region to find out which region would be the best for their family to visit. Finally, they will produce a brochure to convince their family to go to the region of their choice.
Duration
We have double 40-minute periods ever other day. Day 1 and 2 we went through the procedure for each of those days, taking 10-15 minutes of the class. Day 3 and 4 we were in the computer lab. This made 2 days of 80-minute classes in the lab. The resulting duration was from Monday to Tuesday of the following week.
Essential Questions
Which region of France would I like to visit?
Are there things in the world that I have no idea about but might like to see?
What is an efficient way to make a choice when given several options?
Instructional/Environment Modifications
Computer lab
Spread out the students who are good with computers in order to have them help others.
Make notes on the blackboard with hints or procedures that students find.
Procedure
Day 1
- Suppose that you had won a two week vacation to anywhere in the world. Make a list of ten places that you might visit.
- Prioritize your list: put them in order of most to least attractive.
- Next to each, put reasons why you would want to go there.
- Make up a list of criteria by which to judge the ideal vacation spot.
- Prioritize that criteria.
Homework: Do the same thing at home with each member of your family and bring in 3 prioritized criteria for each member of your family.
Day 2
You have been awarded a two-week vacation for your family in France. Using the website provided, you need to decide what region would meet the most family criteria. Afterwards, you will make a brochure to convince your family to go to that region.
From the criteria for yourself and your family, make a list of at least six questions to answer about each region. Make a list of these questions on each of six separate pieces of paper, one for each region.
Homework: Using the site France Guide, find the answers to all six questions for each region.
Day 3
Based on the answers to your questions, decide which region you would like to visit. During a double period in the computer lab, research that region.
Step 1 - Go to www.franceguide.com. Choose USA as your local site. Click on the "where" drop down menu, choose your region, and click on the arrow. This will take you to an article about your region. READ THE ARTICLE and take notes in your own words. Find all the information that you need.
Step 2 - Open a Word document. Find pictures to go into your brochure. Copy and paste them into the document for now. Dragging may cause you to lose them as you go between computers. Copy and paste the map from the article page too.
Step 3 - Now, and only now, you may begin to make your brochure. If you are going to print it at home, you may use as much color as you like.
Before the end of the period, make sure that you have bookmarked all of you sites, saved your document with the pictures and your brochure and sent it all to yourself if you want to work on it at home before next class.
Homework: By hand, draw out the format of your brochure: what the front will look like, where the pictures will go, what topics will go where.
Day 4
During a double period in the computer lab, create your brochure. You will make the front and back of a three panel brochure. Export a copy to my drop box. Print out a copy with three panels on the front and three on the back. (Only two colored photographs and the headings may be printed in color, due to the cost of colored ink.) Attach your rough draft and rubric to the brochure and hand it all in.
Reflections and Feedback
Having the students do a cursory investigation of all six regions assured that they had an initial exposure to the regions that they should be familiar with. Allowing them to choose a region for further investigation, based on their interests, improved the motivation. Some of them really got excited about the ski resort that they found or the pictures of the beaches.
The lab time allowed was not enough for a lot of the students. I'm considering allowing several days between the 2 days in the lab and have students bring in updated versions each day in order to get them to do more work outside of class.
Having one page for the questions about each of the six regions got confusing. Next time, I will give them a matrix form with the six regions across the top and room to put their questions/criteria down the side.
I was impressed with the quality of the work that was produced, especially by those who worked at home and printed the whole brochure in color.
An unexpected benefit came about as I helped them to edit their brochures. Many of them repeatedly use "there is/are...". I got them to eliminate those words and start the sentences with stronger wording. Since they had started so many sentences that way, I'm hoping that the practice in rewording will carry over and result in improvement in their other writing.
Student Work
Your family has won a free two-week vacation to France. Decide which of six regions (Loire Valley, Alps, Brittany, Normandy, Alsace, Provence) your family might like to visit. Make a brochure that will convince your family to go to that region.
Your brochure must include the following:
- one major and 2-4 minor attractions or reasons to visit this region
- a map of France with your region highlighted
- 2 appropriate photographs
- the major cities of your region
- major geographic features/landforms (mountains, beaches, rivers) (This may be an attraction.)
- climate/weather (This may be an attraction.)
- correct works cited at the bottom of the back of the brochure
Brochure Assignment
Related Resource
Website - France Guide
Website(s)
Regions of France
