WebQuest Texas

Web Quest Texas

A Web Quest for 7th Grade Texas History

Cynthia Krohn & Lynn Schieber
ckrohn@houstonisd.org
edu_mjs@shsu.edu

In this web quest, you will plan a trip around Texas. By visiting the sites listed on these pages, you will gain a greater understanding of the vast size and geographic diversity of our state. Part of your quest will help you to understand how our population has changed over time. Completion of the quest, will help you develop a greater understanding of the cultural diversity of Texas.

The Task

You will work as a team to plan and complete a trip of at least 2,500 miles. make sure to visit all geographic regions of Texas, and make certain to visit all of the required stops. Divide these stops up among your team members to assure that you receive all of the available points. (SEE STOP LIST)
You will choose 3 counties and compare their populations from 1850 to 2000 using 50 year increments. You will construct a line graph, using a separate line for each county, that shows the changes in the population over time. Make sure you use a different color for each line of the graph. You may not use the county in which you live.
You will also construct a bar graph that compares the population of the counties in the year 2000. What conclusions can you draw from these two graphs?
Finally, you will create a scrapbook that illustrates your journey. Make sure to include all 20 of your stops. Your project could be compiled as a paper scrapbook, a computer generated book, or a PowerPoint presentation.

The Process

You will be assigned to a team of 4 students. Each team member will need to choose a role to play. The roles consist of:

Travel Guide: Responsible for making sure that all of the journey requirements are met and gathering photos or pictures from the sites visited for the final product
Geographer: Responsible for entering the trip route into Map Quest and making sure that the chart is complete
Statistician Gathers the information for and makes the graphs.
Security Guard: Responsible for compiling the bibliography of web sites visited and other sources used for the final product and for keeping all group members on task.

Your team must visit at least 20 different stops on your journey and complete an entry on your chart for each stop.
Your team must complete a round trip journey of at least 2,500 miles and must visit each geographic region of Texas. You will map your journey and figure your mileage using Map Quest – http://www.mapquest.com/ .Use the Road Trip Planner to plot your trip. Map Quest has a round trip button, use it. You will need to enter addresses of places such as museums, ball parks, court houses as actual street addresses, so be sure to write them down to enter them into the Map Quest. If you find that you are short of miles, be certain that you have covered all of the regions. Texas is a very big state so 2500 miles should not be too difficult to attain. Also, be sure that you end up where you started. Make sure you print your map at the end of your journey.

STOP LIST (Road Rules)

Make sure you visit at least:

6 cities or towns

2 state parks or recreation areas

1 National Park or National Monument

2 museums

3 historical landmarks

the State Capital

the courthouses in at least 2 county seats (may not be located in the counties you use for your graphs)

1 sport arena, stadium, or location

1 ghost town

Web Resources

Your web resources are on a different page and divided by stop.

Evaluation

This link will take you to the grading rubric.

Conclusion

Through this Web Quest, you have reviewed the geography of Texas and you have gained a greater awareness of the size and diversity of the sate. You have gained a better appreciation for the many cultures that have given our state its rich heritage.

Index Page | Student WebQuest Texas Page | | Teacher WebQuest Texas Page

Last modified 01/07/2003
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