May 27

The students are continuing to work on their country that they are creating. Part I was due today and tomorrow the students will move on to part II, drawings their maps. This project will be graded as their final exam and will present these during finals next week. 

May 21

Tomorrow the students will be starting the final project for social studies. They will be creating their own country and it will be counted as the students final exam. Below are the instructions and the rubric.

“Create Your Own Country” Project

For your final project in this class, you get to create your own country! This project will test your research skills, your critical thinking skills, and give you an opportunity to do what we all would like to do: rule your own country. It is pretty important for you to keep this packet handy, since it contains all the information you need to complete this project.

A few rules first about your country:

1)    Your country must be located somewhere on the surface of the Earth. You can create an island or you can place your country between real countries.

2)    Based on the location of your country, your climate and vegetation must be realistic. You cannot have a tropical forest in a desert.

3)    You must also include everything that is on the checklist provided.

Directions: This project has several parts. You will complete each part by its due date (or before) and move on to the next portion of the project.

Part I: The Country

Create a country of your own. Use your imagination. The sky is the limit so have fun! Want your country to be underground? Go for it! Want your people to speak only in monosyllabic grunts? Fine. Just remember that it must be logical, and you must answer the questions provided about your country. Use these questions as your checklist for making sure you have addressed all the necessary points for your country.

Part I is due on: ____________

Part II: The Maps

It just wouldn’t be a Geography project unless we had a couple of maps. You need to draw two maps. One map needs to be a political map, and one map needs to be a physical map. Each map needs to have the following elements:

Each of your maps must have a key, a compass rose, your nation’s capital, and show any borders your country has with other countries. The political map must show the capital and 5 other major cities; the physical map must show any lakes, rivers, mountains, or other major physical features. They should be colorful, creative, and neat. They should be large enough to present them to a group of people. Again- the more detail, the better.

Part II is due on: ___________

Part III: The Flag

Your country just wouldn’t be complete without a flag! On a sheet large enough to be shown in a presentation, create a flag for your country. Be creative with it! Are there any important (appropriate) symbols for your country? What about the colors you use, do certain colors represent different things? On the back of your map, briefly explain your design. Why did you choose those symbols or colors?

Part III is due on: ___________

Part IV: The Presentation

After you are finished with all the hard work, you are going to present your work to the class. Your presentation will be over the country you have created. You will use your maps and any other visual aids you have created to help you. Your presentation will be no more than 10 minutes long. Be sure to leave some time for questions. You will practice good oral presentation techniques including speaking clearly, and with good volume. You will not just read your presentation from a paper or note cards, although you may use them as an aid.

Part IV is due on: __________

Your Country Information

Answer the following questions in detail to get a sense of what your country will be like. The more detail you use, the more interesting your country will be. In order to go more into depth with your answers, you may answer these questions on a separate sheet of paper.

1.     What is the name of your country?

2.     Where is your country located?

3.     Describe the physical geography of your country. Does it have mountains? Is it an island? Is it landlocked?

4.     Describe the climate and vegetation of your country. What kind of weather does your country normally get? Is it cold and snowy? Is it dry? Is it a desert? Does it have rain forests?

5.     Discuss the natural resources found in your country? Do they have resources to export? Do they mine for gold and diamonds?

6.     Describe the population of your country. Where do people live? Why do they live there? Does your country have a huge population, or a very small one?

7.     Describe your country’s cultural traits. What kind of work do they do? What are their beliefs? Do they have any interesting ways of doing things? What kinds of foods do they eat? What is the language of your country? Do they have multiple languages?

8.     Describe the religion of your country’s people. Are they Christians? Are they Buddhist?

9.     What kind of political system does your country have? Is it a monarchy, a democracy or a dictatorship?

Map Checklist- Use this checklist to make sure you have all the necessary parts of your maps.

___ Both of my maps have a key or legend.

___ Both of my maps have a compass rose.

___ Both of my maps have the nation’s capital.

___ My maps show any borders with other countries.

___ My political map has at least 5 major cities other than the capital.

___ My physical map has at least 5 different physical features.

___ My maps are creative, colorful, and neat.

___ My maps are large enough for use in a presentation.

Flag Checklist-Use this checklist to make sure you have all the necessary parts of your flag.

___ My flag includes at least one color that represents something of importance for the people of my country.

___ My flag includes at least one symbol that represents something of importance for the people of my country.

___ My flag is creative, colorful, and neat.

___ I have included a detailed explanation of what my flag means on the back of my flag.

___ My flag is large enough for use in a presentation.

Rubric

Part I: The Country Information

	Points Possible	Points Earned
Questions answered in detail	15
Spelling and Grammar	5

Part II: The Maps

	Points Possible	Points Earned
Both maps include a key or legend, compass rose, borders with other countries & the nation’s capital	10
Political map has at least 5 major cities other than the capital	10
Physical map has at least 5 different physical features	10
Maps are creative, colorful, and neat	10
Maps are large enough for a presentation	10

Part III: The Flag

	Points Possible	Points Earned
Flag includes at least one color that represents something of importance	10
Flag includes at least one symbol that represents something of importance	10
Flag is creative, colorful, and neat	10
A detailed explanation of the flag is included on the back	10
Flag is large enough for a presentation	10

Part IV: The Presentation

	Points Possible	Points Earned
The presentation is between 5 and 10 minutes long	10
Visual aids, including maps and flag, are used in the presentation	10
Make sure you are prepared and do not read straight from notes	10

Total Points Possible: 150

Total Points Earned: __________