MTV's "Road Rules" is a show about young people traveling together cross country exploring life in other places. The video music station selects a group to travel in a motor home and live together in harmony. The tour is both fun and exciting with a lot of adventures on the way.
The Task	The French television station Télevision de Musique (TVM) has selected your group to participate in its version of Road Rules called "Road Adventures." You will be planning the travel route and touring Francophone Africa. As you travel through various countries, you will be observing the culture and environment of the region. The purpose of your trip is to determine how the environment affects the culture and resources of the region.
The Product	After researching this topic, prepare a board game utilizing the information that you have gathered. The game must include at least one question from each category listed in the question portion of this module.
Assessments	Daily (Formative) Group Work  Research Process- Summative (Teacher)  Items Used in the Research Process (notes, outline, drafts, works cited, etc.)  Product  Reflection (Summative)
Step 1: Questioning and Planning Task-Product | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6
Questioning	As you look at the task above, list as many questions as you can that will help you to understand and investigage this topic. Consider the following factors: Animals domestic endangered Civilizations ancient modern Natural Resources recycling rain forest  Geography landforms climate  Health illnesses care  Pasttimes sports customs  Politics government issues  Population demographics density  Economy money import/export  Arts & Music performers traditions  Food traditional production  Infrastructure roads power What do you already know about the region? What do you need to know to begin your research? Examples of questions: How are the animals of the region being saved from extinction? Which political groups are most influential? How do the climates of the region differ? Why and how are countries recycling? How does food consumption affect the population?
Planning	You should use a graphic organizer to record your information and to keep track of your bibliographic sources.

Step Two: Gathering, Sorting, and Sifting

Task-Product | Step 1 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6

In this step you will be using a variety of library resources to find answers to your questions.

Tip:If you did not formulate questions in Step 1, go back and do it now. A topic is not a question.

Gather answers from a variety of sources. Your school library media center may have some of the following:

Print Resources Pamphlets  Culturgrams  U.S. State Department Background Notes Subject Encyclopedias Lands and Peoples (Grolier) Encyclopedia of the First World (Facts on File) Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations (Gale) Encyclopedia of the Second World (Facts on File) Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture and Daily Life (Gale) Encyclopedia of the Third World (Facts on File) Peoples of the World (Gale) People and Places (World Book) Cultures of the World (Marshall Cavendish) Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures & Daily Life (Gale) General Encylcopedias Academic American Britannica Collier's Encyclopedia Compton's Encyclopedia Encyclopedia Americana World Book Encyclopedia

Handbooks

Statesman's Yearbook	The Europa World Year Book
Almanacs (Note: The index to an almanac is in the front of the book.)

Nonfiction Books

Check the library catalog for books about specific countries.

Internet Resources 

Africa for Visitors The Africa Adventure Company World Travel Guide Excite Travel: Africa Infoplease: Countries of the World Lonely Planet: Africa Party Guide Africa CultureGrams: Africa Virtual Tourist: Africa U.S. State Department: Background Notes U.S. State Department: Travel Warnings	Altapedia Online CIA World Factbook Flags of the World Health Information Languages for Travelers Library of Congress - Country Studies Map Collection Universal Currency Converter The Weather Channel Web of Online Dictionaries
Doing Research in French

Remember to cite your references. Check the MLA guidelines and examples for citing resources; however, your school may use a different format.

Sort your research findings by using note cards or a graphic organizer.

Sift through the resources, eliminating those that do not answer your questions.

Step Three: Synthesis and Evaluation

Task-Product | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6

Check point! It is time to assess your progress. Now that you have gathered information, stop to evaluate your findings. Have you found sufficient details to answer all your questions? Can you throw away material which is not useful or does not answer your questions? Do you need to rearrange the information in different categories? Can you condense or combine the information? Do you need to develop new questions to adequately cover your topic?

Figure out how much you have learned. Is the puzzle beginning to take shape? Are you able to make out any patterns? Try moving your information pieces around until some kind of picture emerges. You are looking for insight. What have you learned so far? What more do you need? You are trying to "tease" meaning out of fragments. Synthesis requires rearranging pieces of information until a new version emerges.

Step 4: Refined Gathering/Sorting/Sifting

Task-Product | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 5 | Step 6

Now that you have synthesized your information and evaluated your progress, you are ready to locate additional information to answer your questions and further develop your topic. Return to any of the resources mentioned earlier in Step Two.

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Step 5: Final Synthesis and Evaluation

Task-Product | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 6

Synthesis is the act of pulling your research and ideas together to form a new whole.

Before you begin, recall the items you were asked to consider in your research. They were listed in Step 1.

PLANNING MY BOARD GAME

RESEARCH FINDING	HOW THIS WILL BE REPRESENTED ON THE BOARD GAME
1.	1.
2.	2.
3.	3.

Step 6: Presentation

Task-Product | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5

Are you ready to prepare your presentation?

	Recall your task and product Review all of your materials to prepare for your final product. Your product should reflect your efforts during the past steps in the research process.
		Questioning and Planning Gathering, Sorting, and Sifting Synthesis and Evaluation
	Consider: Do you have enough to say? Are you able to explain your findings as well as your suggestions clearly? Are you able to cite the references from which you obtained your facts?