OUR STATE'S GEOGRAPHY & ECONOMY |
Research
Process
Directions
to Students
Scenario
Maryland may be a small state but it has a lot to offer. In fact, it is often called "America in Miniature" because it has so many features that we see all across the country. In order to share our state's abundance of these physical and human resources, the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development is running a contest to attract people to visit the different regions in our state. Your class has been invited to participate.
|
Task
and Product
You will design and make a brochure that can be used by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development to attract visitors to the three different regions of the state.
Choose one of these three Maryland regions to research:
- Atlantic Coastal Plain
- Piedmont Plateau
- Appalachian Region
Your research and brochure should contain information about physical characteristics of each region and an explanation about how these characteristics affect people living in the region. (For example, mountains + snow = skiing and snowboarding)
Your teacher may decide to assign an alternate
presentation from the following list:
- Poster: Scoring tool
- Power Point: Directions and scoring tool
- Radio announcement/oral presentation: Scoring tool
Assessment
Questions
Essential Question:
|
Questions will guide your research. Use these questions to guide your research.
- What are the physical features?
- What are some natural resources that are common?
- What is the climate ? Look at:
- Distance from large bodies of water
- Elevation
- Precipitation
- Ranges in temperature
- Where do people live?
- What kinds of jobs do people have?
- What are the main types of transportation?
- What are the principal goods and services that are produced?
Gather
and Sort
Use many resources to gather information and be sure to record your sources.
Use this research organizer to record information about your region.
Organize
Analyze: Look at your research organizer. Do you have enough information about your topic to answer the essential question?
Synthesize: Use the information you have gathered on your research organizer to create your brochure. Here are directions for setting up a trifold brochure using Microsoft Word.
Evaluate: Review the checklist for your brochure to make sure you have included all the information required. If you have not answered all the questions, go back and use the resources to find the missing information.
Conclusion
Presentation: Participate in a gallery walk to view your classmate's brochures. Select three to read fully, one from each region. Use this chart to take notes.
Reflection: Now you know something about Maryland's three regions and their physical characteristics and human-made features. Write a journal article telling which region you would like to visit and why.