Ever thought about traveling to another part of the country or another part of the world? Here is your chance! You are to pick a few places you'd like to visit, map a route, set up the accommodations, and decide what kind of site seeing you will do along the way.

In this project you will plan a road trip within the continental 48 states. The trip will originate in Garrett, Indiana and you must travel in each cardinal direction, north, south, east and west. Your route must log at least 4,000 total miles. You will be driving or boating (no flying) to all your destinations.

The theme of the trip is up to you, like traveling to several major sporting events, whitewater rafting in several different states, or sampling specific barbeque from a variety of places to find out who really is the best. The choices are yours to make, so choose wisely and be clear about your theme.

The project is made up of several components. Some parts of the project are required but you will choose other parts of the project by using the tic-tac-toe board below. The required portion of your project includes making a map of your travels. This map will include major cities and capitals, major landforms and waterways, climate zones, traditional Native American lands, and attractions.

Also, you will keep a journal of all the activities you participated in, including where you were, what you did, how much it cost and your opinion of the activity. These entries need to be from at least 5 different states and include details such as a description of the climate, noteworthy landforms, and the historical significance of the area.

To complete the project, follow the instructions below:

Task #1: Plan your trips

Use the scale on the following map of the United States to help pick your destinations. Remember, your route must total 4,000 miles and should take you north, south, east and west. Map your route on an outline map of the United States. You may pick up an outline map from ME or you may print the one below for your use.

Outline Map of USA.pdf Outline Map of USA.pdf

Political Map of U.S.

Task #2: Label your map

Use your outline map and the maps and link posted above and below to complete the following...

Label all states and their capitals.
Label at least 5 cities you will pass through on EACH direction you travel (5 cities x 4 cardinal directions = 20 total cities).
Label major landforms or waterways your route goes through or passes near. Create symbols to represent different types of landforms and place these symbols in a key.
Label a minimum of 5 attractions or activites from 5 DIFFERENT states that you are interested in exploring further. (These will be used for the journals).

U.S. Physical Map

Roadside America: Guide to uniquely odd tourist attractions

Task #3: Native Americans

Read the following information then watch the video that follows...

Different Worlds Meet.pdf

Complete the "Changing Lifestyles Among Early Americans" and Native American Culture Regions assignments.

Changing Lifestyles of Early Americans

Native American Culture Areas

Task #4: Understanding RACE

Please read the information below and complete the assignment.

What is a Constructed Response?

A constructed response is a type of essay question that requires you to demonstrate knowledge and reasoning. The answer must be provided using information that can be found in a particular text or other essay prompt (map, picture, graphic organizer, etc.), and is not meant to demonstrate opinion, but to show how you are able to find and understand information and use it as the basis for forming a complete answer.

To understand and answer the constructed response essay question, the easiest way is to memorize the acronym "RACE" - this stands for reword, answer, cite and explain. If you are able to restate a question, provide an answer using evidence cited from the prompt given, and then explain how that evidence does, in fact, support the answer, you will probably score well on the constructed response essay section of any exam you take.

Rewording the Question (the "R" in "RACE")

Rewording the question means that you are to restate the question and make it into a statement as a part of the answer you provide. If you were to be asked "What color is the sky?", you would not simply answer "blue" - instead, the correct answer would be "The color of the sky is blue," or words to that effect.

Answering the Question (the "A" in "RACE")

In order to answer the question, you need to understand what you are being asked, and then make sure you provide the answer to that specific question. The answer, as in the example above, may come in the first sentence as you reword the question into a statement, but in an essay question you will then need to show how you arrived at your answer.

Citing Evidence (the "C" in "RACE")

As the constructed response question is meant to show how well you comprehended and were able to draw inferences from the essay prompt, it is essential that you give examples from the prompt to show how they support your answer. If the prompt is a story you read about a boy named Joe who loves to ski, and the question is "Does Joe like the winter?", you could answer "Joe likes the winter because the story tells us that he loves skiing and skiing is a winter sport." In your essay you could go on to provide specific details that tell you how much he enjoys skiing (and, by extension, winter), such as quoting a line that says "Joe enjoyed the feel of the icy-cold air on his cheeks."

Explaining the Answer (the "E" in "RACE")

In addition to the evidence you've cited from the prompt, you will need to supply your own reasoning for why you think your answer is correct. Returning to the example above, the story about Joe who loved to ski, your examples from the text would be the details about how he enjoyed skiing and the cold air, but your own reasoning would be demonstrated by explaining that you know that skiing and cold air are things he is only likely to encounter during the winter, therefore his enjoyment of these things must mean that he also enjoys the winter season.

RACE Practice

Task 5: Climate Zones

On an outline map of the U.S., outline and lightly color the climate zones of the United States. Make sure to color in ALL 50 states. Color a key to match. Then, complete the quiz.

Outline Map of USA.pdf

Climate Zones of the United States

Task #6: Tic-Tac-Toe

The tic-tac-toe board contains mini-projects you will choose from to finalize your road trip. To complete the board, choose three across, three down or three diagonally and complete them to the specifications listed.

Scavenger Hunt list: 1. The largest wooden Buffalo, 2. South of the Border, 3. Coney Island, 4. Cadillac Ranch, 5. Wild Bill’s Nostalgia Center, 6. Midland Mosaics – Backyard Giants, 7. John Brown Wax Museum, 8. Idaho Potato Museum, 9. World’s Largest Ball of Paint, 10. Prairie Easter Island Heads, 11. World’s Largest Sundial, 12. Land of Oz, 13. World’s Largest Elkhorn Arch, 14. Harry Houdini Historical Center, 15. License Plate House, 16. Jungle Jim’s Wacky Grocery Store, 17. Ave Maria Grotto, 18. Graceland, 19. Cano’s Castle, 20. Larry Baggett’s Trail of Tears Memorial

Task #7: Travel Journal

A travel journal is a great way to record memories of your adventures! Use websites, blogs, videos, virtual field trips, etc... to further explore the 5 attractions or activities you selected in Task #2. Write a journal entry for each of the attractions or activities. Be sure to use a consistent VOICE in all entries and include the following:

Location
A description of the attraction or activity.
Cost
Overall opinion of the activity

Additionally, select two of the following to incoporate into two journal entries:

A description of the climate
Noteworthy landforms
Historical significance of the area

Final travel journals can be typed or handwritten, should include a creative cover, and can be submmitted to Mrs. Pepple when completed.

Travel Journal Rubric.pdf

Travel Journal Example.docx