Introduction:
How well do you know what is here in Arizona? Whether you are a new resident of the State of Arizona or you are a native, it is highly likely that there is some part of the state that you haven't seen or there is something here that you didn't know about.

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Task:
You and your fellow students will soon be leaving for an extended world tour as the "Ambassadors of Understanding Arizona." While on your tour, your job will be to educate the world on the great and wonderful State of Arizona. So many people will be depending on your ability to make a persuasive and educational presentation to all you meet. Arizona is depending upon you! Tourism dollars account for a huge amount of the annual revenue of the state. Small businesses, large businesses, restaurants, hotels, retail shops and all of their employees are eagerly awaiting the flood of tourists, and their money, that will stream to the state when you've finished your educational campaign.

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Process:
Before you go off on your world tour, you and our fellow classmates have to first find information on the State in general. You'll need to find out the basic details about the state: the population, size, major industries, history, points of interest and interesting cities and towns across the state. You do not want to go off on your world tour not knowing the critical details about the state. Someone may ask you about the Grand Canyon. Do you know how long it is? Do you know why it has all of those pretty colors in the rock? Or what about Sedona? How did it get its name? Is Bell Rock really a beacon for UFOs? Does Arizona have any volcanoes? Or, the age old question that even adults get asked when they travel outside the state, "How hot does it really get there in the summer? How do you live that way?" There might even be the rare question, "Do you ride a horse to school?" posed to you.

Because the State of Arizona is sending you and your classmates on this extended world tour, they are requiring you to create three projects to take along with you on your journey: a travel brochure, a multimedia presentation, and a travel itinerary for someone who has one week to spend in Arizona.

The travel brochure can be created in almost any software program, Microsoft Publisher has some built in templates that can help with this project. The brochure needs to include, at minimum, 2 images with credit given to the source of the image (including clip art). Each member of the group must write one featurette (mini-article) on the following topics: the history of the state, important details someone who has never been here might want or need to know, points of interest, and activities or events that are unique to Arizona. The travel brochure must include at least one featurette on each of the topics above. If you have four articles on the history of the state, it might be pretty boring for those who have never been here.

The presentation can be created in any multimedia software package (i.e., PowerPoint, HyperStudio, Kid PICS, etc.) The presentation should highlight some of the more interesting places around the state. While compiling this presentation, be sure to include information on, at minimum, 8 cities, towns, or points of interest. Each group member will be responsible for creating slides for 2 places in the state. Be sure to include some out-of-the-way locations and sites. If you choose to highlight Phoenix, don't include the other cities in the Phoenix Metropolitan area (Mesa, Tempe, Glendale, Gilbert, Paradise Valley, etc.), find other interesting cities! When you create the slides for the cities (2-3 slides per city, minimum), be sure to include some digital images (and give credit to the source of the images) and briefly describe why someone should go there or what they'll see once they're there.

The last portion of the project is the sample travel itinerary for a 7-day stay in Arizona. The itinerary can be created in almost any software package; a word processor would be fine. You may choose to include the interesting locations from your multimedia presentation, or you may decide to use other locations. While creating your itinerary, assume that your guests will be arriving by airplane to Phoenix or Tucson airports and they will be renting a car upon their arrival. They will also be departing from the same airport on the seventh day. The rest of the details are up to you. You do not need to tell them where to stay or where to eat, but you may have a suggestion or two along the way. be sure to tell them the best route to get to their location. Be sure to consider drive times and time to visit their destinations. Don't assume that your guests will be able to drive from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon, see the sites, and travel back to Flagstaff to spend the night. That's quite a trip!

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Resources:

• 50 States.com This site has some good basic information about the state of Arizona.
• ABYZ New Links to Arizona Newspapers This particular site is a listing of all of the local newspapers with Arizona that have webpages. The links will take you directly to those newspapers. You may be able to find information on local events, activities, and happenings.
• Arizona@YourService This is the official site of the State of Arizona. This colorful site has links to all divisions of Arizona government, history and cultural information. There are also links from this site to the National Parks located in the state as well as a museum listing.
• Arizona Film Commission If you are you interested in the impact of the film industry in Arizona, this is the site to check out. There is also a list of all of the movies that have been filmed in Arizona from the last several years. Parts of the summer's newest film, Windtalkers, was filmed right here in Arizona.
• Arizona Guide This site is a division of Arizona Department of Tourism. There is some good information on some of the more well-known sites in the state as well as some sample itineraries if you were to be traveling to these areas in the state.
• Arizona Highways Magazine Links to Museums, Cultural & Historical Attractions Although this is not a complete listing of the museums in the state, the ones listed here are probably some of the most familiar and most popular.
• Arizona Highways Magazine Online If you are not familiar with Arizona Highways, they are probably the premiere magazine of Arizona. They are well-known for their spectacular photography! These pages have some great information on the state, many of which are a bit obscure or out of the ordinary. NOTE: Do not copy images from this site. They are copyrighted and watermarked so that they can protect what they own. Copying images from this site is a violation of Copyright Law.
• Arizona Office Of Tourism Research Library This site is a part of the Arizona Hospitality Research and Resource Center at NAU. The tourism information here, from year 1997-1999, gives actual numbers and dollar values associated with the tourism industry here in Arizona. Information is organized into the number of visitors, where they come from, what they do when they get here, and how much money they spend while they are here. It certainly is worth taking a look at how important tourism is to this state.
• Arizona State Capitol Museum This site has some good information on how Arizona became a state. There are also links to information on the Capitol Exhibits.
• Arizona State Parks This is the official site of the State Parks in Arizona. There is a very good map of map of the state identifying the locations of the parks. Once you click on park, you will be directed to information, pictures, details and history of that particular park.
• Arizona Tourism & Sports Authority This link will take you to the TSA's page on tourism. If you are interested in what is happening with the Arizona Cardinals' stadium, this site also has the "official" information on it.
• Arizona Tourist News Online Although this is a commercial site, it does contain some interesting information on events and activities going on around the state. They have an archive of past "issues" of their online magazine. This may be a helpful site for finding information on fun things to do around the state.
• Directory of Arizona Museums This is a more comprehensive listing of the museums around the state. Once again, this is not a complete list, but there are some lesser known museums listed here.
• Fodor's Travel Guides Fodor's is just one of many travel guides that has information located on the Internet. After arriving at this page, type in your destination in the "search" box on the top of the page. If they have any listings for that destination, they will then give you a list of options ranging from attractions to restaurants and lodging.
• Governor Jane Dee Hull's Kids Page The Governor of Arizona, a former teacher, has gathered a good resource for students of any age looking for more information on the State, it's history, and other interesting things.
• Ghost Towns of the Month This site definitely highlights some out-of-the-way towns across the state. There is some history, although brief, written about each of the towns listed on the map at this site.

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Evaluation:
Each group will be given two grades: a group grade and an individual grade.

Individual grades are based upon your portion of the travel brochure, multimedia presentation, and a reflection paper. Group grades are based upon teamwork, cooperation, and overall effectiveness of your projects.

To view the rubrics, you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. If you do not have Acrobat Reader. you may down load it for free.

• Rubric for the travel brochure.
• Rubric for the multimedia presentation.
• Rubric for the travel itinerary.

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Conclusion:
Arizona is a great and wonderful place with many hidden treasures. When many people think of Arizona, they usually think of the stereotypical picture of the Southwest seen in Hollywood movies. Arizona is so much more! From the bottom of the Grand Canyon to the heart of the Valley of the Sun to the top of the San Francisco Peaks, Arizona is a land of great diversity.

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Reflection:
In order to evaluate what you learned from this project, each group member will write a one page paper on what they learned during this process. Your paper will include the following:

• How was my role important in the overall completion of the projects?
• Was it necessary to coordinate and cooperate with my team members? Why? How was this accomplished?
• What six things did you learn about the state of Arizona during this project that you did not already know? Why are these six things important? How do they impact the state today?
• Do you think you would now like to visit some of the places you researched? If yes, where would you like to go? If no, why not?
• What do you think was the best part of this project? Why?

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Standards:

National Education Technology Standards

3. Technology productivity tools

• Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
• Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.

4. Technology communications tools

• Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.

5. Technology research tools

• Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
• Students use technology tools to process data and report results.

6. Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools.

• Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions.
• Students employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real work.

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Arizona Technology Education Standards

Standard 1

• 1T-P1. Use the appropriate technology device to complete a task
  • PO 1. Given a task, select the appropriate technology device(s) (e.g., reporting a news story using digital and video camera and online editing to publish on the Web; gathering data using scientific probes and graphing calculators)

Standard 3

• 3T-P3. Use technology tools to publish and present information with interactive features
  • PO 1. Design and create a multimedia presentation or Web site with interactive features (e.g., animation, sound, action buttons to play, video, control devices, open other applications, link to a Web site)

Standard 4

• 4T-P1. Routinely and efficiently use online information resources to meet needs for collaboration and communications
  • PO 1. Using criteria for research in Standard 5, create an end product (e.g., multimedia presentation, publication, Web page) to disseminate the information
• 4T-P2. Manage and communicate personal and professional information utilizing technology tools and resources
  • PO 1. Plan and present a product appropriate to the task

Standard 6

• 6T-P2. Routinely and ethically use productivity tools, communication tools and research skills to solve a problem
  • PO 1. As a capstone experience in a content area, solve a problem using appropriate technology tools to
    • e. present findings (e.g., electronic presentation, Web page, professionally formatted document, computer model, audio or video presentation, Web streaming)

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Arizona State Social Studies Standards

Standard 1: History

• 1SS-P2. Demonstrate knowledge of research sources and apply appropriate research methods, including framing open-ended questions, gathering pertinent information, and evaluating the evidence and point of view contained within primary and secondary sources.
  • PO 2. Identify an author's argument, viewpoint, or perspective in an historical account
  • PO 3. Distinguish "facts" from author's opinions, and evaluate an author's implicit and explicit philosophical assumptions, beliefs, or biases about a subject
  • PO 4. Compare and contrast different accounts of the same event, including hypothesizing reasons for differences and similarities, authors' use of evidence, and distinctions between sound generalizations and misleading oversimplifications
• 1SS-P16. Analyze the impact of World War II and the Cold War on United States foreign policy, with emphasis on:
  • PO 5. Arizona's industrial development, movement to the suburbs, and growth in the "Sunbelt"

• Standard 3: Geography
  • 3SS-E1. Demonstrate understanding of the physical and human features that define places and regions in Arizona, including the use of geographic tools to collect, analyze, and interpret data, with emphasis on:
    • PO 4. the location and description of the important physical features in each landform region, including the Grand Canyon, Colorado River, and Mogollon Rim
    • PO 5. the location and significance of the important human features of Arizona, including those in Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, and Yuma
  • 3SS-E2. Describe the impact of interactions between people and the natural environment on the development of places and regions in Arizona, including how people have adapted to and modified the environment, with emphasis on:
    • PO 3. routes to and through Arizona territory, including the Gila Trail
    • PO 4. how people have depended on the physical environment and its natural resources to satisfy their basic needs, including the consequences of Arizonans' adaptation to, and modification of, the natural environment
  • 3SS-E4. Demonstrate understanding of the characteristics, purposes, and use of geographic tools to locate and analyze information about people, places, and environments, with emphasis on:
    • PO 3. constructing and interpreting maps, charts, and geographic databases using geographic information
  • 3SS-E5. Describe natural and human characteristics of places and use this knowledge to define regions, their relationships with other regions, and their patterns of change, with emphasis on:
    • PO 4. influences and effects of regional images, including why Arizona attracts tourists, retirees, and businesses
  • 3SS-P3. Analyze how economic, political, cultural, and social processes interact to shape patterns and characteristics of human populations, interdependence, and cooperation and conflict, with emphasis on:
    • PO 6. function and change in the size, structure, and arrangement of urban and suburban areas, including the growth of Arizona cities

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Notes To Teacher:
This WebQuest is designed to help students get a better idea of the wonders of the State of Arizona. This project does not require extensive previous knowledge on the state, but it can be helpful. It is also not required that students be living within this state to complete this WebQuest. It would certainly be an interesting project for students who have never been here to find out what things are like in the Grand Canyon State.

If you don't have access to the Internet for all of your students, you can also provide for their use hard copies of some of this information, but it might be a but cumbersome to do that. If technology resources

If you don't have access to the Internet for all of your students, you can also provide for their use hard copies of this information; a few class sets should do. The brochure and flyer can be completed without the use of a multimedia platform like Microsoft Publisher and can be done the "old fashion way" with construction paper and markers. Presentations to the class could also be completed with poster board "slides" or something similar. If you don't have access to PowerPoint, HyperStudio would also be an effective tool, but primarily for small group viewing.

I would love to hear how this lesson went in your classroom! Please let me know.

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