Fifty Nifty United States

If your class was given the opportunity to take a field trip to any of the "Fifty Nifty United States", which one would it be? To help your class decide where to go, you are going to take a field trip on the World Wide Web and find some interesting information about the "Fifty Nifty United States".

For your class to choose which state they would like to visit on a field trip, they may want to know a summary of background information about each state, what kinds of things they will see, and how to get there or how far they would have to travel. They may also want a recommendation of which state you would prefer visiting on a field trip based on what you know.

1. To gather information for what your classmates want to know, you will need to divide into groups of four.

2. Each group will be assigned several states to visit on a field trip of the World Wide Web.

4. Once each member of your group has located all of the information they will need to know about the assigned states, your group will then organize the information into a Power Point presentation to be given to your classmates.

5. As a group, you should come to an agreement and decide on which state, out of the states that your group researched, would be the best state to visit on the field trip. You should also explain why you want to visit that state instead of the others.

6. Your group should use the following sites to find the information you need to make your presentation:

Each group's grade for their presentation will be figured using the following rubric:

Component	A	B	C	Below C
Content	Contains all the required components Provides clear explanations Answers all of the class questions with explanations	Is missing one of the required components Provides clear explanations At ease with questions, but fails to elaborate	Is missing two of the required components Briefly covers subject Uncomfortable with answering questions	Is missing three of the required components Does not report on subject Cannot answer questions on the subject
Organization	Strong beginning/middle/end Sequenced/logical	Adequate beginning/middle/end Most information sequenced/logical	Attempts beginning/middle/end Not always sequenced/logical	Lacks beginning/middle/end Little sequence/logic
Visual Appearance	Visually "top notch", text was easy to read, graphics used effectively Slide transitions were smooth	Visually appealing, text was readable, some graphics were used Slide transitions were smooth	Somewhat hard to read because of color choices, text sizes, and/or graphics Inconsistent slide transitions	Very hard to read or follow because of poor color choices, too small of text sizes, no graphics Rough or illogical slide transitions
Eye Contact	Students maintain eye contact with audience, seldom returning to notes	Students maintain eye contact most of the time but frequently return to notes	Students occasionally use eye contact, but still read most of the report	Students read all of the report with no eye contact
Delivery of presentation	Students use clear voices and correct, precise pronunciation of terms so that all class members can hear	Students voices are clear, pronounce most words correctly, audience members can hear presentation	Students voices are low, incorrecly pronounce terms, class members have difficulty hearing presentation	Students mumble, incorrectly pronounce terms, and speak too quietly for students in the back of the class to hear
Group Involvement	All group members actively involved in presentation	One member noticeably less involved	Inconsistent effort by the group as a whole	One or more members not involved

Now your class has learned some information about the "Fifty Nifty United States" that will be very helpful in making a decision about which state to visit on the field trip. Make a list of the favorite states each group picked and have your class take a vote!