Major Assessment: Emigration Map

Project Description and Rubric

Introduction
Somewhere in every American’s family history, there is a story of someone leaving their home for somewhere far away. Each student in this class has ancestors – parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc.- who came to America hoping for better lives.

In this project, we will create an Emigration Map for our class. Emigration happens when people leave one country or place to move to another. All of us have interesting stories about emigration in our families. We are going to collect those stories and create an online map that will paint a geographic picture of those stories.

Your job is to interview a member of your family and collect at least one story of a relative who moved to St. Paul or The United States from another city or country. After you have conducted your interview, you will earn how to create your own map on Google Maps and you will add information from your interview to a class map.

Objectives
You will be able to use online mapping software to explore the world and make your own maps.
You will be able to define “push and pull factors” and discuss how they affect human movement around the world.

Grading
This project is worth 20 points. Remember, our World of Maps unit is worth 100 total points, so this project is a big part of your grade. You will be rewarded for completing the assignments, asking questions, participating in class, and helping your classmates.

Part One: Interview - 5 points
___The interview was conducted.
___Basic data was collected (name, date and place of birth, date of emigration).
___Interview sheet is signed by family member and turned in.
___Family members’ reasons for emigration are recorded. Ask Why!
___Interview information is entered onto class spreadsheet.

Part Two: Emigration Story - 5 points
___Story is shared with at least one classmate.
___Basic details are included in written story.
___Reasons for emigration are included in written story.
___Written story has at least two paragraphs and uses complete sentences.
___Written story is handed in on time.

Part Three: Online Map- 5 points
___Place of origin is marked and labeled.
___Emigration story is included in label.
___Basic data is included in label.
___Line is drawn from place of origin to destination
___Spelling, grammar, and formatting are neat and correct.

Part Five: Participation and Generosity - 5 points
Participation points can be earned in many ways: asking questions in class, volunteering to share findings and examples, helping classmates, and general good behavior are a few examples. If you are a constructive member of our community and use resources properly, you will earn these five points.

Major Assessment: Google Maps Scavenger Hunt

Introduction
Google Maps and other online maps programs are great resource learning about our world. You can use them for finding places, learning about them with pictures and videos, sharing geographic information with others, and getting directions.

This project is designed to help you learn how to explore the world with online maps and answer basic questions about life in faraway places using the information you find in various types of maps.

I will provide you with a list of things to find. Some of them will be very specific things, but many of them will be open-ended so that you can make this project as interesting to you as possible.

Objectives
You will be able to obtain geographic information from a variety of print and electronic sources.
You will be able to: learn about life in different places using information found on maps.
You will be able to: use online mapping software to explore the world and make your own maps.

Grading
This project is worth 25 points. Remember, our World of Maps unit is worth 100 total points, so this project is a big part of your grade. You will be rewarded for completing the assignments, asking questions, participating in class, and helping your classmates.

Scavenger Hunt List (One point each)

Marked on Your Google Map
___A Big Ten University
___A Big Sky Conference College or University
___A place where farming is the #1 industry
___A place where fishing is the #1 industry
___An average town or village in a “Third World” nation
___A “place of origin” from a classmate’s Emigration Story
___A school or university in a country other than the United States
___The Mexican-American Border
___Ellis Island
___Two countries that border Iraq
___A major city by a river
___A major city by the ocean
___A major city by a lake
___A major city in the desert

Posted to Your Blog
___Driving directions to St. Paul from a U.S. college or university
___A one-paragraph comparison of your farming town and your fishing town
___A picture of your “Third-World” town or village
___A one-paragraph description of life in that village based on your picture


Format/Details (One Point Each)
___Each item is clearly marked and labeled
___Complete sentences are used in all writing
___Time on computers used constructively
___Maps successfully embedded on blog

Participation/Generosity (Three Points)
Participation points can be earned in many ways: asking questions in class, volunteering to share findings and examples, helping classmates, and general good behavior are a few examples. If you are a constructive member of our community and use resources properly, you will earn these five points.