European Country Project 7
***** Please be sure to save the project to your H: drive as well as your
flash drive when working at home *****
Students in grade 7 will choose a European country and teach the class about
that country.
Students must COMPARE this country to the United States or a state in the
United States to increase understanding of the country by relating to
something familiar.
Students will work individually, selecting a European country to
research and present to the class. Students will create a PowerPoint
presentation, using computer classes and social studies class times to
gather information and plan the report. This is a long-term project that
should be completed mostly at school.
Students may do research at home, but the PowerPoint part of this project
should be worked on at school.
Students will use the SMARTBoard to present. Students should be sure to
allow time to practice with the SMARTBoard before giving the presentation.
Presentations should be about 5 minutes in length.
WORKS CITED will be gathered as students work on the project. Works Cited
will be in a separate Word file.
Students will receive a grade in social studies for this project.
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THESE ARE SUGGESTIONS ....
A TITLE slide with the name of the country -- Your Name
The country flag, and a brief description of the flag's colors and symbols
and/or the COAT of ARMS if the country has a Coat of Arms.
BASIC INFORMATION which must include: (more than 1 slide)
form of government
capital city
population
per capita income
major ethnic groups
languages spoken
religions
literacy rate
GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES -- Please tell how this AFFECTS the country.
-- POLITICAL MAP of the country showing the capital city,
other major cities, bordering nations and major bodies of water.
-- PHYSICAL MAP of the country identifying all major
geographical features.
-- MAP OF EUROPE -- representing where your country is in relation to the rest of Europe -- use an ARROW
CLIMATE -- how does this affect this country
ECONOMIC activities of the nation -- Include
agricultural and industrial products, as well as natural resources. Tell
WHY this is important and/or how this AFFECTS the country.
CULTURE of the nation -- Include topics of family
life, special customs, holidays, foods, styles of dress, music, etc.
CURRENT ISSUES such as environmental
concerns, national issues, and challenges for the future of the nation.
UNUSUAL TRADITIONS, PLACES, PEOPLE, ETC.; what did you find most fascinating?
RELIGIOUS beliefs/practices
GOVERNMENT and POLITICAL Development
SHORT HISTORY of the Country
CURRENT EVENTS
EDUCATIONAL System
PLEASE BE SURE TO COMPARE THIS COUNTRY TO THE UNITED STATES --
EVALUATE WHETHER OR NOT THIS COUNTRY IS IMPORTANT OR NOT IMPORTANT TO THE UNITED STATES --
JUSTIFY YOUR STATEMENT
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Rubric for Grading:
Content: Amount of Information, Development of Topic Areas, Labels
Writing Skills: Spelling, Grammar, Vocabulary, and Sentence Structure
Artistic Aspects: Appearance of Layout/Design, Quality of Maps, Pictures,
etc.
Use of Sources: Depth of Research, Extent or Bibliography, Accuracy of Facts
Following Directions: Use of Class Time, Effort to Meet & Go Beyond
Requirements
Oral Presentation: Preparation, Timing, Knowledge, Interest, and Enthusiasm
for Topic, Relation to the United States
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PowerPoint:
* Make Titles -- Bold
* Make Text -- Bold -- at least a Sz. 32
* No Sentences or Paragraphs -- We worked on
this in class.
* Use Contrasting Fonts and Backgrounds (Black and Red ARE NOT contrasting)
European Countries
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
United Kingdom
CIA World Factbook
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
European Countries
http://europa.eu/abc/european_countries/index_en.htm
Maps
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/eu.htm
Nation's Online
http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/europe.htm
Other Resources