Welcome to Spain                

 

 

Introduction:

You are a student with a minor in Spanish and want to learn more about the country that you are studying.  You applied for a grant to participate in a summer abroad program.  Once selected, you will live with a house family in Spain for the semester and work in the town.  You will be partnered with two other students from around the United States.  You will receive a $5000 stipend to get you started until you are settled in and obtained a job. This WebQuest is designed to allow you the freedom to discover what life is like in another country.  During your stay, you will need to keep a journal of your experiences.

 

Task:

You need to coordinate your travel plans with the two other students.  Since you all are coming from different parts of the country, you need to determine how and where you will meet, what airline you will take to get to Spain, and what your arrival and departure times are.  Though airfare is included, you and your roommates will have to coordinate your arrival times and obtain a passport.  The three of you need to calculate the cost of food, renting a car, and spending money while out of the country.  American money may have to be converted.  Determine where your house is in relation to historic buildings and tourist attractions there.  

 

Process:

 It is easy to feel overwhelmed, but follow these simple steps, think through your quest, and it will become second nature.

 

First, determine when you will arrive in Spain.  You will need to rent a car.  Create a list of rental car companies that service the area you are living.  If arrangements can be made from here, this might save time.

 

Second, find out what places of business are around your town.  Print a map of the city and determine how many miles you will have to travel.  Gas prices and cost of living are different there.

 

Third, calculate your food budget.  How much money will you have to spend on dining out.  Figure on at least two meals a day.  You will have to keep a list of the money that you spend daily. 

 

You should also figure out a budget for “funny money.”  There are souvenirs you may want to buy, entertainment, and just money to spend.  Museums and tours cost money as well.

You can use Microsoft Word for your journal writing or create your own using other software.

Microsoft Excel has spreadsheet programs that will help organize the receipts and daily logs that you need to keep.  Use columns for the areas that you are accounting for, and rows for the money that you have spent.

Keep in mind, you are entering a foreign country and it is important to be respectful and aware of the different culture and traditions.

 

 

Resources:

The following websites can be used to help with information about budget planning, air travel, dining out, tourism, and life in Spain.

All About Spain –     

This website offers information about Spain

http://www.red2000.com/

 

OkSpain –

This website offers quick links to tourism, travel, and practical information needed for travel to Spain.

http://www.okspain.org/

 

Concierge.com – Destinations –

This website offers maps, phots, and helpful hints about travel to Spain

http://www.concierge.com/destination/spain

 

Spain Tourist Information –

This website gives information on the culture and events in Spain

http://www.tourspain.es/Portal/EN/Default.htm

 

Working with a Budget Spreadsheet –

This website may be useful to work with figures when calculating your budget.

http://www.faqs.org/qa/qa-8309.html

 

If you would like to you other resources than those listed, try the following Search Engines:

 

Google

http://www.google.com/

Yahoo

http://www.yahoo.com/

 

Evaluation/Rubric:

 

The following rubric will be used to evaluate your final project.

 

A 100-90 points        This is an excellent project that has well thought, detailed entries and includes all of the data necessary to complete the assignment.

 

B  89-80 points         This is a solid project that has all of the necessary requirements and includes entries and data to complete the assignment.

 

C 79-70 points          This is a satisfactory project that fulfilled the necessary requirements with no extra effort or time involved.

 

D 69-60 points          This is a below average project that doesn’t include all the necessary requirements to complete the project.

 

F below 60 pts           This is an incomplete project with little or no requirements fulfilled to complete the project.

                                   

                                                           

Conclusion:

 

This WebQuest enables students to get a glimpse of a culture that has an influence on life here in the United States.  You will become more comfortable using the internet as a resource for travel and leisure.  There is an opportunity to apply teaching in the classroom to outside experiences.  Preparing for a trip is something most people will have to do.  Various subject areas are covered with this type of activity;  math – figuring expenditures,  english – daily journal, history and social studies – experiencing another country first hand.  These skills allow students to see the value in what they are learning.