Exploring Australia’s Geography - Webquest

You are about to embark on an exploration in the Land Down Under. Bonzer!

Now, imagine you are a television producer traveling to Australia to plan a documentary about the geography of the continent. You will explore in a hot air balloon sailing over Australia.  Because Australia is a whole continent, it varies greatly in terrain.   On your journey you will explore everything from the Australian Outback to the Australian Alps. Get ready for an adventure!

Using the web links listed below you will explore Australia's geography. As you visit Australia's features and attractions you will be keeping a journal to be used later in the production of your documentary. Your journal will be a record of the places you visit and things you learn.

In your journal you will:

    * draw a map of Australia

    * label the map with the places you visit throughout your journey

    * write a couple paragraphs about each feature you visit

    * compose a brief script for your documentary about your favorite place in 

      Australia

Format of your Journal

Create a new folder in your social studies folder and name it “Australia Webquest”. 

You should type each of your journal entries in separate Word documents.  Then save all journal entries in your new “Australia Webquest” folder.  You will also save your script in this folder.  When you finish with all of your work, print the pages of your journal and put them together in a book format. You should create a cover page for your journal with an appropriate title,  graphic, and your name, date, class period, and teacher.  Your journal should be arranged in the following order:

• Cover page

• Map

• Journal entries

• Script

Journal Entries

You will type a journal entry for each feature you visit on your flight across Australia.  In the entry, discuss where the feature is located, what kind of structure it is, how it was formed, and any other interesting facts you learn. End each page with a couple of sentences on whether or not you liked that particular feature and why.

Documentary Script

Your script will be an expansion of one of your journal entries. Choose one of the places you visited that you found to be really interesting. Create a script that explains everything noted in your journal entry, but go into further detail.  Note:  You will not actually be creating a documentary.  You will simply be writing the script for one.  You should also include a graphic of your place to give your staff an idea of what they will be working with.

Let’s Begin!

1.  Visit the Map of Australia webpage.

Look over the political and physical maps to get a general understanding of where places are located in Australia. Read through the facts to learn some basic information about the continent.

2. Draw an outline map of Australia using the webpage as a reference.  (Use plain white paper for your map).  The only thing you should add to the map now is the capital city.  As you continue on your adventure, be sure to mark each place you visit to your map by drawing a representative picture and labeling the place appropriately.

3. Visit the Australian landforms webpage.

Read through some of the facts on the page. Choose four of the landforms to explore further.

4. Label each of the features you chose in step 3 on your map.

5. Using the information on the landforms webpage, the additional sites listed below, and resources you can access through the LMC website explore the landforms you chose and write a two paragraph journal entry about each.  See above for “Format of your Journal” for entry guidelines. 

6. Choose one place in Australia that you found really interesting and would like to visit. Write a script for the narrator of your documentary about that place. Include all the information you found most interesting and important, but also be sure to add where it is located, how it was formed, and why it is significant. See “Documentary Script” for more information about how to write your script. 

Rubric

_____/5    Cover Page – includes appropriate title, graphic, name, date, period, and teacher.

_____/20    Journal Entries – each entry clearly explains the landform giving all pertinent details and also provides an opinion. 

_____/10    Map – landforms are clearly labeled and identified with a hand drawn picture.  Map is colorful, neat, and approximates the true shape of Australia.  The capital city is labeled.

_____/10    Documentary Script – expands upon one of the chosen landforms, is creative and informative, provides all required information.  Script should be no more than two pages. 

_____/10    Grammar/Formatting – all work (except map) is typed in the proper format (12 point, double spaced).  No spelling, grammar, or usage errors are present. 

Total _____/55    _____%    _____

So, how was your flight? You've learned a lot about Australia's landscape and geographical features. You are all set to take a vacation to Australia. Here are a few more web sites about Australia for you to check out.

Official Australian Tourism Site

http://www.australia.com/

Guide to Australia

http://www.csu.edu.au/australia/

Lonely Planet Australian Travel Guide

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/pacific/australia/

Australia ThinkQuest

http://library.thinkquest.org/28994/

Australia Quizes and Games

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/school/australia/Australiaquiz.shtml

http://www.quia.com/quiz/126559.html

http://members.aol.com/bowermanb/australiagames.html