Webquest

INTRODUCTIONSo, you want to travel to London, do you? And you think it is easy, do you? Well, prove it! First, you need to download the activity sheet and print it. You must use it to keep a record of all the things you do during this webquest. Now, let's make sure that you know a few basic things about London. Do this quiz and see how much you really know about London. Write down your score in the activity sheet. Then come back here and continue reading... ... So, what was your score in the quiz? Click on the correct option: Less than 30% Between 31% and 60% Between 61% and 99% 100% We also have a treasure hunt to show you around London. Surf the Internet sites that we recommend and write in your activity sheet the answers to 20 questions about London. Finished? Well, now you have learnt a few things about London, you are ready to start planning your trip. Good luck!

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TASK You have to organise a trip to London for the whole class with two teachers. Before we begin, you should download and print the activity sheet to write down all the things you do. On the first day your teacher will present this webquest, and you can go through the introduction activities at home or in the computer room. Don't forget to fill in your activity sheet for that day. Your teacher could ask you to bring your activity sheet for revision occasionally. When you finish the treasure hunt, you must give your activity sheet to your teacher. After reading the information in this section you need to make groups. You will work in groups of 5 or 6 people (your teacher will decide). There are four tasks to do. Tasks 1, 2, and 3 include planning the trip, transportation and accomodation. Task 4 consists in dividing the trip into equal parts (one to three days each) and planning the activities you want to do during your visit to London. Each member of the group can do one task, or you can work in pairs or threes to do some tasks, or the whole group can do all the tasks together. You choose how you want to work. If there are only 5 students in your group, one student has to do tasks 1 and 2. For task 4 three of you will have to work together for some time, to decide what you want to do every day; then you can divide the work in three parts and each person can do one part, or you can all work together. Even if you are working individually, you will have to coordinate with the other members in your team. For example, you need to know how many days your trip will last before you can decide which type of accommodation is best; you need to know what time you will arrive at your accommodation before you decide on the activities for that day, etc. When you fininsh the planning stage, you have to present your trip plan to the rest of the class. You have to show what you want to do, when, and how much it costs. You can use a PowerPoint or OpenOffice presentation, a .pdf file, a web page, a Word document, etc. The rest of the class have to evaluate your work and give you marks. The plan that gets the highest marks is what we could do in the future - for real! Now think about what kind of trip you want, and go on to the process section to learn what you have to do in detail. Option 1: we want a relaxed trip, with lots of free time to walk around or go shopping. Option 2: we want a cheap trip, spending just what is essential. Option 3: we want an unforgettable trip, doing all sorts of things and missing nothing! Money's no problem! You can also combine several options: how about a cheap trip, doing all sorts of cheap things and with a little time for walking around (but no shopping, 'cos it's expensive)?

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PROCESS Task 1: You have to decide on a date for your trip. Learn about the weather in London and choose the most convenient time of the year. Perhaps you want to know when there are famous celebrations in London. Remember, you have to convince the rest of your group and the class that your choices are the best! You also have to decide how long the trip is going to be. Less than 3 days is too short, more than 7 is probably too expensive! There are several airports in London. You have to decide which airport is the cheapest or the most convenient. Don't forget the option that your team has chosen! Don't forget to keep your classmates informed of your decisions, because they have to decide how to get to the airport, and how to get from there to the place where you will stay at night Task 2: You have to coordinate with the person doing task 1, or two of you can do tasks 1 and 2. You have to find out about flight timetables, and ticket prices to and from the Spanish airport to the airport that your teammate has chosen. You also have to decide about transportation from your town to the Spanish airport, and viceversa. Don't forget the option that you have chosen, and keep in mind the cost of each journey by bus, train and plane until you are in London. Task 3: You have to coordinate with the person or people doing task 2, or two of you can do tasks 2 and 3, or three of you can do tasks 1, 2 and 3. Decide which kind of accomodation you want (hotel, bed and breakfast, or youth hostel). Find out if you can book in advance enough rooms for everybody, how much they cost and what they include. Find out when your plane arrives in London, and how to get to the place where you want to stay. Find out about public transport (bus, train, underground) to get to your hotel or hostel. Think also about the return flight, what time you need to get to the airport, and how you can get there. You need to give your teammates in charge of task 4 precise information about how much time they have to organise your visit to London. Tasks 4: The three people who do this task have to coordinate with the person or people doing task 3, or four of you can do tasks 3 and 4, or five of you can do tasks 2, 3 and 4, or all of you can do tasks 1 to 4. First you have to decide where you want to go, what you want to see and do, and how long you want to have for free-time or optional activities. Then you have to plan every day: activities, timetable, transportation, meals, and total cost. Don't forget to check entrance fees, opening dates and times, and situation of all the monuments, museums, etc. that you want to visit. Check whether there are discounts for big groups or for students.

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SOURCES OF INFORMATIONGENERAL / TOURISTIC INFORMATION: http://answers.yahoo.com/What's London like? http://www.londontown.com/ http://london.allinfo-about.com/ http://www.visitlondon.com/ http://www.londonforfun.com/ http://wikitravel.org/en/London http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/England-History/ LONDON MONUMENTS: http://www.visitlondon.com/maps/podcasts/greenwich-video-podcast http://blog.visitlondon.com/watch-tower-bridge-live/ http://www.hrp.org.uk/toweroflondon/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Heathrow_Airport http://www.kew.org/ http://www.londoneye.com/ http://www.royalparks.org.uk/ INFORMATION ABOUT FLIGHTS: http://www.cheapflights.co.uk/ http://www.lowfares.com http://www.travel-ticker.com http://www.sidestep.com http://www.onetravel.com INFORMATION ABOUT TRANSPORT: http://www.rail.co.uk/ http://www.transportdirect.info/Web2/Home.aspx http://www.tfl.gov.uk/ INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOMODATION: http://www.travelstay.com/ http://www.bedandbreakfasts.co.uk/uk-london.asp http://www.london30.com/ http://catalogue.horse21.net/united+kingdom+hotels/london+hotels http://www.6london.com/tour-packages-to-london/london-accommodation.html VIDEOCLIPS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6AtTODGt6A How to save money in London http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeTWLL6gPfQ European Travel Tips: How to Eat in London on the Cheap http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG0SwZJ5tyQ Things to Do in London for $10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LiYYAsWWRo Travel Tips: Free Things to Do in London, England http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q7qaWEqDto Travel Tips: List of Top Things to See in London http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2nS14ZVJgQ London Pass (publicity)

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PRESENTATIONWhen you finish your work, you have to present your trip plan to the class. Each member of the team will present the part they worked on. However, if you did some task in pairs or groups, you can divide the presentation among yourselves (see the process section). Every member of the group must present at least one part of your work. You can use the computer and the projector to show your plan to the class. You can bring to the classroom a pendrive with all the information you need: maps, photos, written documents (with Word, .html pages, Powerpoint or OpenOffice presentations, .pdf documents, etc.) IMPORTANT: you should bring your material to your teacher a few days before you present it, so that we can make sure that we have all the necessary programs to see your presentation correctly.

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EVALUATIONThe other students have to evaluate your team's work and how you present it. And you have to evaluate all the other students' work. First, download and print your evaluation sheet. Each student will have a specific evaluation sheet to fill in while they listen to your presentation. Every student will have a common evaluation sheet to fill in after they listen to your presentation. Each member of a team will concentrate on evaluating one task of each presentation -- the same task that you have done in your team. Your teacher will use a similar evaluation sheet to assess your communication skills, using this rubric: Not good enough (1) Showing progress (2) Proficient (3) Excellent (4) Speaking (I) Many basic pronunciation mistakes Some basic pronunciation mistakes No basic pronunciation mistakes Very few or no pronunciation mistakes Speaking (II) Mostly reads notes or from the screen Has to read or hesitates often Fluent presentation; may be a bit hesitant Very well learnt and rehearsed Writing (I) Many basic grammar and vocabulary mistakes Some basic mistakes No basic mistakes Very few or no mistakes Writing (II) Some important information is missing Not enough information Enough information Plenty of information Writing (III) Text copied literally, causing cohesion mistakes Text copied without mistakes Text partially adapted Text written by the student Listening & assessing Some important information is missing Not enough information Enough information Plenty of information Presentation Information is clearly presented and visually attractive Not enough information Enough information Plenty of information Maximum marks 7 items x 4 marks = 28 total marks

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CONCLUSIONThe Internet can be very useful to find all kinds of information quickly. It can also save you money if you are planning a real trip, but virtual travelling can be very interesting and fun, too, and you can learn a lot of things even if you are not travelling for real! To complete this webquest, you have to: cooperate with your classmates to do a complex project, find relevant data on the Internet, process and adapt the data to turn them into useful information for you and your classmates, use new technologies to turn that information into a presentation, use new technologies to present it in a clear, interesting way that your other classmates can understand, and evaluate your classmates' work to choose the best option. All of these are highly important skills in today's world. This webquest is designed to help you become a more efficient student and worker, and a more competent user of new technologies like the Internet. Oh! One more thing: it is also designed to help you learn a lot of English!