Richardson_J - Week 5 inquiry learning - preview mini lesson

     Since I do not have a certification content area, I hope to make this a real and usable assignment. To that end, I ask for critique on the front.

     The community I serve in is not exciting for the teenagers in my classes. More than once per semester I hear how "boring" the small town is. Students lament over the lack of entertainment opportunities in the city or in the county. Add to that the student body I serve is over 60% economically challenged, so the entertainment options are, therefore, limited to local options. I work in Gordon County, in Northwest Georgia. The county is situated about 60 miles south of Chattanooga Tennessee, and 70 miles North of Atlanta. These two cities are what my students cite most as places they would rather be. Most of them have preconceived notions and seem to feel that their parents force them to live where they do because they are sadistic monsters - almost like living in the county was/is some sort of premeditated punishment.
 
     Why Gordon County? This assignment will/may include multiple parts - still working through details. My idea is to have the students research cultural, natural, and man made resources that might attract visitors to the county. There are worse places to live, and my students should find out what the county offers for themselves. This will be a Graphic Design project where the students will post to a Schoology blog site. The students will be divided into groups of 5 students/group, which should give a fairly diverse and geographically dispersed group. As part of the assignment, the students can develop a website to "showcase" the attractions. The research will offer authenticity to their design project in that they get to control the layout, the content, and the reach/scope of the research within the parameters of the assignment.
     The second part of the assignment is a group competition to see who can visit all of the sites from their research. This will require that the student groups have located a set number of attractions (10 is my first inclination), and that groups/group members venture outside of the city limits. All of my students live outside of the city proper, so this should be a non-issue - still working through details... The students must document their visit via photos using their hand-held device(s) and posting said pictures to twitter/instagram/facebook etc. and include some means of identifying the location (landmark/sign) and have the student(s) in the picture (selfie). The students will then give a brief "documentary"report on the site.
     The last part of the assignment is to use their data to develop a flyer/map/infographic/brochure that local businesses (hotels/restaurants/Chamber of Commerce) can use and display. The design lab offers professional quality printers so that the students can have a tactile and presentable final product. All work must be cited. All research must come from peer reviewed sources, first hand interviews, or personal and verifiable visits.

     This lesson offers an authentic(1) look at alternative entertainment opportunities in the county, and a deeper understanding(2) of the history and development of the county and city of Calhoun. The differing parts of the assignment will allow multiple opportunities for assessment(3). The research will require students to search geographical and historical information, learn to utilize Web 2.0 tools to interact with group members via social media(4). The success of the project will be determined by student interaction and reflection(5). I hope to include (invite) members of the Chamber of Commerce to speak with the classes as both guidance and information(6) to make the project significant and real.

I do not live in the county where I work. The lesson will prove a learning exercise for me as well as for the students. I know a bit about the rich history of the indigenous peoples of the county and it's significance to them. I know the county is headquarters for some of the largest flooring manufacturing companies on earth. I also know that the county has a river, access to Carters Lake, as well as a few hiking trails. It is my hope that the students develop an appreciation for the county, an understanding of why they live there, and a hope for a future there.

Now, how to put this all together as a mini-lesson...

Please respond, critique, and share your input.

Cheers, Jeff