Tangerine:
Sinkholes,
Soccer,
and
Sight

A WebQuest for 6th Grade English

Designed by

Charles Huschle
Dedham Country Day School
 
 

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits
 

For your information:

Eyesight and eye injuries web site


Introduction

Tangerine County, Florida, is the (fictional) setting for this unusual novel about memory, sight, and discovery. You are a reporter from The Boston Globe assigned to write a travel article about this area of Florida. Pretend that you are writing in order to inform people who are considering a move to this part of Florida. You will be telling them about the pros and cons of life there.


The Task

The result of this project will be an article with photographs OR a Hyperstudio presentation that objectively presents information about Tangerine County so that a potential newcomer to Tangerine will know what to expect. Although Tangerine County does not really exist, you should pretend that it is in central Florida in tangerine-growing territory, about 20 miles northwest of Orlando, FL. 


Click anywhere on the map to see this enlarged. You will be
able to notice Route 10, the highway taken by Paul's
family as they drove into Florida from Texas.

You should include information about the following:

  • weather and climate
  • schools (use the three schools mentioned in the book)
  • housing (what kinds of houses and neighborhoods are available)
  • sports
  • lifestyle
  • statistics about the area where possible
  • risks and benefits of living there
Remember that all words that are underlined and in blue are clickable links that will take you to another web site or picture. 

The Process

To accomplish the task, you will need to learn how to write an article that would be suitable for publication in a major city newspaper, in its Business or Travel section. To learn about this process, go to

and follow the lessons outlined there for you to do, from Step 1-4.

Also read the Boston Globe Sunday Travel Section to hear firsthand what a travel article sounds like.


Then, begin learning about the weather, climate, and unusual aspects of nature in the area (lightning and muck fires). 

Click the picture to learn about lightning fatalities

As you write and take notes, be sure to use statistics and real numbers whenever available:


Sinkhole in Shenandoah Valley
Go here for more information





Investigate housing in the area by checking out these sites: Remax Real Estate, and  Watson Real Estate agency.  Again, use, as many real number facts as you can: prices, locations, descriptions of the setting. Remember that your goal is to privide a newcomer with useful information about relocating to this part of Florida.
 

Find out about citrus fruits at this site. Price oranges, grapefruits, and tangerines at Bloodsgroves.com and at Ultimatecitrus.com

Find out how big a role soccer plays in the life of kids there by visiting the Florida Youth Soccer Association.

When you have accumulated enough information, and understand the skills needed to write a travel article, begin writing. Again, your goal is to present an objective picture of the Tangerine area, with as many facts and details as possible, so that your reader can decide whether moving to Tangerine would be a good thing to do or not.
 


Evaluation

Refer to the task above, compare your articles to those in the Globe, and you will understand how your work will be evaluated. In addition, your writing must be clear, interesting, and free of errors.
 
 


Conclusion

This brief webquest will have taught you more about Florida's geography, and honed your objective writing and reporting skills.


Credits & References

Thanks to Google.com for providing a wonderful search engine, and to all the sites made linkable above in this webquest. Images courtesy of AltaVista, US Geological Survey, and Scholastic Publishing.

Contact the author of this webquest at Dedham Country Day School.

Based on a template from The WebQuest Page
Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

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