Introduction
During this Web Quest, you and a partner (Optional) will do research on the country of Australia. You will collect information, drawings and photos about it and you and a partner (Optional) will report your findings to the class.

Your Task
You will pick one part of the National Geographic web site about Australia and write a reflection paper about it.

Introduction - Write a brief overview of Australia using your textbook and than use the Internet to look at one of the following sites.

Australia Through the National Geographic Lens

Wild Places The Australian Outback

The Four Corners of OZ

Australia's Lost Kingdoms

Kakadu Australia's Ancient Wilderness

Road to Sydney

Population Database

World Atlas

After viewing the site you have chosen write a reflection paper on what you have learned about Australia. All students will present the reflection paper to the class in the form of an oral report.

After you have done your reflection paper please do the following:

Draw a map of Australia

Look up and write down:

Australia's Economy :1. Major exports 2. Major imports 3. Major way the country makes money 4. What is the country's currency

Human geography of Australia: 1. Population 2. Population density 3. Culture

Physical geography of Australia: 1. The climate 2. Major Regions 3. Major Landforms 4. Land area (how many square miles) 5. Major Natural resources

Political geography of Australia: 1. Type of government 2. Leader's name 3. Major historical events

Entertainment, sports and leisure of Australia: 1. What do the people do for "FUN"? 2. Interesting places to visit - Could include major tourist attractions or "out-of-the-way" places of interest.

Resources

You are to find information on the country you have chosen through the use of books, magazines and computers. The first place to find information on your country will be your textbook. This is a great source of information.

Web Sites to use

CIA World Fact book

Encarta, MSN

Australia, worldatlas.com


Evaluation

Criteria points:
On-task commitment: Individuals or teams are focused on their project and using their time wisely. Partners work well together and share the workload. 10

Article content and style: Each report is concise, complete and focused on the topic. Articles will have an interesting introduction. 20

Photos and or drawings: A variety of photos or drawings will add to and not distract from the overall "readability" of the page. 5

Overall Layout: Reports and pictures are arranged so that the section is both "eye catching" and easy to read. 5

Oral Presentation: Presentation is interesting, clear and concise. The class gets a good overview of your country. 10


Your report should be written in your own words. If you have gotten information from the Internet you must include the sites ULRs at the end of your report. You must also give credit to the books you have used by stating their names and author at the end of the report.