Middle School European History Webquests

The Loire Valley is famous for beautiful castles like Chambord and Chenonceau, but France is loaded with hundreds of other gorgeous historic castles! With this project, your students will research one of 25 famous French châteaux, create captivating travel videos, present their videos to the class, and vote to select the top 3 castles. This unique student-led virtual field trip combines research, creativity, presentation skills, and cultural understanding, offering an interactive and fun learning experience. It can be tied into units on French culture, history, geography, and architecture. Not only will you have busy students for a week while they develop individualized projects, but the grading is made easy too!
Depending on language level, projects can be completed in French or English. Get ready to ignite a passion for French language and culture in your classroom one country at a time!

Key Features of the Project:

1. Real-Life Application: This project taps into the real-life context of travel, allowing students to explore 25 châteaux across France and practice language skills in a meaningful way.

2. Research and Inquiry: Students conduct research on a specific châteaux enhancing their critical thinking and information-gathering abilities.

3. Cultural Awareness: The project fosters cultural understanding as students delve into the significance of each castle within the rich context of French culture and history.

4. Creative Expression: Students showcase their creativity by producing engaging travel videos, enhancing their communication and storytelling abilities.

5. Collaboration and Peer Learning: Students present their videos to the class, encouraging peer learning, active listening, and cross-cultural appreciation.

6. Competitive Element: The voting aspect adds an element of friendly competition, fueling excitement and motivation in the classroom.

7. Language Proficiency (Optional depending on level): Through script creation, video production, and oral presentations, students sharpen their language skills in writing, speaking, and listening.

Project Includes detailed notes to teacher with implementation schedule, list of 25 châteaux, project instruction sheet for students, storyboard templates, guided presentation notes with voting sheets for presentations and grading rubric.

Project works well for any level of upper school French (Foundations of French, French Exploratory, Middle School French, French 1, 2, 3, 4, and can even be modified for AP French),

Let's embark on this enriching virtual field trip around the world together!

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Studying the Age of Exploration? This fun and informative webquest will be a great resource to use with your students(grades 4-8)

There are 14 questions and lots of extension activities and links. There are also comprehension questions to use after the completion of the web quest.

NOTE: If you'd like a student version so you can use it with Google Classrooms and not have the teacher section with the key, just email me via Q/A and I will be happy to send you a copy.

NOTE: Columbus,Magellan, Prince Henry, Henry Hudson, Vasco Da Gama, Marco Polo, Juan Ponce de Leon, Sir Francis Drake, Amerigo Vespucci are covered. Also

Latitude/longitude, sea monsters,navigational tools, timelines,St. Brendan, Zheng He, Vikings are mentioned in extension activities.

Perhaps, these additional resources may be of interest:

1. Why not also try my Secret Message activity on the Age of Exploration? The activity involves students working individually or in groups to review the Age of Exploration. Then,a following direction activity is next where students place letters from the different answers into boxes found at the end of the activity page. Once all the boxes are filled, a "secret message" about the Age of Exploration is revealed! The teacher page includes additional information to share about the "secret message". It's a fun way to reinforce important terms/people of the Age of Exploration!

Age of Exploration Secret Message Review Activity

2. Learn about Christopher Columbus with this informative play. There are 10 questioners asking questions of Columbus. Additionally, comprehension questions and discussion questions are included. Use with a unit on the Age of Discovery or during October for Columbus Day. https://www.TeachShare.com/Product/Christopher-Columbus-A-Readers-Theater-Script-6442153?st=e6509cb307590b568f10de129b39b885

3. Use this informative Reader's Theater Script to learn about Marco Polo. Marco Polo helped to start the Age of Discovery with his book on his adventures to China. The fun/informative play uses the format of Marco Polo being a guest on a talk show and the studio audience asks questions about his life. Part of my Ms. Bie Ografee's Talk Show Series. Marco Polo, A Reader's Theater Script

4. Studying the Vikings? Looking for a Reader's Theater Script in Social Studies? Check out this script on the Vikings and Leif Ericsson and his father, Erik the Red.

Part of my Ms. Bie Ografee Talk Show Series of plays, Leif Ericsson and his father, Eric the Red are guests on Ms. Bie Ografee's Talk Show. They share information about their lives and the Vikings. There is a Did You Know? section of fun facts, reading comprehension questions and a teacher section with lots of extension activities, links and the key.The Vikings(Interview with Leif Erikkson and Erik the Red): A Reader's Theater Script

5. Hanno, Phoenician Sea Explorer: Hanno, Phoenician Sea Explorer

6. Ferdinand Magallan: In 1519, Ferdinand Magellan set out on an amazing adventure, in an attempt to voyage around the world. Although he did not complete the journey, several of his crew did complete the trip. This Reader's Theater Script provides lots of information about the Age of Exploration and Magellan's voyage in a fun/informative method. There are 13 audience questions, Did you Know? fun facts, comprehension questions and a teacher page with extension activities, key and additional links for teachers.https://www.TeachShare.com/Product/Ferdinand-Magellan-Explorer-During-the-Age-of-DiscoveryReaders-Theater-Script-7138136

Want to introduce your students to different countries of the world? My Country in Focus series, highlights a country with a web quest, some fun facts and some extension activities. The first in the series is Iceland. It would be a great one day activity for before a vacation or for an enrichment activity.

You may find these other Countries in Focus of interest:

1. Russia: This webquest of 10 questions will enable young people to learn lots of information on the country of Russia! Extension activities, resources, fun facts,key. Skills include:reading for information and using research/computer skills. Russia, A Webquest

2. Australia: Want to introduce your students to different countries of the world? My Country in Focus series, highlights a country with a web quest, some fun facts and some extension activities. There is also a mapskill activity. Try Australia. I also have a Country in Focus on Switzerland,India and Iceland. It would be a great one day activity for before a vacation, for an enrichment activity or for a substitute.

Australia, A World Focus Webquest

3. Switzerland:

Did you know that a Swiss man named Bertrand Piccard was the first person to circumnavigate the earth in a hot-air balloon? Did you know that the first chocolate bar was made in Switzerland back in 1819? Learn more about this mountainous country with this informative webquest on Switzerland!

Mapwork, 9 web questions, extension activities and key...

Want to introduce your students to different countries of the world? My Country in Focus series, highlights a country with a web quest, some fun facts and some extension activities. It would be a great one day activity for before a vacation or for an enrichment activity. Switzerland, Country in Focus Webquest

4. India:Country in Focus,is a web quest, with additional fun facts and extension activities. Did you know that it was ancient India which gave the world the idea of the zero? The game Chutes and Ladders comes from an Indian board game. More people speak English in India than in the United States? Skills include:reading for information and using research/computer skills. India, Country in Focus Webquest

5. Greece: Use this informative web quest as an introduction to the country of Greece. Greece, Country in Focus Webquest

6. China: A great resource that helps develop skills such as reading for information and using research and computer skills. This web quest gives students an overview to the country: map skills, info on panda bears, Great Wall, Terra Cotta Solders-more. Extension activities/key (12 page resource with 10 informational web questions).China, A Country in Focus Webquest

Learn about the country of Brazil with this informational web quest. There is also a map skill activity and fun facts. Additionally, there is a teacher page with extension activities and additional links.

Although the map skill/webquest can be completed in one session, if you opt to do the extension activity, additional days could be used. Brazil, Country in Focus-A Webquest <2016 Olympics will be held in Brazil!)

ALSO, CHECK OUT MY READING PASSAGE on ICELAND.

Part of my new series, World Passport, students learn about Iceland reading a diary from a young person visiting a country of the world. There are five diary entries sharing the culture, famous places and some language of the country, in this case, Iceland.

The resource includes a Did You Know section, a map skill activity, comprehension questions, a teacher section with extension activities and the key. Iceland, A Reading Passage

Perhaps, you might like to follow my TeachShare Store. Click by the green star by my photograph. I send monthly notes and have specials from time to time.

Studying the Age of Exploration? This fun and informative webquest will be a great resource to use with your students(grades 4-8)

There are 14 questions and lots of extension activities and links. There are also comprehension questions to use after the completion of the web quest.

NOTE: If you'd like a student version so you can use it with Google Classrooms and not have the teacher section with the key, just email me via Q/A and I will be happy to send you a copy.

NOTE: Columbus,Magellan, Prince Henry, Henry Hudson, Vasco Da Gama, Marco Polo, Juan Ponce de Leon, Sir Francis Drake, Amerigo Vespucci are covered. Also

Latitude/longitude, sea monsters,navigational tools, timelines,St. Brendan, Zheng He, Vikings are mentioned in extension activities.

Perhaps, these additional resources may be of interest:

1. Why not also try my Secret Message activity on the Age of Exploration? The activity involves students working individually or in groups to review the Age of Exploration. Then,a following direction activity is next where students place letters from the different answers into boxes found at the end of the activity page. Once all the boxes are filled, a "secret message" about the Age of Exploration is revealed! The teacher page includes additional information to share about the "secret message". It's a fun way to reinforce important terms/people of the Age of Exploration!

Age of Exploration Secret Message Review Activity

2. Learn about Christopher Columbus with this informative play. There are 10 questioners asking questions of Columbus. Additionally, comprehension questions and discussion questions are included. Use with a unit on the Age of Discovery or during October for Columbus Day. https://www.TeachShare.com/Product/Christopher-Columbus-A-Readers-Theater-Script-6442153?st=e6509cb307590b568f10de129b39b885

3. Use this informative Reader's Theater Script to learn about Marco Polo. Marco Polo helped to start the Age of Discovery with his book on his adventures to China. The fun/informative play uses the format of Marco Polo being a guest on a talk show and the studio audience asks questions about his life. Part of my Ms. Bie Ografee's Talk Show Series. Marco Polo, A Reader's Theater Script

4. Studying the Vikings? Looking for a Reader's Theater Script in Social Studies? Check out this script on the Vikings and Leif Ericsson and his father, Erik the Red.

Part of my Ms. Bie Ografee Talk Show Series of plays, Leif Ericsson and his father, Eric the Red are guests on Ms. Bie Ografee's Talk Show. They share information about their lives and the Vikings. There is a Did You Know? section of fun facts, reading comprehension questions and a teacher section with lots of extension activities, links and the key.The Vikings(Interview with Leif Erikkson and Erik the Red): A Reader's Theater Script

5. Hanno, Phoenician Sea Explorer: Hanno, Phoenician Sea Explorer

6. Ferdinand Magallan: In 1519, Ferdinand Magellan set out on an amazing adventure, in an attempt to voyage around the world. Although he did not complete the journey, several of his crew did complete the trip. This Reader's Theater Script provides lots of information about the Age of Exploration and Magellan's voyage in a fun/informative method. There are 13 audience questions, Did you Know? fun facts, comprehension questions and a teacher page with extension activities, key and additional links for teachers.https://www.TeachShare.com/Product/Ferdinand-Magellan-Explorer-During-the-Age-of-DiscoveryReaders-Theater-Script-7138136

Want to introduce your students to different countries of the world? My Country in Focus series, highlights a country with a web quest, some fun facts and some extension activities. The first in the series is Iceland. It would be a great one day activity for before a vacation or for an enrichment activity.

You may find these other Countries in Focus of interest:

1. Russia: This webquest of 10 questions will enable young people to learn lots of information on the country of Russia! Extension activities, resources, fun facts,key. Skills include:reading for information and using research/computer skills. Russia, A Webquest

2. Australia: Want to introduce your students to different countries of the world? My Country in Focus series, highlights a country with a web quest, some fun facts and some extension activities. There is also a mapskill activity. Try Australia. I also have a Country in Focus on Switzerland,India and Iceland. It would be a great one day activity for before a vacation, for an enrichment activity or for a substitute.

Australia, A World Focus Webquest

3. Switzerland:

Did you know that a Swiss man named Bertrand Piccard was the first person to circumnavigate the earth in a hot-air balloon? Did you know that the first chocolate bar was made in Switzerland back in 1819? Learn more about this mountainous country with this informative webquest on Switzerland!

Mapwork, 9 web questions, extension activities and key...

Want to introduce your students to different countries of the world? My Country in Focus series, highlights a country with a web quest, some fun facts and some extension activities. It would be a great one day activity for before a vacation or for an enrichment activity. Switzerland, Country in Focus Webquest

4. India:Country in Focus,is a web quest, with additional fun facts and extension activities. Did you know that it was ancient India which gave the world the idea of the zero? The game Chutes and Ladders comes from an Indian board game. More people speak English in India than in the United States? Skills include:reading for information and using research/computer skills. India, Country in Focus Webquest

5. Greece: Use this informative web quest as an introduction to the country of Greece. Greece, Country in Focus Webquest

6. China: A great resource that helps develop skills such as reading for information and using research and computer skills. This web quest gives students an overview to the country: map skills, info on panda bears, Great Wall, Terra Cotta Solders-more. Extension activities/key (12 page resource with 10 informational web questions).China, A Country in Focus Webquest

Learn about the country of Brazil with this informational web quest. There is also a map skill activity and fun facts. Additionally, there is a teacher page with extension activities and additional links.

Although the map skill/webquest can be completed in one session, if you opt to do the extension activity, additional days could be used. Brazil, Country in Focus-A Webquest <2016 Olympics will be held in Brazil!)

ALSO, CHECK OUT MY READING PASSAGE on ICELAND.

Part of my new series, World Passport, students learn about Iceland reading a diary from a young person visiting a country of the world. There are five diary entries sharing the culture, famous places and some language of the country, in this case, Iceland.

The resource includes a Did You Know section, a map skill activity, comprehension questions, a teacher section with extension activities and the key. Iceland, A Reading Passage

Perhaps, you might like to follow my TeachShare Store. Click by the green star by my photograph. I send monthly notes and have specials from time to time.