Personal History Project

After you have completed the first two columns of the KWL chart, you are ready to begin research for your project. There are four main areas that you will need to investigate on your country/countries of origin. Use the time in the library to find two print sources (books, newspapers, etc.) and two electronic sources (educational websites) on your country. Write a summary of the information you find in your Research Journal.

Geography

Location on a world map

Size of country (land area)

Climate

Topography and terrain (mountains, lakes, oceans, deserts, rivers, forests, etc)

Natural resources

People

Population

Median age

Life expectancy

Ethnic groups

Religious groups

Language(s)

Literacy rate

Cultural traditions (can include holidays/ceremonies, food, clothing, music, dance)

NOTE: You will have class time to do your research on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the next two weeks (until December 20, 2007). Once we get back from vacation, if you are still researching these topics it will be on your own time.

Projects will be presented to the entire class on:

Government:

Type of government – who has the power?

Capital city

National holidays

Suffrage – who can vote?

Description of flag

Any political upheaval? (Reasons why people would leave the country)

Economy:

Labor force – what jobs do most people have?

Main industries

Unemployment rate

Population below the poverty line