Create a Country Project 2007				Name:
Mr. Kersey						Class:

Introduction:
This project will test your research skills, your critical thinking skills, and 
give you an opportunity to do what we all would like to do: rule your own 
country.  It is pretty darn important for you to keep this sheet handy, since it
 has all the information you will need for Part 1 of this project. Oh, and you 
 ought to read this sheet.  Just carrying it around probably won't do you much 
 good.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

Part 1:  The Research
Choose a country. It may be from any continent except North or South America. 
Research your country using the following questions as a guide.  Notice how they 
focus on the Five Themes of Geography. 

Take careful notes as you research these questions.  I suggest using large 4"x6" 
index cards, but notebooks are okay too.  You will be presenting your answers to 
these questions later on in your presentation, as well as in your paper.

1.	What is the name of your country?
2.	Where is your country located? (Location)
3.	Describe the physical geography of your country.  Does it have mountains? Is 
it an island? It is landlocked?  Does it have multiple regions? (Place)
4.	Describe some of the human features of your country. What language do they 
speak? What are the major religions? What type of economic and government 
systems do they have? Are there any unique cultural features that the reader 
would find interesting? (Place)
5.	What is your country's climate or environment like? What are some ways the 
environment affects the people there? (HEI)
6.	Have the people in your country changed their environment at all? Do they 
have many cities? What about agriculture? Is there a lot of pollution? (HEI)
7.	How do good, people, and ideas travel in your country? How do they travel to 
other countries? Is there a lot of tourism? Are there many airports? Does your 
country have a lot of technology, like computers? (Movement)
8.	What are the major regions in your country? Do they have any major 
ecosystems, or climate regions like deserts, jungles, or mountain ranges? How do 
these regions affect the people in your country?

You should be sure to keep a careful record of your sources.  Write down the 
titles, authors, copyright dates, and publisher's information for any and all 
sources you use for this project.  You need to complete a properly formatted 
bibliography (MLA format) and turn it in on the day of your presentation.  You 
must use at least two printed sources for your research other than encyclopedias 
or your textbook. You may use as many sources as you like, though, including 
electronic sources.

The Written Part
Write a report that answers the questions above. It must be in paragraph form. 
Each question above should have at least one paragraph dedicated to answering 
it, although you may write more if you wish.

Use either Times New Roman or Arial fonts, both should be 12 point in size. You 
should have about 1" margins all around your paper. Use your best spelling and 
grammar.

You must include a properly formatted bibliography in MLA format, just like 
you've been taught to do.

Make sure to keep a copy of your paper and notes, because you'll need them for 
the other parts of this project.

Rough Draft is due on _______________________.

Final copy is due on _________________________.
 

Rubric for Part 1
This paper will cover almost all the standard areas, so it is important to do 
your best on each question.

For the Geography, Culture, Government, and Economics Standards the rubric is 
the same.

4 (Exemplary) Your work is outstanding. You answer the questions for this 
standard in detail, and with explanation above and beyond the minimum 
requirements. There are no spelling or grammatical mistakes. You demonstrate an 
understanding of the interconnectedness of all the themes of geography.

3 (Accomplished) Your work is good. You answer the questions for this standard 
in detail and meet or exceed the minimum requirements. There are few, if any, 
spelling or grammatical mistakes. You demonstrate some understanding of the 
interconnectedness of all the themes of geography.

2 (Improving) Your work is good in some parts, but is not yet meeting the 
standard. You fail to answer the questions for this standard completely or in 
adequate detail. There are more than a few spelling or grammatical mistakes. You 
do not demonstrate an understanding of the interconnectedness of all the themes 
of geography.

1 (Beginning) Your work is incomplete or you do not follow directions. You fail 
to answer the questions for this standard adequately. There are numerous 
spelling or grammatical mistakes.

For the Social Studies Skills and Methods Standard you either meet the 
requirement for a properly formatted bibliography, or you don't.

3 (Accomplished) You have a properly formatted bibliography.
2 (Improving) Your bibliography is not formatted properly.
1 (Beginning) You do not have a bibliography.
 
Create a Country Project 2007					Name:
Mr. Kersey							Class:

Part II: The Country
Create a country of your own. Use your imagination. The sky is the limit.  
Have fun.  Want your country to be underground?  Go for it.  Want your people to 
speak only in monosyllabic grunts?  Fine.  Do the people of your country only 
eat peanut butter and drink lemonade? Cool. Is your country a city-state in the 
middle of Cleveland? Great. There are just two rules.  First, it must be 
logical.  Don't have tropical vegetation in a desert, for example.  Second, you 
must answer the same questions for your fictional country as you did for your 
research country.  Use these questions as your checklist for making sure you 
have addressed all the necessary points for your country. Remember though that, 
like the research part of this project, you are not limited to these questions.  
You can and should go into more detail.

You do not need to write this up as a report to turn in, but you should probably 
type it up or use note cards to help you keep track of things.  You'll need all 
this information for your presentation at the end of the project.

Part II is due on: ___________________

Rubric: Your grade for this part of the project will be based on description of 
your country in the presentation. Use the rubric for Part 1 as a guide.  In your 
presentation, you will be comparing and contrasting your imaginary country with 
your research country. Your grade will be based on this. Basically, create a 
country with as much detail as possible.  I'll be showing you some examples in 
class.

 
Create a Country Project 2007					Name:
Mr. Kersey							Class:

Part III:  The Maps
It just wouldn't be a Geography project unless we had a couple of maps.  You 
need to draw two maps.  One map needs to be of your research country and one map 
needs to be of your fictional country.  Each map needs to have the following 
elements:

Each of your maps must have a key, a scale, a compass rose, and any lakes, 
rivers, mountains, or other major physical features.  They must show at least 
one city or town - your nation's capitol.  They should show any borders it has 
with other countries.  They should be colorful, creative, and neat.  They should 
be large enough to present them to a group of people.  Poster board size is a 
safe guide. Again - the more detail, the better.

Part III is due on: ___________________

Map Checklist and Rubric - Use this checklist to make sure you have all the 
necessary parts of your maps.  To meet the standard here you must meet these 
minimum requirements.

_____  Both of my maps have a key or legend.

_____  Both of my maps have a scale.

_____  Both of my maps have a compass rose.

_____  Both of my maps have the appropriate and important physical
Features (rivers, mountain ranges, etc.).

_____  Both of my maps have the nations' capitals.

_____  My maps show any borders with other countries (if applicable).

_____  My maps are creative, colorful, and neat. They reflect my best effort.

_____  My maps are large enough for use in a presentation (poster board
	size).

This part of the project applies to the Geography Standard.
3 (Accomplished) Your maps meet the above minimum requirements. It is detailed 
and demonstrates effort.

2 (Improving) Your maps meet most, but not all, of the above requirements. They 
may not reflect your best effort.

1 (Beginning) Your maps do meet the above requirements or they do not reflect 
effort.

Create a Country Part IV: The Presentation				Name:
Mr. Kersey

Okay, you did it. You’ve created a sweet country and researched a real one. You’ve drawn
a couple of awesome maps and you are ready to show it all off. Here’s your chance.

Directions: Present your project to the class following the simple guidelines below.

o	Your presentation should be 5-7 minutes long. No more, no less. You may have
an additional 3 minutes for questions if necessary.
o	Present the main points about both your created country and your researched
country to compare and contrast the two. Use the guiding questions you received for parts
one and two to guide you.
o	You will not be able to present all the information in the time allotted, so plan
what you will say carefully. DO NOT just read from your written report.
o	Use visual aids like your maps, other drawings, costumes, Power Point slides,
music, etc.
o	Be ready to answer intelligent questions about your country.

Rubric: This part of the project applies to the Social Studies Skills and Methods Standard.

4 (Exemplary): Your research and/or presentation is flawless.  You use visual aids and
engage the listener beyond the expected level.  Your research may be far more in depth than
expected.
3 (Accomplished): Your presentation is practiced, smooth, engaging, and within the time
guidelines.  You do not read from your notes or Power Point, but only use them as an aid. 
Your research is complete.
2 (Improving): Your presentation runs too long or too short.  You might have read from 
your notes or Power Point slides a little bit.  Your presentation may not have employed 
visual aids well.  Your research may be lacking in certain areas.
1 (Beginning): Your presentation does not meet the minimum requirements at all.  You have 
not practiced your presentation.  Your research may be far below the minimum.

Notes: