Around the World



If you had a month to visit any place in the world, where would you go? Think about factors such as the climate at the time of year you would like to go, the geographic features of the region, the activities people engage in that are unique to that region, and any other factors that might influence your decision. To ensure that you consider all of your possibilities you may want to examine a globe. The region you choose could be a foreign country, a certain place within the United States or a specific region such as the Himalayan Mountains. Once you decide where you would like to go, create a list of all the things that you already know about your chosen region. Even if you are unsure about whether a certain idea you have is true, write it on your list.

Next you should consult any available resources to discover information on the place that you would visit. You may consult trade books, encyclopedias, almanacs, the Internet, CD-ROMs, and any other sources you are able to find. When you are looking for information gather some basic facts that will help other students get a general idea of what your region is like, as well as other ideas that you find interesting. Make sure that you find information that addresses each of your original ideas about the region. For example, if you think that people in Switzerland yodel, find out whether or not this is true and if it is true tell about any additional information you found on the subject. Also, be sure to report any facts that you did not originally know, but that you think may influence whether or not a person would want to visit your region.

You should first write a paragraph that tells some of the basic information that you discovered about your region. The second paragraph that you write will try to persuade someone about why they should or should not go to your region. This paragraph should discuss some of the reasons why you originally chose to visit that region, whether your ideas about the region were actually true, and some of the other important or interesting ideas about the region that would influence a person's decision to go there. Your two paragraphs should give the reader an idea of what your region is like, where it is located in the world, and at least three reasons that help explain why or why not someone should visit your region.

REMEMBER:

Did you write two paragraphs?
Did you and a friend or adult proofread your writing?
Did you revise your writing and write a neat final copy?
Did you start each paragraph with an interesting topic sentence that grabs the reader's attention?
Do you have at least three ideas in each paragraph that support your topic sentence?
Do you have a good concluding sentence that summarizes your ideas?
Do you have a transition sentence that helps the reader move from your first paragraph to your ideas in the second?
Does your first paragraph give the reader some information about your region, and does your second paragraph try to persuade the reader?
Do you have your brainstormed list of original ideas about your region, your rough draft, and your neat final copy ready to give to the teacher?

submitted by Vanessa S.



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