Delran Middle School

8th Grade Computer Literacy:

"Our Class Trip"

An integrated Computer project using the following programs:

Internet Research     
Word processor
Spreadsheet
Multimedia
Desktop publishing　
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STEP 1: INTERNET RESEARCH 

1. We are planning a (imaginary) class trip to a city of Educational Value. We will research 3 cities and then finally pick 1 for our trip once all our research is complete. 
2. Use the Internet to research 3 cities you are studying in Social Studies or cities of your choice that have educational value. Each city MUST be on a different continent. 
3. Some suggested search engines: google.com; askjeeves.com; dogpile.com; excite.com; webcrawler.com; lycos.com; yahoo.com; looksmart.com; etc.
4. Keep the Internet connection open (minimize) for STEP 2.

 

 

 

 

 

STEP 2: WORD PROCESSOR – SUMMARIES 

- Open MICROSOFT WORD to a blank document. 

- Summarize the first city with the following information in bullet point form:

 

 

- History / Culture of City: at least 3-5 bullet points (not full sentences). Do not just copy/paste. You need to "skim" the material and pull out what is important – i.e. relevant information.            

- Points of Interest: Tourist attractions, sites of historical significance, etc. Name them and their significanc

- Weather Patterns throughout year: We would need this information to bring appropriate clothing, etc.

             

1. Include ONE (not more) appropriate picture or graphic at the bottom of the page centered.

2. Save this document in your student folder using the city name as the file name. Close the document and open a new blank document. 

    

3. Repeat #2, #3, & #4 for your second and third cities; i.e. each city summary should be saved as a separate document using the city name in your

 

 

STEP 3: SPREADSHEET / INTERNET RESEARCH

 

1. Open a blank EXCEL (spreadsheet) document. 
2. Create a spreadsheet as shown below: 

1. Spreadsheet layout: 

 

 

	A	B	C	D
1	City	Package Price	Airline	Hotel
2
3
4

 

 

- Save the file as Trip Costs to your student folder.

- Leave the file open, but minimize it. 

- You will be recording pricing information in the spreadsheet shortly.

RESEARCH AIRFARES: 

1. Go to www.travelocity.com to find roundtrip airfare + hotel for each of the 3 cities you picked
2. Select "Flight + Hotel". 
3. Use Philadelphia for your departure. 
4. Length of trip is 7 days; use any dates. 
5. You will need 1 room (6 nights). Select 3 adults (we will pretend your adults for simplicity) since we will have 3 per room. 
6. Click on Search Now. 
7. Once your search is complete, you may have to scroll down the page and pick a flight and a hotel.
8. The price you are looking to find is the per person price; it should include: flight + hotel, taxes & fees. 
9. Go back to your EXCEL document and record the city, package price (price per person), airline name, hotel name in the appropriate spreadsheet boxes (cells). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-   You will need to repeat this process for each of the 3 cities. 

STEP 4: SPREADSHEET / GRAPH 

1. Create a COLUMN graph in your EXCEL spreadsheet to compare the package price of the 3 cities: 
   1. Highlight the names of the cities and the package prices (do not highlight the words "city" or "package price")
   2.  Use the Insert menu at the top of your document and click on Column, then choose a 3D-Column icon. 

   1. Click on the Layout menu tab, then click on Chart Title and place the title above the chart as "Class Trip Cost Comparison". 
   2. Click on Data Labels and Show Data Labels.

                                                iii. Re-Size the chart making it larger. 

1. You should move the data labels above each column and increase the font size and possibly change the color so that the labels are clearly visible and readable.

 

2. You should also re-color the columns by carefully selecting each column individually, then using the Format tab at the top of the page, use Shape Fill to change the color of each column.  
3. Chart should be displayed on spreadsheet page (example):

Save.

 STEP 5: WORD PROCESSOR / INTERNET RESEARCH

1. Open a blank WORD document.  
2. Create a TABLE (3 columns / 4 rows) as shown below: 

1. Example:

 

City	Currency	Exchange Rate to the US Dollar

 

 

2. Be sure to shade in the first row (with city, currency, exchange rate….).

                     b. Save the document as Exchange Rate; then leave the document open but minimize it.

 1. RESEARCH FOREIGN CURRENCY AND EXCHANGE RATE: 

1. Go to www.exchangerate.com 

 

                     b. Type in the city names, currency used for the country the city is located in, and the exchange rate to the US Dollar. 

                     c. Save.

STEP 7: CREATE A MULTI-MEDIA PRESENTATION

 

1. You will create a MICROSOFT POWERPOINT OR A PREZI (Your Choice) presentation with 10-15 slides. (Prezi will be 15-20 Paths)

 

2. Open MS PowerPoint and using the Design menu tab at the top you may select a design of choice or a blank template (if you want to create your own backgrounds).

 

3. Your slide show as a minimum should include the following slides:

 

1. A TITLE Slide: "Our Class Trip"

 

 

2. 2-3 Slides on each city you chose.

 

1. Include a few bullet points (not everything) on information you had gathered for your City Summaries in WORD.

 

1. History / Culture

 

2. Points of Interest

 

3. Weather Patterns throughout the year. 

 

3. A slide with the GRAPH that you created in your Spreadsheet (EXCEL); i.e. The Class Trip Comparison Chart.

 

4. A slide with the TABLE you created in Microsoft WORD; i.e. The Currency Exchange Rate Table.

 

5. A slide entitled MY RECOMMENDATION where you recommend a city to visit and give your reasons why.

 

6. A slide(s) entitled REFERENCE PAGE where you list web addresses and/ or hyperlinks to websites you used to gather information. 
4. Each Slide should contain the following: 

1. Appropriate Clipart, pictures, word art, etc.

 

2. An animation.

 

3. A "Slow" transition to the next slide. 

　Points to remember: 

1. When searching for pictures, use an Advanced Google search with strict filtering. 
2. Font colors/size/style should blend with the background, clipart, photos, etc. 
3. Do not use any blurry pictures and be careful of hard to read text. 
4. Use SOUND sparingly (don’t overuse); it is not necessary at all unless you want. 
5. Music is optional; i.e. you may set your slide show to a song. However, the music must be an approved song out of the MUSIC folder located on the student drive and should only be used to enhance your presentation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. BE PREPARED in case you are asked to give your presentation to the class.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

STEP 9: DESKTOP PUBLISHING / TRAVEL BROCHURE

 

1. Open MICROSOFT PUBLISHER.

 

2. Select BROCHURES on left hand side. Choose a template of your choice from the ones shown. You will be creating a tri-fold brochure.

 

3. The BROCHURE will reflect your FINAL RECOMMENDATION.

 

4. Your BROCHURE should contain the following:

 

1. A minimum of 3 appropriate pictures obtained from the Internet (use strict filtering).

 

 

2. One map of the city / country also obtained from the Internet.

 

 

3. Information on the trip should include:

 

1. Description of trip; points of interest, city/country information, expected weather, and estimated cost per person.

 

2. Hotel Information (address, phone #, possible graphic, amenities)

 

3. Flight Information (airline, date / time).

 

4. Trip Cost (per person).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. A portion of the brochure should also be set aside for a signed (detachable) permission slip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                b. A $200 Deposit should be requested of parents to reserve flights.

 

 

1. All spelling and grammar should be correct.

 

1. Your BROCHURE should have a PROFESSIONAL APPEARANCE (no silliness).

 

 

 

 

 

STEP 10: CHECKLIST

 

1. If you have not already done so, make sure you do a SPELLING / GRAMMAR check on everything!!!

 

2. When you’ve completed all 9 steps, request a PROJECT CHECKLIST to use to make sure you’ve completed ALL NECESSARY REQUIREMENTS.

 

3. You may also request a GRADING RUBRIC to use when reviewing your work to double check important grading points for each portion of your project.