Students will be asked to think of their favorite place or a place they find particularly interesting. They will draw pictures of that place and share information about it with a partner. They will conclude by designing monuments that showcase their favorite place.

Geography

Standard 4: "The physical and human characteristics of places"

Three to four hours

• Computer with Internet access
• Drawing materials

Students will

• view pictures of and discuss some special places around the world;
• describe their favorite places or the places they find the most interesting;
• sketch one of the places that interests them the most;
• discuss what makes places special;
• share their special places in pairs and with the class; and
• design monuments that showcase these interesting places.

Have students look at the pictures at the following Web sites, and tell them that these places are considered very special. In fact, they are often referred to as "wonders" of the world. Ask students to contribute words that describe why they think these places are special.

National Geographic: Xpeditions Activity—Wonderworld (click on the wonders under "Xtras")
National Park Photos
PBS: Fall of the Leaning Tower
PBS: Pyramids—The Inside Story
World Heritage Sites

Ask students to name some of the most interesting places they know of. These can be places they have visited, places in their community, or places they have seen on TV or heard other people talk about. List their responses on the board.

Ask each student to draw a sketch of one of the places he or she has mentioned and (optionally) to write a sentence answering the question "What makes this place special?"

Discuss students' pictures and sentences as a class.

Ask the class to explain what they think makes places special. They might mention physical characteristics, such as beautiful scenery, or cultural characteristics, such as friendly people.

Have students get into pairs and tell their partner a story about what it's like in the place they have chosen.

Ask students to share their partners' stories with the class.

Ask students to pretend they've been hired to create monuments to their favorite places, just as some of the "wonders" they saw on the Internet have been turned into monuments or parks. Have them create brochures which include

• a picture of what the monument will look like;
• three sentences describing why people might want to visit this place (if students can't yet write, skip this part); and
• pictures or sentences describing the things people can do there.

Have students share their brochures with the class, or display them around the room.

Have students ask their parents to list three of their favorite places in the world and to explain why they like these places. Have students choose one of the places to focus on in an interview with their parents. Have them ask these questions:

• Where is this place? Can you show me on a map?
• How many times have you been there?
• What do you like to do there?
• What is the scenery like?
• What are the people like?

Ask students to share their interview results with the class, pointing out the place on a map and telling a little about it.

National Geographic: Xpeditions Activity—Wonderworld
National Park Photos
PBS: Fall of the Leaning Tower
PBS: Pyramids—The Inside Story
World Heritage Sites