The Scene:

You work for the National Bureau of Tourism as an economic advisor for an assigned region of the United States.  Since kids can influence their parents' choice of vacation spots, your assignment for this month is to write a commercial for the Nickelodeon cable TV channel  to convince kids that a family vacation in your region would be desirable.   

Your group will be assigned one of the following eight regions of the United States:

• Northeast, New England
• Northeast, Mid-Atlantic
• Southeast
• Midwest
• Southwest
• Rocky Mountain
• Pacific Coast
• Alaska/Hawaii

Your commercial should be directed at kids of all ages but must include information that they could "sell" to their parents.  Remember that some vacationers like to pursue wildlife and natural, outdoor activities while others prefer to explore historical sites and events in their travels.  Some like the excitement of big cities while others prefer the solitude that less densely populated areas can provide.

Part I. - The Challenge:

Use the Superstates hot list and the Scavenger Hunt page to find answers to the questions you'll find below in the "Just the facts, ma'am" link.  This will give you some background information that you will incorporate in your commercial.

Just the facts, ma'am!

Part II - Come to an Agreement:

Your group needs to:

Combine your findings from Part I.  Based on your research, decide as a group on the idea for your commercial.  Remember that the content for your commercial will have to be backed up by information about that region.

As a group, decide on a role to be assumed by each person.  These could be one of the following, or you may think of something else that fits (with your teacher's permission):

    Historian - research notable historical figures as well as famous people "then and now" as well as notable historical events and ancestral research.

    Leisure activities coordinator - research activities that the area is known for

    Geographer - Are there geographical features that would lend themselves to a particular type of show or film?

    Climatologist - Decide how the area's climate lends itself to a particular type of show or film.

    Culture specialist - Any notable cultural influences in your region, including dialects, accents, or ethnic influences.

The Product:

A commercial, written using a word processor, which would look similar to a play on paper.  Your commercial will be rehearsed and recorded by the Valle Crucis film class.  The project must include:

• The commercial itself, written using a word processor.  It will begin with a title and a list of characters followed by the script itself.
• The video produced with the help of the film class.  Your commercial must include

        - a historical reference

        - a song or a poem

        - reference to the climate in that region

        - some background information based on some of the information from the states database.  For example, you could find out how the capital was chosen for one of your states, or you could find out why a particular state bird or flower was chosen for a state in your region and then incorporate that information into your script.

        - at least two  visual aids, one of which will be graph produced on the computer.  The graph could be the one produced as a class in the "Just the facts, ma'am" activity or it could be one of your choosing based on your research.  Just make sure that it fits your region and supports the reasons for visiting your region.

        - the length of your commercial should be between 5 and 10 minutes.