Secondary Language Arts Teacher Travel Agency

Curriculum page : Language Arts Curriculum : Language Arts Lesson Plans

Appropriate for Grade: 7

Supporting Mastery of Outcome(s): 702, 706, 707, 708, 709, 710

Lesson Objectives: Students will...

1. access and browse a web site for important information on a specific country.
2. take notes with the idea of influencing clients to visit this country.
3. process their notes to develop a sales brochure about the country -- utilizing both text and visual aids.
4. outline a speech which will highlight significant information about the country.
5. use sales techniques (persuasion) to sell their ideas.
6. present a speech in a professional and organized manner.

Time Needed to Complete the Lesson: 10 Periods of 35 or 40 Minutes -- The first five days are in the computer lab. The second five days are in the classroom.

Materials Needed to Complete the Lesson:

1. A list of all the countries on a continent -- for example, all the countries in Africa
2. A packet for students to record their notes
3. Five 3x5 note cards for each student
4. Sebranek, Patrick, Verne Meyer, and Dave Kemper. WriteSource2000.
        1st ed. Burlington, Wisconsin: WriteSource Publishing House, 1990.
5. Access to a program such as Clarisworks -- a word processing program with clipart available

Web Site Required to Complete the Lesson: http://www.wtgonline.com/country/sd/gen.html

Lesson Procedures:

Overview: Students will pretend they have just been hired by the Teacher Travel Agency as a travel agent. It is their job to present a 3-5 minute speech on a specific country to their clients (the rest of the class and the teacher). The ir goal is to inform future travelers about the country and to persuade them to visit the country as well. They will accomplish this by researching their country on the Internet, by selecting interesting facts about their country, by using these facts to create the perfect vacation package for their country, and by giving an oral presentation using professional, sales techniques. A detailed travel brochure also will be included as a visual aid.

Day One: The project is introduced. Students select or are given a country. It may be helpful to discuss with the students what information may be helpful to travelers, i.e., weather conditions in the country, passport regulations, inte resting tourist attractions, etc. Students are introduced to the web site. This web site is used by actual travel agents. With the time remaining, students are to browse this web site and tak e notes on information which they feel would be of interest to their clients.

Day Two: Students continue to research the web site and to take notes on their countries.

Day Three: Using their notes and a simple design program, such as Clarisworks, students begin to create a two-fold brochure. This brochure promotes travel to their country. Remind the students that their brochure is going to be part of t heir oral sales presentation. They have to be more convincing than the next salesperson if they want their prospective clients to choose their plan.

1. Note: If time permits, this could be a good place to discuss advertising and the use of propaganda techniques.
2. Note: Some students may need help with designing a brochure. You might pick up a few samples from a travel agency and talk to the students about headlines, bullets, balance, etc.

Day Four: Students continue to work on their brochure.

Day Five: Students complete work on their brochure and mount the brochure on a piece of black construction paper to give their presentation a professional look.

Day Six: Discuss how to outline a speech or sales presentation. Using their note cards, students will outline their sales presentations. Consult WriteSource 2000, Sections 388-398, for help with organizing and presenting a speech.

Note: It is helpful to have each note card identified by a new number on the outline.

1. Card #1 (Introduction)
   1. Use an attention getter (to gain the interest of the audience).
   2. Briefly list the three main features/attractions of your country.

2. Card #2 (Body -- Sections II-IV. Support these with facts and details from your research.)
   Present the first feature/attraction.

3. Card #3 (Body)
   Present the second feature/attraction.

4. Card #4 (Body)
   Present the third feature/attraction.

5. Card #5 (Conclusion)
   1. Display brochure.
   2. Ask clients to commit to your plan.

Name _______________ Class Period ____ Country ___________

Quality of Information Presented:
	Pertinent Information Presented	_____/20 points
	Information Persuasive	_____/20 points
Quality of Presentation
	Voice/Diction/Language Usage (Projection, Pronunciation, Enunciation)	_____/20 points
	Eye Contact	_____/20 points
	Body Language	_____/20 points
Total Points		_____/100 points

Day Seven: Complete the preparation of sales presentations. Practice presentations. Note: This is an excellent opportunity for a guest speaker, someone in sales, to speak to the students about careers in sales, giving presentations, being professional, etc.

Day Eight: Give sales presentations.

Day Nine: Continue sales presentations.

Day Ten: Finish sales presentations and travel agency unit.

Lesson Assessment: Students will be successful in this lesson if they are able to...

1. access and browse a web site for important information on a specific country.
2. take notes.
3. process their notes, do research, and develop a sales brochure -- utilizing both text and visual aids.
4. outline a speech.
5. use sales techniques (persuasion) to sell their ideas.
6. present a speech in a professional and organized manner.