Design a Country Task

Task Overview
This activity can take between 1 and 4 hours depending on the number of competitions you do and the planning time you give students.  In this task, students work in teams to create fictional countries.  After, countries compete in a series of activities.  


Task Outcomes

• Communicate in speaking
• Negotiate and choose
• Perform and present 
• Learn and use geographical and political vocabulary

Resources

• 1-4 hours
• Whiteboard
• Art supplies for posters, etc.

Set Up

• Split students into 3-5 groups.

Team Goals

• Teams must create the country with the resources they have and win a series of competitions.

Actions



Activity 1

• Teams create a country name, slogan, flag, and anthem.
• They present these to the group.
• The best ideas receive points.

Activity 2

• Students brain storm natural resources countries may have (e.g. oceans, trees, mountains, fertile land, etc.).
• Teams discuss and rank natural resources based on utility to a country.
• Teams draft resources.
• Teams present on three main topics: energy, economy, and tourism.

Activity 3

• Countries compete in architectural challenges using the material in the school.  
• Tallest, most creative, or most useful buildings are possible competitions.  

Activity 4
Teams participate in simulated trade negotiations based on products from their fictional countries.




Rules

• Rules are establoshed by the teacher before each activity,and students are expected to follow those rules or lose points.  

Results

• The country with the most points wins.

Feedback and Reflection

• Teacher calculates points and awards one team the victory.
• Teacher and students reflect on activities and task completion and success.  
• Teacher leads students to investigate other strategies or method for success in this particular task.

Conversation Questions

• Which activity was the most fun?
• Which activity was your team best at?
• Which activity was the most difficult for your team?
• Which activity would you add to this competition?
• Which resource do you wish you had chosen?
• Which resource did not make the list but is also very important?

Task Variations

• Any activities can be used here as students focus on competition victory for their countries.  

Emerging Language

• When students rank the natural resources, they will use comparatives and superlatives.
• When students discuss plans with the group, they will use opinion language (e.g. I think we should, What about if we, etc.)
• Geographical terms will emerge as will energy generation vocabulary.