NATIONAL PARK PROJECT
This presentation must be completed in Google Slides. If you haven't used Google Slides before, it is so easy. Google it and you will have the necessary tools mastered in about 5 minutes. It really is quite easy.
The instructions on this page will take some time to go through. This project is worth 50 points which is 10% of your semetser grade, so please take your time and read through the instructions carefully before submitting anything.
PLEASE NOTE - If you are using a google account through RESA or the Blue Water Middle College, please contact me via e-mail before you start your project. There are some restrictions on your google account and we will need to work around those restrictions. It's much tougher to take care of this after you've created a presentation, so please send me an e-mail as soon as you can.
You need to pick a National Park from the list below. This is first come, first served. Send me an e-mail requesting your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice in a single e-mail (just to be safe and save time). Maybe pick something that you aren't familiar with. There is not a boring Park on the list. No matter what you end up with, it is an amazing place! Go ahead and scroll to the bottom of this page and pick something. I will respond to you as quickly as possible with a positive or negative answer.
You will need to submit a rough draft of this project including all photos by the date listed below (based on your last name). The final project will be mostly maps and photos of the Park with short bursts of information in between. No long paragraphs allowed. You might put your audience to sleep.
Ultimately, your final project will be on display for other students in this class.
In the National Parks, they often have educational signage (interpretive signage) and they put those signs together very carefully to attract readers. They design the layout and content of the sign knowing that they have about 3 seconds to pull someone in and get them interested. Then they try not to linger too long on a single topic, but long enough to be educational. It has to be crafted very carefully. I would like you to use this same approach for each one of your slides. Don't linger! Let the photos speak for themselves and then put written information in between the photo slides. State things concisely. It is definitely an art form. I am more than happy to give you pointers, but please remember that my ideas are not necessarily better than yours.
Last name starts with A through F - submit your first attempt by the end of March 26th and I will respond with suggested revisions. Remember, you should only send a link (no attachments).
Last name starts with G through O - submit your first attempt by the end of March 22nd and I will respond with suggested revisions. Remember, you should only send a link (no attachments).
Last name starts with P through Z - submit your first attempt by the end of March 19th and I will respond with suggested revisions. Remember, you should only send a link (no attachments).
I will reply with suggestions and demands (I am so demanding).
There might be revisions to make on your revisions, so the final due date for everyone is April 16th at 11:59 p.m. Don't wait until then to submit your revisions. Nothing will be accepted after that. I would suggest submitting what you think is your final version by April 2nd. This will leave time for last-minute revisions. It is very important that you don't be late. You could lose major points on this project. The National Park Project should be a sure 50 points if you follow the instructions.
Again, this project must be completed in Google Slides.
Here is a sample presentation on Yellowstone. The first link below shows the format while someone is still working on it and the second link shows the final presentation format (which I will activate for your project once all revisions have been made):
Yellowstone 2 (use the arrows on your keyboard to navigate through this one)
Your presentation might vary a little in terms of what features you want to show off, but the basic layout needs to be the same as what you see above. Keep the text slides as brief as possible. Please note that all images are enlarged as much as possible on each without stretching them out of proportion. If you can see the white background color on all four sides of an image, then you haven't enlarged it enough.
Your audience will want to see the beauty of the Park. Look for the best photos possible (there are plenty on Google Images or Bing, etc.). Do not put any text on the photos and please do not write out the questions anywhere in your presentation. We only need the answers. Please write just the answers to the questions (questions are listed below) in between the photos. If you find photos with text already on them, please do not use them. Move on and find something else. Obviously, the maps will have words on them. If a photo/map has a watermark on it (which is very distracting), move on and find something else. Here is an example of a photo with a watermark on it. YOUR AUDIENCE WANTS TO SEE THE BEAUTY OF THE PARK! Please create this presentation in Google Slides. Do not submit anything through Canvas. E-mail the link to your Google Slides presentation by the date listed above (by 11:59 p.m.). Do not submit any other files with your Google Slides link (no attachments at all-- if I get attachemnts from everyone in the class, my e-mail would be completely overloaded). Late submissions will be graded down 0.2 points per day (including weekends). This goes for the rough draft deadline and the final deadline. You will need to make your presentation public. Do this by following the instructions at the link below: Instructions for Making the Presentation Public
I will likely ask you to make some revisions to your initial presentation and I will send it back to you. You will need at least three maps (see details below) and at least 15 photos of the Park (20 maximum). Try to avoid a lot of people in your photos unless they are in the distance. The beauty of the Park is the theme. You want to sell your Park to the audience (or the idea that going to this Park is worth it). If you have your own photos of the Park, you can use them if you think that they are the best possible pictures for selling your Park. Please adhere to the following: ONE MAP PER SLIDE. Make it as large as possible on the slide without stretching the image disproportionately. In other words, click on the corner of the image and drag to enlarge it (not the edge of the photo). Dragging the corner maintains the original proportions of the image without making it "fat" or "skinny". GOOGLE SLIDES - NO FANCY TRANSITIONS BETWEEN SLIDES - that would be distracting.
DO NOT INCLUDE ANY TEXT ON YOUR PHOTOS
Answer the following questions in between the photos. Spread out your answers throughout the project and make it easy to read (large font with dark-ish font color).
1. Where is this Park located? The maps will speak for themsleves, so you don't need to state this on a text slide.
a) Include a USA map highlighting the state.
b) Include a state map showing the location of the Park.
c) Include an official NPS map of the Park (NPS = National Park Service).
The USA map can be found by going to Google Images and entering the following search: "USA map highlighting Michigan" (or whatever state your Park is in). You will have many to choose from. Look for maps that are plain and simple to read. The audience will see the map for about two seconds, so you want the information to be clear (clutter-free).
For the state map, start by searching the following in Google Images: "Michigan map highlighting Isle Royale National Park" (use your Park name and state). You are welcome to create your own map if you cannot find anything simple.
For the National Park map, search the name of your Park in Google Images and then include the word "map" and the following domain name: "nps.gov" This will increase the odds that you are getting an actual National Park Service map. You need to show the entire Park. You might come up with campground maps and this will not do. If your Park is long and narrow, do not widen the map to fill the slide/page and do not rotate it sideways on the slide/page. Showing a narrow map is very informative to the audience. It conveys information about that Park very quickly.
2. How big is this Park (in acres)?
3. What is the range of elevation of this Park above sea level (in feet and meters)?
4. When did it become a National Park? SImple say: Established in 19xx (month and day not needed)
5. Why did it become a National Park? Pick any or all from the list below and describe in detail. This section will take the most effort to report. Split it up between photos and keep it as brief as possible so that the audience doesn't have to read a book about it. Just give the basics, but answer the question.
a) rock formations?
b) glaciers?
c) plants?
d) animals?
e) human history?
f) etc.
g) etc.
6. How long does it take to drive there from Port Huron and how long is a flight from Detroit to anywhere near this Park?
IMPORTANT! Please include at least 15 photos in your presentation (20 maximum). The maps do not count as photos.
Please include the exact URL of each photo/map on a list and make this list the last slide/page in your presentation. Identify the slide number for each URL. Do not include the URL on the same page as the photo. We want the exact URL of the image, not the URL of the page where the image can be found. Right click on any image to find this specific URL (View Image or Open Image in New Window, etc.). It's OK if the URLs are long. Make the font size on this reference page about 8-point. Split up the URLs so that only six are shown on a single slide.
As always, let me know if you have questions.
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Here is the list of possible National Parks. Send me an e-mail message with your selection (first come, first served). Maybe pick something that you aren't familiar with. Send your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice in a single e-mail in order to be safe and save time. Sorry, there is nothing from Michigan here (nor Yellowstone or Yosemite or the Grand Canyon).
- Redwood National Park in California
- Sequoia National Park in California
- Arches National Park in Utah
- Olympic National Park in Washington (state)
- Crater Lake National Park in Oregon
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota
- Badlands National Park in South Dakota
- Big Bend National Park in Texas
- Shenandoah National Park in Virginia
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee/North Carolina
- Zion National Park in Utah
- Canyonlands National Park in Utah
- Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado
- Haleakala National Park in Hawai'i
- Volcanoes National Park in Hawai'i
- Denali National Park in Alaska
- Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska
- Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky
- Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico
- Mount Rainier National Park in Washington (state)
- Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah
- Acadia National Park in Maine
- Joshua Tree National Park in California
- Glacier National Park in Montana
- Death Valley National Park in California
- Gates of the Arctic National Park in Alaska
- Everglades National Park in Florida
- Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida
- Capitol Reef National Park in Utah
- Lassen Volcanic National Park in California
Last name starts with A through F - submit your first attempt by the end of March 26th and I will respond with suggested revisions. Remember, you should only send a link (no attachments).
Last name starts with G through O - submit your first attempt by the end of March 22nd and I will respond with suggested revisions. Remember, you should only send a link (no attachments).
Last name starts with P through Z - submit your first attempt by the end of March 19th and I will respond with suggested revisions. Remember, you should only send a link (no attachments).
THE END