West+Virginia+Economy

West Virginia Economy

West Virginia's economy is driven by it's rich natural resources. Coal, oil, natural gas, lumber, and various natural wonders serving as tourist attractions are major natural resources. The industries that provide jobs as a result of these resources include, Coal Mining, Chemical production, Timber, Railroad, and Tourism.

__**Coal**__
The image above is a map found on []. The site explains new scientific findings in geothermal energy found under our coal rich state of West Virginia. Interesting ;)

Tourism
Check out the lesson plan below. Designed to help students grow in the mastery of NETS.
 * || ** Lesson Plan for Implementing NETS•S—Template I ****// (More Directed Learning Activities) //**  ||
 * **//Template with guiding questions //** ||
 * Teacher(s) Name |||| Jessica Rodes ||
 * Position |||| West Virginia Studies teacher ||
 * School/District |||| Summers Middle School Summers County West Virginia ||
 * E-mail |||| jrodes@access.k12.wv.us ||
 * Phone |||| 304-466-6030 ||
 * Grade Level(s) |||| 8 ||
 * Content Area |||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Social Studies ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Time line |||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">12 - 13 (45 minute) class periods ||

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">SS.O.08.02.07 how special interest groups & the media influence government & law-making process in WV <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">SS.O.08.03.08 recognize major industries in West Virginia and identify representative jobs under each ||
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Standards **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> (What do you want students to know and be able to do? What knowledge, skills, and strategies do you expect students to gain? Are there connections to other curriculum areas and subject area benchmarks? )
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Content <span style="color: black; font-family: 'arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Standards || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">SS.O.08.03.03 research industries and products important to WV
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">NETS*S Standards: || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Creativity and Innovation, Communication and Collaboration, Research and Information Fluency, Critical Thinking Problem Solving and Decision Making and Digital Citizenship ||


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Overview **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> (a short summary of the lesson or unit including assignment or expected or possible products)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Students will research the tourist industry in West Virginia to learn more about our state’s economy. Each students will be assigned to a group that will choose one tourist attraction as their focus. As students research they will analyze their chosen attraction to identify who controls the activities within the business. Students will also use various websites and electronic communication tools to identify special interest groups and media outlets that influence this industry. Each group will collaborate to create innovative additions and/or improvements to the particular tourist attraction on which they’ve chosen to focus. The culminating activity will occur when students have created a multimedia presentation designed to persuade business owners and lawmakers to support their progressive projects in an attempt to expand our state’s Tourist industry providing jobs to West Virginians and more state revenue through taxes associated with this expansion. ||

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">What are the most successful tourist opportunities in our state? <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">How could these opportunities be expanded to become more successful business and satisfying opportunities for tourists? <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">What dictates the activities offered at the tourist attraction you’ve chosen? <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">What special interest groups or media outlets influence business owners and lawmakers in regards to the tourist attraction you chose? <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Can law makers have an impact on the success of tourism? <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">How do interest groups influence laws affecting tourism in our state? <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">What is the differences between direct impact and indirect impact? <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">How do you believe tourism could further develop and what effect would this have on the people of West Virginia? ||
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Essential Questions **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> (What essential question or learning are you addressing? What would students care or want to know about the topic? What are some questions to get students thinking about the topic or generate interest about the topic? What questions can you ask students to help them focus on important aspects of the topic? What background or prior knowledge will you expect students to bring to this topic and build on?)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Can we improve and/or change the world in which we live?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Class chatter discussion checklist • Tourism Industry log <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">• Tourism Industry log checklist <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">• Exhibit rubric <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">• Self reflection log <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">• Research checklist <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">• Critical Thinking Checklist <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">• Communication checklist <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">• Peer review checklist <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">• Self reflection log • Exhibit rubric <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">• Bill rubric/Newspaper article rubric <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">• Self reflection log ||
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Assessment **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> (What will students do or produce to illustrate their learning? What can students do to generate new knowledge? How will you assess how students are progressing (formative assessment)? How will you assess what they produce or do? How will you differentiate products?)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">• Brainstorm

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> Rubrics for logs, exhibit, and newspaper article <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> Checklists for classchatter discussion, logs/journals, research, critical thinking, communication, peer review, and collaboration || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> Provided websites to find general information about current legislation in regards to tourism and current information about the <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> Websites found through keyword searches (students will analyze the validity and relativeness of each) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> Classchatter for online discussions <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> Power Point, Photo Story, or Glogster.edu (final exhibit) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> Microsoft Word (Newspaper Article) ||
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Resources **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> (How does technology support student learning? What digital tools, and resources—online student tools, research sites, student handouts, tools, tutorials, templates, assessment rubrics, etc—help elucidate or explain the content or allow students to interact with the content? What previous technology skills should students have to complete this project?)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Handouts:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Technology:


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Instructional Plan **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Preparation **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> (What student needs, interests, and prior learning provide a foundation for this lesson? How can you find out if students have this foundation? What difficulties might students have?)
 * * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Students would need to already know about the tourism industry and what tourist attractions exist as a result of our states’ physical geography and natural wonders.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Students need to know the definitions to special interest groups and be familiar with the influence that the media has on legislation
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Student need to be familiar with the legislative process within our state. ||


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Management **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> (How and where will your students work? Classroom, lab, groups, etc?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Students will be introduced to the project, assigned groups and introductory brainstorm in the classroom. Students will immediately move to a lab or will use a mobile lab (determined by availability) to begin research, communication and production of their final exhibit. Presentations can take place in the classroom with the use of the SMART Board and newspaper articles can be written in the classroom or typed on the computer depending on availability of labs/mobile notebooks. ||


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Instruction and Activities **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> (What instructional strategies will you use with this lesson? How will your learning environment support these activities? What is your role? What are the students' roles in the lesson? How can the technology support your teaching? What engaged and worthwhile learning activities and tasks will your students complete? How will they build knowledge and skills? Will students be expected to collaborate with each other and others? How will you facilitate the collaboration?)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">In the beginning students will use classroom responders to take a short pre-quiz to determine prior knowledge as identified above. Direct instruction and various vocabulary strategies will then be used to clear up any misconceptions. Students will engage in a class discussion lead by the teacher to discuss the importance of tourism and it’s role in each of our lives as it may provide jobs. Discussion will also address how on tourism is important to our families as it provides enjoyment and fun filled family time. Students may share personal experiences and vacations or their favorite local spots to spend a day or weekend. The students’ role is to research and collaborate with their team to design a better tourist industry in our state. The students will assist and encourage one another as well as reflect in journals upon their own experiences. The teacher will encourage good collaboration and will provide students with a collaboration checklist to assist them in making sure they are participating and collaborating effectively. Students will build the knowledge and skills necessary to become an involved and informed citizen who is takes on an active role in shaping the policies by which they are governed in a democratic society. Technology will be used to assist communication and collaboration among groups, with the teacher and with business owners. Technology will also provide a mode for the most current research into the tourist industry as well as a tool for designing a digital media presentation. ||

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Students will be assigned content readiness activities according to their needs as indicated by the pre-quiz administered in the beginning of the project. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Students may choose to write a letter to their representatives or organize a rally as in place of the newspaper article. ||
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Differentiation **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> (How will you differentiate content and process to accommodate various learning styles and abilities? How will you help students learn independently and with others? How will you provide extensions and opportunities for enrichment? What assistive technologies will you need to provide?)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Students will choose the tourist attraction that interests them the most and will then be assigned to groups based on interest and ability.


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Closure and Reflection **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"> (Will there be a closing event? Will students be asked to reflect upon their work? Will students be asked to provide feedback on the assignment itself? What will be your process for answering the following questions?
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">• **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Did students find the lesson meaningful and worth completing?
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">• **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">In what ways was this lesson effective?
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">• **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">What went well and why?
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">• **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">What did not go well and why?
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">• **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">How would you teach this lesson differently?)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Students will close by choosing a means by which to share their ideas with lawmakers/other citizens. Students will reflect upon each step of progress in their reflection logs. I will determine the answers to the reflection questions by assessing their final exhibits, reflection logs, citizen actions and collaboration with rubrics. I would also like to allow students to discuss their concerns with the project and allow them to share with me what was most difficult for them and how they think a different method or additional resource may have been helpful. ||