WHICH CAR IS BEST?

Target Age Level: High School Students

Introduction
Problem: The Jones family is in need of a new car. The one they

have is falling apart and beyond repair. The family is very active in the community and is often going in a million different directions. They want a car that will suit their lifestyle and their insurance company is Allstate
As a group, your task is to decide which car is best for the Jones

family to buy. There are four roles to be filled for this project: financial advisor, family specialist, environmentalist, and car expert. As a group, decide who will be what. You must try to accommodate as many of the familys needs as possible. Once youve decided which car they should buy, create a PowerPoint presentation persuading the family why you think the car you chose is the best for them.

The Jones Family

Location: They live in Elmhurst, IL, a small suburb of Chicago. However, they travel to southern Illinois as often as they can to visit family down there Father: Seamus Jones has a full-time job in the city. He commutes 45-60 minutes to work everyday. Mother: Avery Jones has a part-time job at the elementary school 5 minutes from her house. Daughter: Cynthia Jones is a junior at the local high school. Shes an active member of the Student Council, is a three sport athlete, and volunteers at the local food pantry ten minutes from her house on a weekly basis. Son: Scott Jones is a 7th grader who is very active in the schools orchestra. He plays the cello and has weekly lessons with a private teacher. He also participates in his schools drama program. Budget: The family has been saving money and the maximum amount they are willing to spend on a new car is $35,000. They have always bought cars from Ford, but are willing to change dealers if the car is absolutely perfect.

Roles
Financial Advisor
Your job is to crunch the numbers. Research various car prices,

insurance policies, and maintenance costs. You know the family likes Ford cars, but dont be afraid to look elsewhere.

Family Specialist
Your job is to consider the families activities and daily life. What does

the familys schedule look like on a day-to-day basis? How often will they need to use a car and for what?

Environmentalist
Your job is to study the area the family lives in. What kind of terrain

does the family encounter on a regular basis? Does traveling south have any impact on the type of car?

Car expert
Your job is to look at the car facts. Disregarding price, which cars

have the highest numbers, making them the better choice? Compare car facts among various car dealers.

Financial Advisor
Explore these sites to research the various prices cars are

listed at now

http://www.ford.com/vehicles/ http://automobiles.honda.com/
http://www.chevrolet.com/

Check to see how the insurance will be affected

http://www.allstate.com/auto-insurance.aspx http://www.allstate.com/tools-and-resources/car-

insurance/main.aspx

Check maintenance costs at these sites

http://www.edmunds.com/car-maintenance/ http://owner.ford.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Owner

/Page/ESPPremMaintDetail http://www.chevrolet.com/owners/warranty.html

Family Specialist
Explore the high school schedules to see what Cynthia has to do

during the year.

http://york.elmhurst205.org/LadyDukesBasketball http://york.elmhurst205.org/cms/page_view?d=x&piid=&vpid=125506857

2371

Explore the middle school schedules to see what Sam has to do

during the year.

http://bryan.elmhurst205.org/seussical http://bryan.elmhurst205.org/music

Explore the elementary school schedules to see if the mother

has any events to attend during the year.

http://lincoln.elmhurst205.org/

Environmentalist
Use these sites and maps to study the region the family

lives in and the areas they travel to.

https://www.elmhurst.org/index.aspx?nid=122 http://www.aaccessmaps.com/show/map/chicago_dtown_sn http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod/ http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/usstat

es/illand.htm

Car Expert
Use these sites to determine the qualities of a reliable

and efficient car.

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/slideshow.aspx?cp-

documentid=250010459#4 http://cars.findthebest.com/ http://news.cnet.com/8301-13512_3-9750982-23.html http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2011/05/car-featuresthe-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/index.htm

Use these sites to find reliable cars based on the facts

you learned.
http://www.ford.com/vehicles/ http://automobiles.honda.com/ http://www.chevrolet.com

Rubric
Beginning 1 PowerPoint Developing 4 Accomplishing 7 Exemplary 10 Score
Demonstrates a Demonstrates little Demonstrates a basic Demonstrates an thorough understanding of understanding of the understanding of the understanding of the car facts and the car facts and the car facts and the car facts and the familys needs. familys needs familys needs. familys needs. Some roles arent completed. Group participation is uneven and task not completed. The group didnt add any personal touch the project. No attempt to personalize. Evident that the group wasnt prepared to present. They arent able to answer any questions. All roles have been completed. Involvement is uneven or parts of task were not completed. All roles have been All roles have been completed with skill. completed. Fairly Equal involvement by equal involvement; all members and the task was completed. task is completed skillfully. Group has made topic their own. Prevalent personal touch to presentation. Well rehearsed. Group was prepared to present their opinion and answer any questions.

Group Work

Creativity

Group stuck to the Group has made basics and a small topic their own. attempt was made to Some personal touch personalize the to presentation. presentation. Evident that the presentation was not practiced. Group is able to answer some questions. Evident that presentation was practiced but it still needs work. Group is able to answer some questions.

Presentation

Conclusion
Each student is to write a reflection in response to these

questions. Your reflection should be 1-2 pages double spaced, grammatically correct, and well-thought out. These responses will be due the day after you present.
After researching about cars, realistically, what type of car would

you want and why? How did the group work together during this project and how did you feel about working in a group? What were the strengths and weaknesses of your presentation? If given more time, how would you have fixed the weaknesses? What was the hardest part about your specific role? How did you like the project overall? Any complaints or suggestions?

Credits
Thank you to the websites included in this webquest, especially the car

companies.
Thank you to the following for the Images:

Ford Logo-http://www.0-60cartimes.com/ford/ Chevrolet Logo-http://www.pcwalls.net/chevrolet_logo_wallpaper_5wallpapers.html Honda Logo-http://takedesigns.com/honda-logo/ Dollar signs-http://luxuryrentalsmanhattan.com/blog/2010/11/rent-check-studyconfirms-its-smarter-and-cheaper-to-rent-than-own-in-nyc Pictures on family consultant, environmentalist, and car expert slides-Microsoft Office Clipart