You will work in pairs to build a website of travel insights about a city in the US and get feedback from a Vietnamese Partner in Vietnam throughout this project. You and your pair partner will take turns to be the lead author of each part of your website, and the other person will revise and improve that part.

I. GETTING STARTED

Pre-Task 1: Form Pairs

• Form a pair with a classmate who chooses the same country of destination as you (the US).
• Together, select a city to be the destination of your travel insights.
• Together, you will communicate with a Vietnamese Partner and build your website.
• You will take turns to be the lead author of half of the tasks and help revise your classmate's lead-author tasks. Suggested arrangement:
  • Student A:
    • Lead author for Tasks 1, 3 [midterm evaluation]; Tasks 5, 7
    • Revise Tasks 2, 4 [midterm evaluation]; Tasks 6, 8
  • Student B:
    • Lead author for Tasks 2, 4 [midterm evaluation]; Tasks 6, 8
    • Revise Tasks 1, 3 [midterm evaluation]; Tasks 5, 7

Pre-Task 2: Vietnamese Partner Introduction

• Meet your Vietnamese Partner online in a voice chat
  • Introduce yourself in Vietnamese and ask your partner to introduce himself/ herself and his/her city.
  • Explain to your Vietnamese Partner about your project
  • Describe what your Vietnamese Partner will need to do for you: To give feedback on your website (see Entry Event: US)
  • Arrange a future online meeting schedule throughout the project, with topics
• Describe your Vietnamese Partner to your class

[See the language resources for this task]

Pre-Task 3: Website Creation

• Set up a website
  • Choose Google Site, WordPress, Wix, or another web hosting service of your choice and set up a website for this project.
  • Share your website's URL with your teacher (make sure you enable access so your teacher can edit)
  • Do the same with your Vietnamese Partner.

II. BUILDING WEBSITE CONTENT

Task 1: Getting to the US

• Create a page on your website entitled "Chuẩn bị đi du lịch Mỹ"
• Ask your Vietnamese Partner what s/he thinks Vietnamese should do to prepare for a long-term stay in the US
• Look up information on what Vietnamese people need to do to enter the US
• Use ideas from Chapter 2 in the Chúng ta nói textbook and information you gathered, write your tips on travel preparations and getting to the US. Consider these points:
  • what to do before arriving in the US (paperwork, medical readiness, essential things to bring)
  • best time to travel and why
  • how to get to the US (best route, best ticket, transit, choice of arrival places)
  • how to get from the airport to a neighborhood in the US city you chose (transportation, directions)

Write about 300 words. Include a map of the US on which your selected city is highlighted.

• Ask your Vietnamese partner to check your writing and revise it accordingly.

[See the language resources for this task]

Task 2: A City's Climate and Weather

• Create a page on your website entitled "Khí hậu và thời tiết ở ..." (fill in the name of your selected city)
• Tell your Vietnamese Partner about your selected city's climate and weather:
  • the climate in that city
  • typical weather in each season
  • how to prepare for each season
  • which time of year is the best time to visit the city, weather-wise
• Ask your Vietnamese Partner to suggest what information to add about the city you selected that may be helpful for Vietnamese visitor and students
• Based on the information you gathered and suggestions from your Vietnamese partner, write a description of your selected city's climate and weather and give travel tips accordingly

Write about 300 words, include pictures and captions in Vietnamese (photos of your selected city in different weather conditions if possible)

• Ask your Vietnamese Partner to check your writing and revise it accordingly

[See the language resources for this task]

Task 3: Housing

• Create a page on your website entitled "Nhà cửa ở ..." (fill in the name of your selected city)
• Use your own knowledge or look up information in order to tell your Vietnamese Partner about your city:
  • describe housing options in the city (what each option offers, their advantages, disadvantages, price range)
  • describe what to expect each housing option to come with (furnishings, appliances, amenities, services)
  • give tips on how to find the best housing option for a semester of study (where to look, what questions to ask when calling the landlord)
  • give advice on what to avoid when looking for a place to rent in the selectedcity
  • describe facilities and tools for daily chores (laundry, vacuuming, etc.)
• Ask your Vietnamese Partner to tell you about the above topics in Vietnamese context so that you can see similarities and differences
• Based on the information above and your Vietnamese Partner's perspective, write tips on housing for a long-term stay in your selected city

Write about 300 words, include pictures and captions to illustrate (photos of the types of houses in your selected city if possible)

• Ask your Vietnamese Partner to check your writing and revise it accordingly

[See the language resources for this task]

Task 4: Visiting a Family

• Create a page on your website entitled "Đến thăm một gia đình Mỹ ở ..." (fill in the name of your selected city)
• Describe your extended family to your Vietnamese Partner:
  • your relationship to the other family members
  • who these family members are (age, work, school, personality, etc.)
  • how often they get together and what they do
  • describe how you should greet each of the family members
  • give tips on questions you can ask to break the ice if the Vietnamese Partner were to visit your extended family
  • give advice on what to avoid asking if the Vietnamese Partner were to visit your extended family
  • describe what your Vietnamese Partner should and should not do if s/he were to visit your extended family
• Ask your Vietnamese Partner about his/her extended family, using the above topics
• Based on the information from your Vietnamese Partner, write a description of family relationships in the US for Vietnamese audience (with comparisons), and tips on visiting an American family in your selected city.

Write about 300 words.

• Ask your Vietnamese Partner to check your writing and revise it accordingly

[See the language resources for this task]

Project midterm evaluation. Click to see Rubric.

Task 5: Food and Dining

• Create a page on your website entitled "Ăn uống ở ..." (fill in the name of your selected city)
• Use your own knowledge and look up information to tell your Vietnamese Partner about
  • famous dishes in your selected city's region
  • popular dishes among young people in the city you selected
  • the best restaurants in that city (where they are, what they offer, why they are special)
  • what people in that city usually eat for each meal of the day:
    • names of the dishes
    • their tastes
    • how they are cooked
  • on what occasions you usually go out to eat and what you usually order
    • names of the dishes
    • their tastes
    • how they are prepared
• Ask your Vietnamese Partner to tell you about her/himself on the above topics
• Role-play with your classmate a dining situation in English once and in Vietnamese once at one of the restaurants you mentioned above (one is the customer, the other is the service provider). Record these role-plays for your skit later.
• Based on the information from your Vietnamese Partner, write about food and dining in your selected city

Write about 200 words, and embed two recorded skits between you and your classmate (one in Vietnamese one in English) to illustrate a dining situation for Vietnamese visitors to the US. The skit can be in audio or video format.

• Ask your Vietnamese Partner to check your writing and revise it accordingly

[See the language resources for this task]

Task 6: Shopping

• Create a page on your website entitled "Đi mua sắm ở ..." (fill in the name of your selected city)
• Ask your Vietnamese Partner to:
  • tell you about the best places to buy clothes and accessories in his/her city and the price range of these items
  • tell you whether s/he usually buys ready made clothes or having it tailored and why, how much it usually costs to have a shirt, dress, pair of pants, or suit made
  • give advice on how to bargain in the market
• Tell your Vietnamese Partner about the above topics in your selected city's context
• Role-play with your Vietnamese Partner some shopping situations (you're the customer):
  • buying some accessories in the market
  • buying some clothes at a store
  • having something tailored at a shop
• Role-play with our classmate the same situations in English

Record these role-plays and listen to them again for your skit later.

• Based on the information from your Vietnamese Partner and the role-plays, compare how shopping is done in Vietnam vs. in the US. write tips on shopping in your selected city for Vietnamese visitors and students in the US.

Write about 150 words, and embed the 3 recorded skits (English version and Vietnamese version) to illustrate the shopping situations as a guide for Vietnamese visitors and students to the US. The skit can be in audio or video format.

• Ask your Vietnamese Partner to check your writing and revise it accordingly

[See the language resources for this task]

Task 7: Basic Business Transactions

• Create a page on your website entitled "Giao dịch cơ bản ở ..." (fill in the name of your selected city)
• Ask your Vietnamese Partner to:
  • tell you about where s/he usually goes to get his/her hair done, and what services they offer
  • tell you about the services provided by the post office in their city
  • tell you about the services that the banks in his city offers
• Tell your Vietnamese Partner about the above topics in your selected city's context
• Role-play with your Vietnamese Partner
  • an interaction at the hair salon (you are the customer and your Vietnamese Partner is the hair stylist)
  • a transaction at the post office (you are the customer, your Vietnamese Partner is the postmaster).
  • a bank transaction (you are the customer, your Vietnamese Partner is the bank teller).

Role-play the same situations with your classmate in English.

Record these role-plays and listen to them again for your skit later.

• Based on the information from your Vietnamese Partner and the role-plays in two languages, write tips on carrying out basic business transactions in our selected city, highlighting the differences between Vietnamese and English transactions.

Write about 150 words, and embed 3 recorded skits (in Vietnamese and in English) to illustrate the business transactions. The skit can be in audio or video format.

• Ask your Vietnamese Partner to check your writing and revise it accordingly

[See the language resources for this task]

Task 8: Hobbies, Sports, and Entertainment

• Create a page on your website entitled "Giải trí ở ..." (fill in the name of your selected city)
• Ask your Vietnamese Partner to:
  • tell you about his/her hobbies and the popular leisure activities for people in his/her city
  • tell you about the popular sports in his/her city and how s/he participates in those sports (watching or playing?)
• Tell your Vietnamese Partner (in Vietnamese) about:
  • your hobbies and interests
  • the popular sports in your city and how you participate in it
• Based on the information from your Vietnamese Partner, write tips on how to access leisure activities and sports in your selected city in the US

Write about 300 words, include pictures with captions

• Ask your Vietnamese Partner to check your writing and revise it accordingly

[See the language resources for this task]

III. PRESENTATION AND PUBLICATION

• In pairs, orally present your complete and revised website in class.
  • Give the class an overview of your website
  • Highlight its strengths
  • Describe areas of improvement
  • Discuss what you learned in creating this website
• Publish your website by making it available publicly on the web.

IV. PROJECT EVALUATION

• Your website will be evaluated at two times: around mid-term and in the final week. Your teacher will use this rubric for the mid-term evaluation and this rubric for the final evaluation.
• Your oral presentation will be evaluated using this rubric.
• Your teacher will also invite your Vietnamese Partner to comment on your performance using this Vietnamese-English rubric.

Next, go to the Reflection page to wrap up this project.