Can You Get to the Grocery Store?

Introduction | The Task | Resources | The Process | Advice to Student | Conclusion

Introduction

This wequest is designed for elementary students grades 3-5. The activity calls for students to use mapping skills to locate a neighborhood grocery store, then calls for money skills to complete the shopping trip. Students must also rely on knowledge of elapsed time to be sure they make it back to the school on time. Background knowledge should include: cardinal directions, basic map-reading skills, addition of money, elapsed time, and basic internet skills.

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The Task

Your teacher has planned a picnic to reward the class for good behavior. There's only one problem--she forgot to bring the groceries! Your teacher has called on you to help. It's up to you to make sure the class picnic doesn't turn into a disaster. Here's what you need to do:

• Plan a route to the neighborhood grocery store, using mapblast.
• Get the needed groceries for the picnic.
• Add up the correct cost for the groceries.
• Get the groceries back to the school before lunchtime!

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Resources

You will be using a variety of web sources to complete your quest. They are listed below.

• mapblast.com-allows you to retrieve a map of a given location.
• netgrocer.com-an online grocery store
• hereinreality.com-an online calculator that allows you to add two numbers together.

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The Process

DAY 1

1. Go to mapblast.com. You will then click on the tab that says . In Address 1, you will type in your school's address. In Address 2, you will type in the address of the neighborhood grocery store. Then click the button that says . Print out the map.
2. Write down the distance (in miles) from the school to the grocery store.Cut out the map that you printed out. Throw away everything else.
3. Type directions for your map using Claris Works and print them out. Put the map and the directions in your folder..

DAY 2

1. Go to netgrocer.com. You will use this site to help you price your groceries from the list that your teacher gave you. Type the name of the grocery that you are looking for in the "search" window. Get the price of that grocery, and be sure to add as many of those as the list asks for. (Example: If the lists calls for 4 jars of peanut butter, and each jar costs $2.50, you must add $2.50 together 4 times.)
2. Use a calculator to add together the cost of all the groceries the teacher will need for the class picnic. Report this amount to your teacher using the task answer sheet.
3. The teacher asked you at 8:15am to run this important errand for her. Lunchtime for your class is 11:30. Figure out how much time you have to run your errand and get back to the school.
4. If you left the school at 10:30am, the store was 10 minutes away, and it took you thirty minutes to complete your grocery shopping, what time would you return to the school? Did you make it back to the school in time?

DAY 3

Use all the information that you gathered in your quest to write a story called "How I Saved the Class Picnic". Use the map and directions that you printed out on Day 1 to make a book about your adventure!

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Advice to Student

Whatever you do, don't give up! You've been given the skills to accomplish this task. Your teacher chose you to get the groceries, because she knows that you can do it!

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Conclusion

This webquest has integrated a variety of upper elementary math and social studies skills as well as given an opportunity for writing. Students can be assessed several ways:

• correct directions from map assignment on Day 1
• correct dollar amount from grocery shopping on Day 2
• writing rubric for Day 3
• correct answers on Task Answer Sheet

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This page written by Stephanie Purser
Last updated date 1/4/03