Howe Virtual Tour
The fourth grade class will create a virtual tour of the city of Howe, Texas. We will present this tour to a
group of students in Howe, Oklahoma via a video conference on Monday, May 18. Students will be
divided into groups to prepare the different segments of the tour. The tour will include:
1. a short video commercial promoting the city
2. a web site with presenting local information and photos of the area
3. a short student presentation to include facts, history, points of interest and recreational
highlights
4. a slide show with images of the city past and present
Below are some key questions and activities that will be assigned to students:
1. Describe the geography and climate of Howe, Texas
2. Develop a narrative describing historical and interesting sites located in the city
3. Create a city map of the city with Internet resources, computer generated graphic, or a hand
drawn image
4. Study the history of the city, identify its founding fathers, and describe the founding fathers’
contributions to the community
5. Name key economic activities and have contributed to the growth of the city, both past and present
Online Directions for building a Virtual Tour
1. www.howeisd.net/technology/vft -- directions and handouts
2. http://howeisd.com/howevt/ -- Sample VFT of Howe
3. http://www.uen.org/utahlink/tours/tourFames.cgi?tour_id=14803 – sample web site
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Student Groups for VFT Project
Group 1 – Virtual Tour Guides
1. Plan a virtual tour of the city using the storyboard provided by your teacher.
2. Find or make a city map with the locations your tour will include.
3. Take photos of locations (at least 5 per location)
4. Upload map and photos to http://www.mapwing.com/ . Your teacher will supply you with a
username and password.
Group 2 – Tour Directors
1. Research the community using the guide questions provided by your teacher.
2. Answer the questions in complete sentences.
3. Using the questions and answers, develop a script to use during the Virtual Field Trip (VFT).
Group 3 – Web Site Developers
1. Research the community using the guide questions provided by your teacher.
2. Answer the questions in complete sentences.
3. Using the guide questions and answers post your research to your VFT web site.
4. Use pictures from your research to enhance your web site.
Group 4 – Advertising
1. Create a 30 – 45 second commercial that highlights the community.
2. Plan where and what to include in the commercial using the storyboard provided by your teacher.
3. Plan to include an interview with at least two community representatives. These could include two of
the following: police chief, school superintendent, fire department representative, city government
representative (such as mayor or city manager), minister of a church, business owner and/or community
citizen.
4. Shoot and edit your video to air during the VFT.
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Topics to be covered by the presenters and web site developers
Basic Facts:
Interesting Facts:
Location (miles to nearest large cities – Dallas,
Oklahoma City, Sherman/Denison)
Population
Demographics (ethnicity, ages, etc.)
Occupations
Industry
Farming
Government
Eating Places
Newspaper and other local media (two television
stations, radio stations)
Schools (student population, campuses)
Highest Point in Grayson County
Successful Band program
Successful Sports programs
Fall Festival
Texoma Night Out – Spirit Award
Ghost Tales
Highway 75 is a main route from Mexico to
Oklahoma (traffic count)
Recreation:
History:
Lakes (Lake Texoma, Lake Ray Roberts)
Eisenhower’s Birthplace in Denison
Hunting
Sports
Easy Access to Dallas
How the town got its name
Why it was established in this location
The railroad connection
What businesses were here in the past?
Interurban train
Local disasters (fire that burned grocery store)
Online Resources
1. http://www.city-data.com/city/Howe-Texas.html
Population information, demographics, Google map, weather patterns,
2. http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=26569
Howe,, community profile, with detailed info on demographics, cemeteries, genealogy, government,
history, hotels, real estate, travel, tourism and weather
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howe,_Texas
Geography, Demographics, education, references
4. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/HH/hjh12.html
Handbook of Texas History Online – article about Howe, Texas
5. http://www.the1realestate.com/html/Howe.htm
Local real estate site with city flag, brief history and city demographic information
6. http://www.coviarealty.com/dfw-real-estate/howe-texas-real-estate.html
Real estate site with lots of historical information about Howe, TX
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Library Resources
1. Chamber of Commerce City Guide
2. History of Howe Cook Book
3. History of Howe Public Schools DVD
Local Resources
1. Carrie Waller, local historian
2. John Cherry, police chief
3. Janie Finney, producer of History of Howe Public Schools DVD
Photo assignments
Farming fields -- some crop fields, cattle ranches
Restaurants -- Finns, Sonic
Industry – Magnafab, TI, Tyson, MEMC, etc.
Government – City Hall, Post Office, Police station, Fire Station
Businesses – Independent Bank, Quick Check, Chevron, Storage, Frantz Auto, Baker Heating and Air,
Automotive business, Dollar General
Schools – High School, middle school, elementary, administrator, athletic fields, transportation center
Organizations -- Churches, Masons
Video assignments
Watch Mckinney video - http://www3.mckinneytexas.org/www/default.aspx
Include Old pictures of Howe; Why it was settled
New Howe -- Homes, schools, new housing development, city parks -- kids playing baseball in city
parks
Businesses & Industry -- Tyson, TI, MEMC, Global Tech, MagnaFab, Quick Check; Dollar General,
Finns, etc.
Close to Sherman, Austin College, Grayson College
Distance to Dallas
Hospitals – WNJ, TMC
City -- downtown, police, fire dept, masons
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