Mrs. Newill's Fourth Grade Class
Webquests

 

 

Below is a description of what exactly a WEBQUEST is and why our students participate in this type of lesson.  Below the description are links to WEBQUESTS we have completed in class.

What is a Webquest?
A webquest is an assignment which asks students to use the World Wide Web to learn about and/or synthesize their knowledge a specific topic. A “true” webquest, as originally designed by Bernie Dodge and Tom March, requires synthesis of the new knowledge by accomplishing a “task,” often to solve a hypothetical problem or address a real-world issue. Simpler web activities designed for students to investigate and collect new knowledge from web-based sources can also be a more engaging and effective replacement for read-the-chapter-and-complete-the-review-questions.  This tutorial will walk you through the basics to create a simple or more elaborate activity.
  • The assignment can be given on paper, certainly the simplest and most portable option
  • A webquest assignment can also be given on the web itself by sending students to a web page which serves as the "home base" for the student’s information search.
  • You can also present a webquest using some other multi-media software such as Hyperstudio or Powerpoint.

 
Why Bother?
 
  • First, a good webquest puts the power of the web behind your topic. You can show students - or let them discover for themselves, not just tell them. Web sites can take your students anywhere in the world.
  • Webquests are a way to let students work at their own pace, either individually or in teams.
  • A webquest lets students explore selected areas in more depth, but within limits that you have selected. This makes webquests ideal for classes which combine students with different ability levels.
  • Webquests offer a different, more dynamic approach to teaching the value of research.
  • Webquests can also increase the "comfort level" of students using the Internet for learning activities. While your students are probably already computer literate, a properly designed webquest can help students become creative researchers rather than simply "surfing" from one site to another.

 

Animal Safari- Learning the 4 basic needs of living things as well as animal adaptations: behavioral and body part.

 

Animal Adaptations Safari

 

Name _____________________________ Web quest for Lesson 1 Chapter 3

 

What Safari Explorer are you?

 

___________________________________________________________

 

What is your role today?

 

___________________________________________________________

 

Directions:

 

1. RESEARCH!!!  Using the website http://questgarden.com/113/31/1/101213051332/process.htm complete the web quest as directed by your teacher.  You were each assigned a Safari Explorer number.  Research EACH animal by what your safari number says.

 

  • Make sure that everyone in your group has their own copy of the safari field guide.
  • Travel around the following internet resources for your group and research your individual explorer task (what the animal eats, where it lives, what it looks like). Write down what you find on your safari field guide as you search.

 

2. GROUP WORK!!!  Once back in the classroom, use page 5 to complete the group work part of the assignment

 

3. PRESENTATIONS- now it is time to present!  Make sure everyone knows what their role was and all the information is creative and informative.

 

4. SELF CHECK- use the rubric below to grade yourself!  How do you think you did today?

 

 

Beginning
1

Developing
2

Qualified
3

Exemplary
4

Score

Using the Computer Completion of Safari Field Guide

Shows little or no work on the Field Guide

Shows some work but not all sections are filled in and contains grammatical or spelling errors.

All sections of the field guide are completed but there may be some spelling or grammatical errors

All sections of the field guide are completed and it contains no spelling or grammatical errors

4

Group Participation

The student did not work on his or her group assignment and did not participate in the group project

The student either did work on his or her group project or worked on his or her group assignment- but not both

The student worked on the group project and their group assignment.

The student worked on the group project and their group assignment and was respectful and helpful to others in the group

4

Group Project and Presentation

The group project did not contain what the animal eats, looks like, where it lives and what its adaptations are, the presentation was not clear -creative.

The group project contained some of what the animal eats, looks like, where it lives and what its adaptations are, the presentation was somewhat clear.

The group project contained what the animal eats, looks like, where it lives and what its adaptations are, was sufficiently clear and creative.

The group project contained what the animal eats, looks like, where it lives and what its adaptations are, was very clear and very creative.

4

 

Safari Explorer 1 will research what your group's animal eats. This means what the animal most often eats as an adult.

 

                               

 

 

Safari Explorer 2 will research where the animal lives. This means what continent or country you can find the animal in and what sort of habitat it lives in (for example- does your animal live in a forest, a savannah or the tundra?)

 

                

 

Safari Explorer 3 will research what the animal looks like. This means how big the animal is , what color the animal is and any other descriptions of how it appears.

 

                                Group Presentation

 

Directions: You have each researched one part of many animals! Your teacher will give each group a picture of the animal you will present.  Once you have your animal, use the space below to share your research!  Good Luck!

 

Our Group Animal is ___________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

 After learning the basics of ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS, each student chose a PA animal to research.  They completed their research along the same lines as the above webquest.  Rather than working with a group on an assigned animal, students chose their own.  Click the webquest below to see what students completed.

 Pennsylvania Animal Research Project Webquest #2

Below is the organizer students used while completing the research project/webquest:

 

Name __________________________________________                                   4th Grade Animal Research Project

 

Part 1

 

Your objective in PART 1 is to gather information for you Power Point and Final Project.

 

Part 1 has 5 goals:

 

Goal 1- Choose an Animal that lives in Pennsylvania.

 

Goal 2- Identify its Basic Needs.

 

Goal 3- Identify any Body Part Adaptations.

 

Goal 4- Identify any Behavior Adaptations.

 

Goal 5- Identify any Human Threats.

 

 


Goal 1: Choose an Animal using the Web Quest. 

 

I chose…

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

Why I chose this animal:

 

1.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

2.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

3.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

Goal 2- Identify its Basic Needs.

 

My Animal _______________________________ has basic needs.  They are:

 

How it finds AIR

 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

How it finds FOOD

 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

How it finds SHELTER

 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

How it finds WATER

 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

Goal 3- Identify any Body Part Adaptations.

 

Remember BODY PART ADAPTATIONS- How an animal has certain body parts (beak, fur, teeth, feet, etc) that help it meets its needs.

 

List 5 Body Part Adaptations

 

1.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

2.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

3.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

4.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

5.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Goal 4- Identify any Behavior Adaptations.

 

Remember BEHAVIOR ADAPTATIONS- How an animal ACTS or BEHAVES to find its four basic needs to survive (migration, hibernation, burrowing, etc).

 

List 5 Behavior Adaptations

 

 

 

1.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

2.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

3.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

4.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

5.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 Goal 5- Identify any Human Threats

 

Each animal in our world has unique qualities that make them valuable resources.  Identify why your animal, the ____________________________ might be threatened by humans who want to hunt them.  (Example: for their fur, teeth, venom, etc).

 

 

 

List 5 Human Threats

 

 

 

1.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

2.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

3.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

4.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

5.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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