Trek Across the Desert

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Trek Across the Desert A WebQuest for 3rd
Grade Designed By Sarah Croft Roger Williams
University Elementary Education and
Psychology December 2006   
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Developer Page

• Developer Materials
• Introduction
• Learners
• Curriculum Standards
• Process
• Resources
• Evaluation
• Conclusion
• Credits References

• Student Pages
• Introduction
• Task
• Process
• Evaluation
• Conclusion
• Credits

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Introduction This WebQuest course material was
developed for the elementary science methods
course at Roger Williams University in Bristol,
Rhode Island. It is designed to be used for a
third grade class and would be done toward the
end of the school year. By doing this WebQuest
students would gain additional knowledge on
different aspects of how different animals
survive in the Desert for a long period of time.
They will be using internet resources to gain
their information and will be creating a map that
will guide someone through the desert. This
project is linked to the study of deserts and
pyramids. It will be done after completing the
expository trade book, Life in the Desert
Animals, People, Plants By Lucy Baker.
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• Learners
• This lesson was designed for students in the
  third grade. It could easily be adapted so that
  it could be used in fourth and fifth grade
  curriculums as well. The topic would need to be
  more broad and include more than one desert in
  order to be challenging for them.
• Before beginning this project students would have
  read the book Life in the Desert, by Lucy Baker
  and should understand the basic information on
  deserts. According to the Benchmark For Science
  Literacy, Ch 15 Section 5a, students should be
  able to understand
• Classification of organisms
• Meaning of the two words animal and plant
• The difference between living and non living
  organisms
• Students should know how to work in a group with
  other students and be able to combine their
  research findings into making a final project.

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• Curriculum Standards
• National Science Education Standards
• Life Science Content Standard C Grades k-4
• ORGANISMS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS
• All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat
  plants for food. Other animals eat animals that
  eat the plants.
• An organism's patterns of behavior are related to
  the nature of that organism's environment,
  including the kinds and numbers of other
  organisms present, the availability of food and
  resources, and the physical characteristics of
  the environment. When the environment changes,
  some plants and animals survive and reproduce,
  and others die or move to new locations.
• All organisms cause changes in the environment
  where they live. Some of these changes are
  detrimental to the organism or other organisms,
  whereas others are beneficial.
• Humans depend on their natural and constructed
  environments. Humans change environments in ways
  that can be either beneficial or detrimental for
  themselves and other organisms.

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Curriculum Integration Language Arts McRel
Standards Standard 4.Gathers and uses information
for research purposes     Topic. Locating
sources/gathering information 2. Applying
technology   Level II Grade 3-5   
Benchmark 4. Uses electronic media to gather
information (e.g., databases, Internet, CD-ROM,
television shows, cassette recordings, videos,
pull-down menus, word searches) Standard 7.Uses
reading skills and strategies to understand and
interpret a variety of informational texts   
Topic. Informational genres   Level II Grade
3-5    Benchmark 1. Uses reading skills
and strategies to understand a variety of
informational texts (e.g., textbooks,
biographical sketches, letters, diaries,
directions, procedures, magazines)
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Curriculum Integration Continued

• Standard 1.Uses the general skills and strategies
  of the writing process  
• Topics1. Informative writing 2. Locating
  sources/gathering information 3. Paragraph
  development   Level II Grade 3-5   
• Benchmark 7. Writes expository compositions
  (e.g., identifies and stays on the topic
  develops the topic with simple facts, details,
  examples, and explanations excludes extraneous
  and inappropriate information uses structures
  such as cause-and-effect, chronology,
  similarities and differences uses several
  sources of information provides a concluding
  statement)

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• Process
• Time 3 hours to complete that are broken up into
  4 time periods of 45 minutes each.
• Grouping Groups of 4 students, each group will
  do a different desert animal.
• Subjects This WebQuest will cover art, science,
  and research methods.
• Teachers Role The teacher does not have a big
  role in this project. The teacher will read Life
  in the Desert at the beginning of the unit,
  deliver instructions, and monitor the internet
  usage.
• First students will be introduced to the topic by
  reading the expository text, Life in the Desert.
• Then students will be grouped by the teacher into
  groups of 4, each student will be assigned to a
  different job, (climate manager, food chain
  expert, animal control, navigational guide)
• Then students will research information on their
  desert according to their job title and will get
  together with the rest of their group to go over
  their findings.
• Each group will construct a map that would show
  the importance of each desert. This would include
  the climate, the animals, where to find food, and
  how to get around.
• Once each group has finished their map, the class
  will get together and have presentations on all
  of the deserts so that each group can learn
  about all of the other deserts that were
  researched and compare them.

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• Teaching Resources
• Websites Used for a Successful Project
• Desert Climate 1
  Navigation Tips
• Desert Climate 2
  Desert Food Chain Map
• Interesting Desert Facts
  Food Chains of the Desert
• Navigational Techniques
• Desert Animal Survival
• Food Chains in the Desert
• Animals of the Desert
• Resources Needed to Complete This Assignment
• Copies of Life in the Desert so that the students
  can use the book if needed in their projects
• Computer lab that has web access, needs to have
  space for all students to locate information
• Art materials Large construction paper, glue
  sticks, scissors, markers
• Any parent volunteers or teachers aides would
  be helpful during these four time period to
  monitor and help students with Internet access.

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Evaluation
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Evaluation (continued)
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Conclusion This lesson is a terrific way to get
students excited about the many deserts in the
world. They will get the chance to navigate
through different websites on the internet and
also the chance to work with their peers. The
students will be able to demonstrate their
reading, writing, and artistic skills, as well as
their ability to work together in pre-assigned
groups. The completion of this project will
improve their organizational skills and public
speaking skills. They will be able to identify
different aspects of deserts and be able to
explain their research findings. Each student
will become an expert in their sub-topic and will
be able to work together to bring all of the
sub-topics into one topic and create a
presentation out their findings.
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• Credits References
• The images that were used for the cover slide
  were taken from Microsoft Word Clip Art.
• The Websites provided throughout the WebQuest
  are
• Desert Climate 1
  Navigation Tips
• Desert Climate 2
  Desert Food Chain Map
• Interesting Desert Facts
  Food Chains of the Desert
• Navigational Techniques
  Desert Animal Survival
• Food Chains in the Desert
  Animals of the Desert
• Credits
• Based on a template from The WebQuest Page
• Benchmarks for Science Literacy
• National Science Education Standards

Developer Page
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Student Materials

• Introduction
• Task
• Process
• Evaluation
• Conclusion
• Credits and References

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Introduction

• There are many deserts in the world and
  some are not safe to travel across. The weather
  of these deserts is harsh, some of these deserts
  can get very hot and others can get very cold. A
  group of researches is needed to take a journey
  through 6 different deserts in the world and
  inform the public if they are safe. In order to
  do this there are few conditions that are needed.
  We desperately need your help. We need you to
  travel across the deserts and inform us of your
  findings. What is the weather like? What kinds of
  animals are living there? What is the expected
  food chain? Will people get eaten if they are to
  travel across the Desert? Your mission is to make
  it through the desert and record all of these
  findings.
• Your task is to create a map of the desert that
  you have just traveled across and record all of
  your findings on this map. Each group will have a
  different desert to travel across. By the end of
  this Web Quest you will be an expert in four
  categories of the desert you spent time at. You
  will be able to tell your classmates about your
  adventure and will learn about their journeys.

Credits References
Task
Process
Evaluation
Conclusion
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Task

• Dear Researchers,
• We really need your help and it
  is very important that you report to your job
  site immediately after reading this letter. Your
  task is to make it across a desert that has been
  selected for you. Each group will consist of 4
  researchers each with a different purpose for
  traveling across the desert.
• Climate Manager- Your task is to research and
  discover what the weather is like in the desert
  which you are traveling through. You need to be
  able to inform future travelers of what they
  should bring in order to stay warm or cool
  depending on the weather. Are there storms? If
  so, what kinds of storms?
• Food Chain Expert- Your task is to figure out
  what the food chain is like in this desert. Where
  does it start? Would someone get eaten if they
  were to travel through the desert? Where does the
  energy start that starts the process of things
  growing?
• Animal Control- Your task is to figure out what
  animals live in your desert. What are they like?
  Are they dangerous? Do they have any special
  talents?
• Navigational guide- Your task is to inform
  everyone of how to get around in the desert. What
  kinds of tools are needed to make sure you dont
  get lost? Are there any safety tips that someone
  would need to know?
• Once you have completed your
  research you must return immediately and develop
  a map for fellow desert travelers to use when
  they decide to be adventurous as you were and
  travel the desert lands. This map must include
  all of your research findings. Each group member
  must put in their own part and the group will
  have one big map of the desert that all four of
  you traveled. Be Creative and Informative!
• Sincerely,
• Head of Desert Research

Credits References
Introduction
Process
Evaluation
Conclusion
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Process

• 1). First you will be put into groups of four.
  Each group will be given a desert name that they
  will be traveling across.
• 2). Next, as a group read the book, Life in the
  Desert Animals, People, Plants. While you read
  this keep in mind your desert name and try to
  remember facts about that desert.
• 3). Once you have read the book you should each
  choose a job Climate Manager, Food Chain Expert,
  Animal Control, and Navigational Guide.
• 4). Now you need to begin your research. Here are
  some websites that could be very helpful to find
  information.
• Desert Climate 1
  Navigation Tips
• Desert Climate 2
  Desert Food Chain Map
• Interesting Desert Facts
  Food Chains of the Desert
• Navigational Techniques
  Desert Animal Survival
  
• Food Chains in the Desert
  Animals of the Desert
• 5). After you have all found as much research as
  you could, you must now get together and discuss
  a way to create a map that someone would be able
  to look at and have all of the information that
  they would need in order to travel through your
  desert.
• 6). Once the map is completed, the class will get
  together and each group of Desert Researchers
  will present their research findings and go
  through their map with the class.

Credits References
Introduction
Task
Evaluation
Conclusion
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Evaluation
Credits References
Introduction
Task
Process
Conclusion
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Evaluation cont
Credits References
Introduction
Task
Process
Conclusion
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Conclusion

• On behalf of the Desert Research, I
  would like to thank you for completing the task
  of making these maps. They will be extremely
  helpful in the future when people would like to
  travel to these deserts. You did an outstanding
  job and worked very hard! Thank you very much!
• Sincerely,
• A very thankful Head of
  Desert Research
• Some Questions to Think About
• Would you ever want to travel across
  this Desert that you have researched?
• Would it be easy to live in the Desert
  for a long period of time?
• What essentials would you bring with
  you to the Desert to stay safe?
• CONGRATULATIONS!!! You have successfully
  completed this WebQuest!

Credits References
Introduction
Task
Process
Evaluation
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Credits and References

• I would like to thank Microsoft Word Clip Art
  for providing all of the images that were used
  throughout this Web Quest.
• The following book was used as a resource for
  this Web Quest
• Life in the Desert Animals, People, Plants
  By Lucy Baker
• These websites were provided throughout the Web
  Quest as resources to locate information
• Desert Climate 1
  Navigation Tips
• Desert Climate 2
  Desert Food Chain Map
• Interesting Desert Facts
  Food Chains of the Desert
• Navigational Techniques
  Desert Animal Survival
• Food Chains in the Desert
  Animals of the Desert
• Thank you as well to East Bay Collaborative of
  Rhode Island for providing the WebQuest template
  that was used.

Introduction
Task
Process
Evaluation
Conclusion