Web Quest

Habitat Search

A Web Quest for 3rd Grade (Natural Science)

Introduction

You have a very important task at hand, Are you ready? You were summoned for this task because you are the top biologists in the United States and your country needs you. Your task is to pick one habitat off of the list below and discover all of the hidden secrets that it holds. What animals live in the habitat? Are there any strange plants that exist there? Could this habitat be in your backyard or does it need a certain climate to survive? After you have unfolded the mystery of one of these habitats you will present your findings to the United States Environmental Board.

*Pond *Tundra *Prairie *Grassland *Arctic *Marsh

The Board is worried that our precious habitats are going to become extinct if people do not see their true purpose. Help the board by discovering why each habitat is so remarkable and deserves to be preserved.

The Task

You will design a poster representing your habitat. You will then present your findings to the Environmental Board. Your poster will include the following areas of information about your habitat.

Animals that live in your habitat
Plants that grow in your habitat
Climate and Weather of your habitat
Hidden Secrets (something special we might not know)

The Process

First you'll be assigned to a team of 4 students.
Each student in your group will be assigned to one of the specified areas. The areas include animals, plants, climate/weather, and the hidden secret.
Once you have your assigned area it is your job to search the websites included to find out everything there is to know about your area.
Once you have gathered enough information you need to come up with a creative way to display your area on the poster that will be presented in class. You may do this in several ways. You may draw pictures, take photos, or use print outs from your websites. Just remember that everything on your poster must be labeled and must include color.
When your poster is complete it is time to put it to the test. Each member of your team will present the area assigned to them. Make sure you identify what is on your poster and present the information in a fun and exciting way.

For all habitats go to

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/

http://mbgnet.mobot.org/

Pond

http://www.uen.org/utahlink/pond/

http://www.42explore.com/pond.htm

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/conker/ponddip

Tundra

http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/tundra/animals/

http://ths.sps.lane.edu/biomes/tundra5/tundra5.html

http://www.schmoker.org/TundraLife/

Prairie

http://www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/prairie/htmls/intro.html

http://community.webshots.com/album/191329

http://www.americazoo.com/kids/buffalo.htm

http://www.nps.gov/thro/tr_notes.htm

Grassland

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/grasslands.htm

http://lsb.syr.edu/projects/cyberzoo/grass.html

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Laboratory/Biome/biograssland.html

Arctic

http://library.thinkquest.org/3500/

http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/tundra.html

http://earthday.wilderness.org/arctic/color_book.htm

Marsh

http://www.fodm.org/marshbio.htm

http://www.batiquitosfoundation.org/plantwet.htm

http://www.twingroves.district96.k12.il.us/Wetlands/Marsh/Marsh.html

Evaluation

Your final product will be graded on an individual basis. It will cover three different areas of performance. How well you worked with your team, the quality of information gathered on your area, and the creativity of your presentation.

I showed	No Effort	Some Effort	100% Effort
Team Work	I didn’t support my team. I wasn’t there to help out.	I offered some of my help.	I was a great team member. I offered my ideas and my time. I was there to help my team members.
Information Gathered	I didn’t gather any information on my habitat.	I gathered some information, but it was not correct.	I gathered as much information about my area as possible.
The Poster	I didn’t label my area. I didn’t use color.	I used some color and labels.	I labeled all of my information correctly. It was bright and colorful.
The Presentation	I did not tell the class about the information I gathered.	I told the class some of the information I gathered.	I told the class all of the information I gathered.

Conclusion

Congratulations, after this quest you will have discovered the hidden secrets and life behind these habitats. The board will be very pleased with your time and efforts. You can pass on your discoveries to everyone you meet in hopes that we may all some day understand how amazing nature can really be. Now if you want to help conserve these amazing habitats check out the following website.

http://www.fws.gov/conwh.html

Contact Rachel