Extinct Animals | Create WebQuest

Introduction

Students research extinct animals and the causes that led to their extinction. The students will present to the class the causes and what effects the extinct animals caused.

You have been hired as museum tour director at the Extinct Animals Museum. Your job is to research the extinct animals and find out what caused their extinction. You will present your facts for the museum tour to the board members of the museum.

Task

You will need to choose a type of presentation (ex. PowerPoint, poster board, video, etc.) to present to the Board of the Museum (your classmates). You will need to make the presentation exciting and entertaining to bring in new customers. Please read the rubric to know what is expected of you.

Process

Step 1

Explore these sites to discover extinct animals.

Top 10 Extinct Animals

Extinct Animals in Last 40 Years

Extinct Animals

Step 2

Choose 10 of your favorite animals. You will need to research the following: species name, animal's origin, type of food the animals ate, the animals environment, what caused their extinction, could the extinction have been prevented?, and similar species.

Extinction

Why Animals go Extinct

Top 5 Causes of Extinction

Step 3

Now that you've researched and chosen your favorite 10, you will develop your presentation. You will present to the Board what is most significant about these extinct animals. Your presentation should include pictures and all important information. It is your job to have a 3-5 minute presentation to your class.

Evaluation

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Process Worksheet Completion	Worksheet not complete- not all areas addressed. Less than 3 animals.	Worksheet not filled completely- not all areas addressed. Less than 6 animals.	Worksheet filled completely with all areas addressed. At least 6 animals	Worksheet filled completely with each of the areas addressed. At least 10 animals.
Process Significance of Animals	Significance of animals not addressed	Significance not addressed for extinction or facts about life. Minimal support provided.	Significance of extinction and facts about animals stated. Good support provided	Significance of animals life, facts, and extinction stated. Well-supported
Task Presentation	No extinct animals identified. No Picture. Lacks creativity.	5 extinct animals identified with pictures.Not very neat or creative.	All 10 extinct animals identified. No pictures. Neat and creative.	All 10 extinct animals clearly identified with pictures. Creative.
Task Support for extinctions	No support for choices. Impact on societies not mentioned.	Reasons for choices not supported clearly. Impact on societies mentioned.	Reasons for choices somewhat supported. Impact on societies mentioned and supported.	Reasons for choices clearly supported. Impact on societies is relevant.
Speaking	Does not speak clearly. Lacks volume and/or rate. many verbal or physical distractions. Does not meet time requirement	Speaks clearly but lacks consistent volume and rate. Some verbal/physical distractions. Does not meet time requirement.	Speaks clearly at an appropriate rate and volume. Minimal verbal/physical distractions. Meets time requirement.	Speaks clearly at an appropriate rate and volume. No physical or verbal distractions. Meets time requirement.
Conclusion Paragraph	Paragraph lacks organization. Topic sentence unclear- no support.	Paragraph has minimal organization- lacking topic, support or conclusion	Paragraph has good organization. Topic sentence, 2-3 supporting details, conclusion.	Paragraph has clear organization. Topic sentence, 4-5 supporting details, conclusion
Mechanics- Grammar, Format, Spelling	Major mechanical errors in grammar, formatting, and spelling.	The final body of work has 3-5 mechanical errors in grammar, formatting, and spelling.	The final body of work has 1-2 mechanical errors in grammar, formatting, and spelling.	The final body of work is free of mechanical errors.

Conclusion

After research is complete, you will write a paragraph to Chair of the Board of the Museum to convince him why extinct animals are important. You will write a well thought out paragraph that is well-supported by your research. This paragraph will explain the importance of learning of extinct animals and why there should be a tour in the museum based on them. You should include a topic sentence, supporting details, and a conclusion.

Credits

https://onekindplanet.org/top-10/extinct/

https://answersingenesis.org/extinct-animals/

Teacher Page

Students research extinct animals and give a presentation to the Museum Board to convince them why extinct animals are important. They will explain in the presentation what extinction is and what caused the extinctions of the animals.

This web quest is focused toward 5th grade students (in West Virginia) and others that are researching extinct animals. It covers multiple subjects: science, writing, speaking, and research. Students are required to give a persuasive presentation to their classmates.