I chose to create this Webquest as a part of a month long project on the Tundra. It is intended for grades 2 or 3 but could be adapted for any grade. I also used information from another teacher. Please feel free to adapt and use this webquest.
Introduction
Home
Welcome to the Arctic Tundra Web Quest for second grade innovation. In this journey you will travel to the frosty peaks of the North Pole! You will find out why Santa and his reindeer are always in the cold!
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Task
Tasks
You've got mail!
You have just opened your mailbox and there you find a letter addressed to “Arctic Research Team.” You are curious and open the letter; this is what you find;
Dear Arctic Research Team,
I need your help!! My name is Dr. Madeline Smith, I am a scientist. I have spent my life devoted to researching the arctic tundra. My team of researchers wants to invite you and your team to the Arctic to do some research for us. Your teacher told us that you were the best and brightest when it comes to ecosystems and I am counting on you. I hope you receive this letter in time. A ship will board tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. and we need you on it. You may want to look at the weather forecast, as it is suspected to be rather chilly.
You will return home in five days and report your findings to a group of scientists. It is your job to observe and study specific animals of the arctic tundra. Along the way you will want to record the ways that humans are impacting the arctic ecosystem. We will demand your plan about how you and your team will help reduce human impact on the arctic.
Stay warm,
Dr. Smith
Arctic Scientist
| You are now a researcher in the arctic tundra. You will need to hurry if you are going to board the ship by 8 a.m. the next morning.
The class will be divided up into teams of four students. Your team will work collaboratively and individually to help the team of scientists. Before you begin to pack you will need to know what kind of weather conditions are in the arctic and what kinds of things you will want in your suitcase. Once packed, rested, and on the ship bright and early, relax and enjoy the beauty of the the Tundra. Once you arrive on land you will be doing lots of work, this includes researching the different animals that you see. Each member of the group will research one animal in the arctic and create a presentation. You will report back to the group of scientists. They will want you to explain your findings on the animals and also what you recorded about how humans action effects the tundra biome. Your team will need to create an action plan to reduce the impact of humans on the arctic tundra. You will create a plan that can be implemented in our classroom or at your home. Each team member will have different roles. |
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Process
Follow these steps to complete your Webquest. Your teacher will divide you into teams of four/five students.
Task #1
1. Your team will research the weather of the North Pole. Click the "Climate" link under the resources tab to review the arctic weather. Next, click the “Weather” link to view a 10-day forecast of the north pole.
2. Your team will then read the article “What to pack for the arctic tundra” located under the Evaluation tab.
3. Collaboratively, your team will create Word Document and compile a list of 10-20 items that you will need for your trip. Each student will pick one item and provide a 2-3 sentence explanation of why you would need to pack that particular item. Once complete, print out you word for your teacher.
Task #2
1. Your next task is to research an animal in the arctic tundra. Visit the “Animals” link under the evaluation tab to view some of the animals of the arctic.
2. Each team member will chose one animal to research (team members can not do the same animal). Once you have researched your animal each member of the group will create a presentation. You should tell three things about the animal and show three pictures. You should use a power point to show this information.
3. Your powerpoint will have a minimum of 5 slides. Include information on each slide, along with a photo. Your first page will be a title page (Arctic Animals and pictures of your animals). Pages 2-5 should have a sentence or two about the animal and a different pictrure. If you are having difficulty finding pictures please ask your teacher or your team members.
Task #3
1. Your next task is to research how humans are impacting the tundra. Click on the human impact links under evaluation to find more information.
Pink Group use this:
http://mrspribclass.pbworks.com/w/page/55673014/Tundra
2. You need to each write your own paragraph (5-7 sentences) on how humans are impacting the tundra OR what we can do to help save the tundra. You must first write a rough draft in your journal. This is where you can write your ideas down to help you. After you have written in your journal you can rewrite it neatly on handwriting paper OR you may type it. Every one in the group will be writing his/her own.
Task #4
Your team will research the weather of the North Pole. Click the "Climate" link under the resources tab to review the arctic weather. Next, click the “Weather” link to view a 10-day forecast of the north pole.
Your team is to look at the monthly forecast for JANUARY AND FEBRUARY! Your team will be appointed a set of 10 days to look at. Your team will then create a bar graph using table of Aritic average monthly temperatures.
Evaluation
Use these links to complete your Webquest.
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This page provides information about the climate in the tundra. Click on the link to learn more about permafrost, winter in the arctic, and the cold weather that plagues the tundra. This is step one of task one. http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra_climate.htm
This will provide a ten day forecast of the climate at the North Pole to make students feel like they are really traveling to the Arctic. Search "North Pole" and click on 10-day forecast to see what the weather would be like if you were traveling to the tundra. This is step one under task one. http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/North+Pole+AK+USAK0173:1:US
To help you pack, read this article and pick out the items you would put in your suitcase. The purpose of this article is to help students understand the climate in the arctic. This website is step two in task one. http://traveltips.usatoday.com/pack-arctic-tundra-106463.html
This website provides a list of animals that live in the arctic. This is a kid friendly site that provides a summary of the different animals. It includes characteristics of each animal as well as some questions and answers. This website is step one of task two. http://library.thinkquest.org/3500/arctic_fox.htm
Animals of the Tundra - additional information Use this site to find more information on select animals. This site does not have to be used as a resource, it is only to provide more information when creating your PhotoPeach slideshow. This is step one of task two. http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra_animal_page.htm
PhotoPeach is an easy tool to create slideshows and share them. Students should already have experience using PhotoPeach, as the purpose of this assignment is to focus on the content rather than the web tool. PhotoPeach is being used as the presentation style because it is easy to upload photos and share. This is step two in task two.
Open this pdf and read about how the tundra is changing and why. Pay close attention to the "so what can you do" section. This is a good article because it explains global warming in a kid friendly way. This is step one in task three. http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/polaraction.pdf
Human Impact - What kids can do about global warming This page provides awesome ideas of what kids can do to fight global warming. Use the list at the bottom of the page as it may spark some ideas for your action plan. This is step one in task three. http://www.c2es.org/science-impacts/basics/kids
Human Impact - helpful information Read the section at the bottom of this page, under "People and this biome." This explains some of the problems happening in the arctic which will be good for your presentations. This is step one in task three. |
Conclusion
Your trip to the Arctic was a success!
Congrats, the team of scientists loved your presentations. Now that you have successfully traveled to the arctic you should have a better idea of what kinds of weather people in the arctic experience and the types of clothing they need to stay warm. While in the arctic you researched one of the many different types of animals that live in the tundra. You learned about how they adapt to the cold and what they eat.
Most importantly after completing this Webquest you have gained more knowledge about how you can save the arctic, even as a fourth grader. Humans have a huge impact on the changing climate that is effecting the arctic. You learned about these problems which is the first step toward fighting them.
Traveling with your team to the arctic also taught you collaboration and how to work with a team to reach a goal. You also practiced skills in the technology programs that we used. You were able to revisit PhotoPeach, Google Documents, and Google Presentations. Your individual research was used to create a larger group project. The scientists were very impressed with your efforts and findings, keep checking your mail to see if they will need you to explore another biome.
Credits
Thank you to the teacher who helped make this possible!
I used a lot of the material s/he used in her/his webquest.