Introduction
Welcome, young explorers!
The zoo needs your help! The zookeeper wants to create a special animal guide for visitors. Your mission is to explore the animal world, discover interesting facts, and help visitors learn about amazing animals.
Are you ready to become a Junior Zookeeper?
Let's start our animal adventure!
Task
You and your partner are Junior Zookeepers!
Your mission is to become an animal expert by exploring different animals. Working with a partner, you will choose three animals and create an Animal Explorer Book to share what you learn with your classmates.
For each animal, your book must include:
- The animal's name
- A picture of the animal
- Its color or size
- Where it lives
- What it eats
- Two interesting facts
At the end, you and your partner will give a short presentation to introduce your Animal Explorer Book to the class.You can create your book using paper, Canva, or Google Slides. Use pictures and simple English sentences to share what you have learned about your three animals. Remember, your goal is to teach your classmates something new about each animal.
Process
Follow these steps to complete your mission. Work together with your partner and have fun learning about animals!
Step 1: Choose Your Animals
Choose three animals you want to learn about with your partner. You can choose animals you like or animals you want to know more about!
Step 2: Explore the Websites
Visit the websites below to find information about your three animals. Look at the pictures and read the information with your partner.
Website 1: National Geographic Kids
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/
Website 2: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers
https://sdzwildlifeexplorers.org/animals
Website 3: San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants
https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals
Step 3: Become an Animal Detective
Use the websites to find information about your animals. Answer these questions for each animal:
- What is the animal's name?
- What color is it? Is it big or small?
- Where does it live?
- What does it eat?
- What are two interesting facts about it?
Write short notes before creating your book. You can use the pictures to help you!
Step 4: Create Your Animal Explorer Book
Use the information you found to make your book. Include a picture and simple English sentences for each animal.
You can use these sentence patterns:
- This is a ______.
- It is ______.
- It lives in ______.
- It eats ______.
- One interesting fact is ______.
- Another interesting fact is ______.
Step 4: Present Your Book
Practice with your partner. Introduce your three animals to the class in a short presentation of about two minutes. Make sure both partners have a chance to speak!
Step 5: Celebrate!
Congratulations, Junior Zookeepers! You have completed your animal investigation. Share your book with your classmates and celebrate what you have learned.
Evaluation
Your Animal Explorer Book and presentation will be evaluated using the following criteria. Read the rubric to understand how to do your best!
| Criteria | Excellent | Good | Needs Improvement | Points |
| Animal Information | Includes all required information about all three animals. (4 points) | Includes most of the required information. (3 points) | Includes some information, but important details are missing. (1–2 points) | /4 |
| Book Content | The book is complete, well-organized, and easy to understand. (4 points) | The book is mostly complete and organized. (3 points) | The book is incomplete or difficult to follow. (1–2 points) | /4 |
| English and Presentation | Uses simple English clearly, and both partners participate. (3 points) | Uses some English clearly, but needs more practice. (2 points) | Needs help using English or participating in the presentation. (1 point) | /3 |
| Creativity and Design | Uses pictures and a creative, attractive design. (2 points) | Includes pictures and a clear design. (1 point) | Needs more pictures or a clearer design. (0 points) | /2 |
| Teamwork | Both partners work together and share responsibilities. (2 points) | Both partners participate, but responsibilities are not shared equally. (1 point) | Needs more cooperation with a partner. (0 points) | /2 |
| Total | /15 |
Before you submit, check your work!
- Did you choose three animals?
- Did you include each animal’s name, appearance, habitat, food, and two fun facts?
- Did you add pictures and use simple English sentences?
- Did you practice your presentation with your partner?
- Did both partners participate?
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have completed your Animal Explorer mission!
Through this WebQuest, you learned about three different animals, including what they look like, where they live, what they eat, and some interesting facts about them. You also practiced using simple English and working together with a partner.
Now, think about what you have learned:
- Which animal was the most interesting to you?
- What is one new thing you learned about animals?
- Why is it important to protect animals and their habitats?
Keep exploring, keep learning, and remember that every animal is special. Great work, Junior Zookeepers!
Credits
The following websites were used to create this WebQuest and help students explore animals.
1. National Geographic Kids – Animals
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/
2. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers
https://sdzwildlifeexplorers.org/animals
3. San Diego Zoo – Animals & Plants
https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals
WebQuest designed by: Kahee KIM / Malika Akimbayeva.
Teacher Page
Target Learners
- Grade: 3rd-grade elementary school students
- Subject: English
- English Proficiency: Beginner (A1)
- Grouping: Pairs
Time Required
Approximately 80 minutes (two 40-minute lessons).
Learning Objectives
By the end of this WebQuest, students will be able to:
1. Identify and name three animals in English.
2. Describe animals using simple adjectives.
3. Identify animals’ habitats and diets.
4. Write simple sentences about animals using sentence frames.
5. Work collaboratively with a partner and present their findings in English.
Materials
- Computers or tablets with internet access
- Projector (optional)
- Paper or digital presentation tools such as Canva or Google Slides
- Pencils and coloring materials (for paper books)
Teacher’s Role
1. Introduce the WebQuest and explain the students’ mission.
2. Help students access the recommended websites and find relevant information.
3. Provide vocabulary support and sentence frames for beginner learners.
4. Monitor pair work and encourage both students to participate.
5. Assess students’ Animal Explorer Books and presentations using the evaluation rubric.
Assessment
Students will be assessed on animal information (4 points), book content (4 points), English and presentation (3 points), creativity and design (2 points), and teamwork (2 points), for a total of 15 points.
Differentiation
Provide picture-based vocabulary support and sentence frames for students who need help. Students who finish early can research an additional animal or share an extra interesting fact.
Teacher’s Note
Some website content may be challenging for beginner English learners. Encourage students to use pictures, focus on key information, and ask for help when needed.