Blue Hole

Introduction

Introduction

Many of you would be surprised to learn that there are underwater pits where the land drops away known as Blue Holes. They are circular with entrances ranging from 25 meters to 300 meters across, and it can reach down to 202 meters deep. These holes are filled with dark, chilly water where their depths absorb the light. Blue Holes can be found in many shallow coastal platforms around the world, bringing in many tourists because of its contrast to the surrounding water and their apparent bottomless appearance.

Task

Task

Students will research more information on Blue Holes as to attain a better understanding of what they are and how they are formed. They will also research how to write narrative essays. Then students will create their own story, whether fiction or non-fiction, involving a Blue Hole.

 

Process

Process

     Step 1:

Working individually, you will research information on Blue Holes, and then answer questions about it. This should help you to develop ideas for your story that you will be writing later on.

Resources

https://mostodd.wordpress.com/2011/06/22/holes-in-the-ocean/ Find out what a Blue Hole is and what it consists of.

http://www.bahamascaves.com/blueholes.html Understand different types of Blue Holes and how they are formed.

http://news.ufl.edu/archive/2007/12/fossils-excavated-from-bahamian-blue-hole-may-give-clues-of-early-life.html Read about what is hidden in Blue Holes and what it could mean.

Directions: Answer the questions in complete sentences. 

  1. There are three ways a Blue Hole is formed. What situation would you create that involves two or more of these ways?
  2. How would you support the statement that a Blue Hole could have an entrance ranging from 25 to 300 meters across and reach down to 202 meters deep?
  3. If you were to find fossils while diving in a Blue Hole, how would you plan on using your findings to benefit others around the world?
  4.  What plan would you devise to raise awareness of what a Blue Hole has to offer?

     Step 2:

Working individually, you will research information on how to write narratives. For example, you will research what a narrative consists of, such as: presenting a situation, using dialogue, putting events in sequence, and providing a conclusion that follows from you story. You will then answer questions about it.

Resources

https://www.sbcc.edu/clrc/files/wl/downloads/StructureofaPersonalNarrativeEssay.pdf Look at how to structure your paper.

http://www.roanestate.edu/owl/describe.html Look at what elements a narrative consists of.

Directions: Answer the questions in complete sentences.

  1. How would you set up your paper so that it follows a coherent narrative that is based on your writing style?
  2. What is the value of writing well organized and structured papers? Give three reasons.
  3. How would you organize the elements of your story from most important to least?
  4. How would you combine your experiences with facts about a Blue Hole to write your story?

     Step 3:

Working individually, you will write a narrative involving a Blue Hole. It may be fiction or non-fiction, but remember, it must contain the elements of a narrative. Make sure that your story is well developed, organized, clear, and coherent.

Evaluation

Evaluation

4 points 3 points 2 points 1 points
Questions All questions have been correctly answered in complete sentences. Most questions have been correctly answered in complete sentences. Most or all questions have been answered but not in complete sentences. Few questions have been answered, and not written in complete sentences.
Research Integration The paper includes relevant information that has been gathered by research to develop the ideas and events of the story. The paper includes few amounts of information gathered by research that is adequately relevant to the story. The paper includes no research to support the ideas in the story. Almost the entire paper consists of researched information and few original ideas.
Writing Structure The story is written clearly and coherently. It is well developed and organized. It is also appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. The story is mostly clear, coherent, well developed, and organized. It is mostly appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. The story is adequately clear, coherent, well developed, and organized. It is adequately appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. The story is not clear, coherent, well developed, or organized. It is not appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Narrative Elements The story engages the readers, contains dialogue and description, written in sequence of events, uses sensory language to convey vivid pictures and experiences, and includes a conclusion that reflects what has happened. The story mostly engages the readers, contains dialogue and description, written in sequence of events, uses sensory language to convey vivid pictures and experiences, and includes a conclusion that reflects what has happened. The story adequately engages the readers, contains dialogue and description, written in sequence of events, uses sensory language to convey vivid pictures and experiences, and includes a conclusion that reflects what has happened. The story does not engage the readers, contains dialogue or description, written in sequence of events, uses sensory language to convey vivid pictures or experiences, or includes a conclusion that reflects what has happened.
Grammar There are no major grammatical/mechanical mistakes. There is a maximum of two grammatical/mechanical mistakes. There is a maximum of four grammatical/mechanical mistakes. There are more than four grammatical/mechanical mistakes.
Conclusion

Conclusion

Fill out a learning log for this lesson and answer in complete sentences.

1. What did I do in class today? Give a brief description of your class activities.

2. What did I learn? There's always something!

3. What did I find most interesting? "Nothing" is not an acceptable answer.

4. What questions do I have about what I learned? This is important - THINK!

5. What was the point of today's lesson? Why would your teacher plan this activity?

6. What connections can I make to previous learning? Is there any connection to something you've learned in other classes, this class, perhaps something you thought about?

                                                                                                                   (Badovinac,2006)

Credits

Credits

     Acknowledgements

Badovinac, M. (2006). Learning Log Questions. Retrieved from http://questgarden.com/52/16/0/070606152240/conclusion.htm

     Permissions

We all benefit by being generous with our work. Permission is granted for others to use and modify this WebQuest for educational, non-commercial purposes as long as the original authorship is credited. The modified WebQuest may be shared only under the same conditions.

Teacher Page

Teacher's Page

     Florida Standards:

LAFS.1112.W.1.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

  1. Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation and its significance, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events.
  2. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
  3. Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution).
  4. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
  5. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.

LAFS.112.W.2.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

LAFS.112.W.3.8: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.

     ELL Strategies:

* Utilize the Language Experience Approach which incorporates the experiences, the oral language, and interests of the student to develop writing and reading skills.

This involves relating the student's experiences to the webquest. Relate their language experiences so that they know what is being said and their actual experiences to holes and sinkholes so they have something to connect the information to.

* Speak clearly and simplify the vocabulary.

This could be done by going over the words that the student does not know and using Tier 1 words instead to simplify the meaning so that they may understand what they're reading. This in turn will help them to understand what they'll have to write.