Help Save A Pet | Create WebQuest

CAN CHILDREN PLAY WITH IT

DOES IT NEED AN OWNER WITH LOTS OF ENERGY

DO YOU NEED LOTS OF TIME TO CARE FOR IT

DOES IT NEED A LOT OF SPACE

Introduction

INTRODUCTION

Can you help us find a home?

It is school holidays and your class mates are all excited to have free time to learn and discover new things.

One day, on your way to the shops, you pass a sign at your local veterinarian saying help wanted !!

You are all looking to try something new and absolutely love animals so you go inside….

Task

The vet, Dr Fixwoof tells you his new friends, that he helped when they were sick, need a new home and he would love your help in choosing the best place for them to continue to grow and get strong again.

You and your friends agree the veterinarian is the nicest man you have ever met and the animals are very sweet so agree to help him as much as you can!!

The vet is delighted you want to help, giving you and your friends the title of Apprentice Vetinarians and gives you all a check list of ideas he wants you to consider when picking the animals' new place to live.

Dr Fixwoof tells you as apprentive vetinarians you need to consider the following:

* The most suitable type of home for the animal

* What sort of family will they fit best into

*What sort of lifestyle will they need

*Any extra comforts they need to fit in nicely in their new home

Remember every animal is different and all have different needs, so think carefully about who you are matching the animal to !

Process

STEP 1: PLANNING!

Dr Fixwoof wants you to produce a list of all the different types of people there are; keeping in mind he only wants to know aspects about them that will affect how they can take care of their new pet.

Think about if any of you have a pet at home or know someone that does, does it need lots of attention or not much at all? As a group, write down at least one person each of you know that has a pet and what sort of pet it is. This will help you start to think about what sort of pets certain people have. Eg: Susan's Grandma has a cat. See how many you can come up with !

STEP 2: RESEARCH!

As apprentice veterinarians, it is important you know lots of hints and facts to be able to pass onto the animals new families.

The veterinarian has given you the following three websites that contain heaps of cool and interesting facts about loads of different animals, some you might not even know exist !

In order to show Dr Fixwoof that you have done your research, as a group, he wants you to pick 5 animals (not including cats and dogs) and write at least ten new facts you learnt as a group on each. Dr Fixwoof might ask anyone of you for a animal fact so make sure you all participate and can pass your apprenticeship !!

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals.html

http://www.kidinfo.com/science/domestic_animals.html

http://www.petsintheclassroom.org/kids/fun-facts-about-animals/

While your on the internet, have a look on google images and find the most entertaining (REAL) photos of the 5 animals you chose.

STEP 3: LETS GET ORGANISED

Dr Fixwoof wants to see proof of how you got to your decision. Please complete the following table to help you narrow down the possible new families for the animals. Some areas require either a tick or a cross, others require you to put some dot points of information

STEP 4: DECISION MAKING

Now it's time to put all your hard work together. You have come up with a list of possible candidates and have thought about the needs of the animal. (EG: if it needs company or for its' owner to have lots of spare time or energy). Dr Fixwoof now introduces you to the possible new owners of the pets. What you need to next is sit down in a group and think of who is suited best to each of the five different animals.

The possible owners are:

1. Mrs Betty Crocker - a 65 year old lady who is retired and needs a cane to get around. She loves sitting on her favourite chair in her townhouse in the sun. She doesn't have many visitors and is looking for a pet to keep her company.

2. Sally and Tom Walker are a young working couple with no children. They aren't home during the day but would like to look after a pet that doesn't require much maintenance. They live in an apartment complex.

3. David and Michelle Mercia and their three teenage children Brandon, Jordan and Rhiannon live in a nice home in a quiet street. They have a big backyard with plenty of grass and the children would love to have a pet they can play with and teach new tricks. Their parents feel they are up to the responsibility of having a pet and agree they have lots of energy to share with an animal.

4. Frank and Connie Evans are a retired couple that have just moved from the mountains to a city suburb. They are retired couple but are fairly busy on weekends with their grandchildren. They miss the sounds of the bush and would love a pet that they can love and look after but doesn't require constant attention.

5. Damien and Michelle Cronan have a 5 year old daughter Jemima. They live in a small house with only a little backyard. They want to have a pet that is small and cuddly to encourage their daughter to share their passion for animals and teach her some responsibility without being worried Jemima might get hurt by the animal. They have plenty of time but not a lot of space for a big animal to run around in.

Who do you think will be the best fit for our Dog, Cat, Rabbit, Goldfish and Bird??

STEP 5: PRESENTATION !

You are now ready, apprentice veterinarians, to display the results of your findings to Dr Fixwoof!!

Using the following table you can present who you believe to be best matched to their new pets and why.

ANIMAL	WHO SHOULD BE IT'S NEW FAMILY	WHY ??

WE'RE ALMOST THERE !!!!

STEP 6: REFLECTION

Individually, reflect upon something new you learnt while completing this webquest. It can be anything from a new fascinating fact about an animal to learning about the types of responsibilities in being a pet owner to even using the internet to search for new information. While this is a group task, you are asked to show an understanding of how and what you have learned.

Evaluation

Your teacher (Dr Fixwoof) will be using a marking key to assess how hard you have worked and to ensure you understand all the topics considered. As you are completing the tasks check in with the marking key to ensure you will achieve the highest marks.

** Remember this is a GROUP task however the total group mark goes towards each individual, so the better you work as a team the better the result for yourselves. **

TASK
Planning	Students will be given a mark /10 for their combined effort in coming up with appropriate types of people that will directly impact the task given.	Students will receive a mark /5 for their participation in the task. Students will lose marks if not all team members have contributed to the brainstorming of ideas	Total mark /15
Research	Students will be given a mark /25 for their detailed research on 5 different animals. Higher quality facts or information will receive higher marks. Appropriate use of imagery will also contribute to the final mark		Total mark /25
Organisation	Students will be marked /30 on their ability to provide detailed and appropriate lists of likes and dislikes of each animal, which will be a result of their research.	Students will receive a mark /5 for the correct placement of ticks and crosses in the given fields. Marks may be given if a student can provide an appropriate reason as to why that option was chosen.	Total mark /35
End Product	Students will be marked /5 for the correct match of group/person to animal and its’ needs.	Students will receive a mark /5 for the correct reasoning as to their choice in matching persons to pet. Marks can be given if student provides reasonable argument as to why some matches may vary.	Total mark /10
Reflection	Students will be given a mark a mark /5 on their ability to reflect back upon the task and outline at LEAST one key concept they learnt in the process.		Total Mark /5
Group Work	Students will receive a mark /10 for their ability to work in a team. Participation, involvement and sharing of responsibilities must be equal in order to achieve full marks.		Total mark /10
			TOTAL MARK /100

Conclusion

YOU DID IT !!!!!

You are now Assitant Veterinarians and Dr Fixwoof would love to have you back if he ever gets in a dilemma again !!!!

Credits

Use this space to discuss strengths of the team and areas they excelled in and areas in which the team could improve on for next time.

Teacher Page

TEACHERS NOTES:

Age Group: This webquest is aimed at Year 3 Students

Prior Knowledge: Basic ICT skills are essential when browsing the internet for information, even though direct sites are hyperlinked. Students should also have an understanding of how to navigate their way through a webquest.

Task 1: Planning for an assignment is a key skill which students will require as they progress through their stages of learning. The dynamics of the team are also becoming apparent at this stage. A group will often appoint a leader (or they may appoint themselves) to see over all tasks and make sure participation is equal. This is a natural phenomenon but a teacher must ensure to keep close supervision to ensure quieter students are not being ordered around or are too timid to contribute. Working collaboratively with other students will be an important skill later in their education.

Task 2: Using the internet to source information is an expected skill of students in this age bracket. By limiting the sites you wish them to use to trusted and researched sites, the teacher is able to keep the students on track and also not overload them with irrelevant and possibly incorrect information. Using a search engine such as google to find images and save them to the correct location on the hard drive is an necessary skill for students.

Task 3: By providing the students with a table format to organise their thoughts - the teacher is implementing an idea to the students as to how they can use digital tools to help organise their ideas. It also helps the students set out clearly what they have learnt so far and any blank cells in the table can help them identify areas they are not confident in or need to do more research towards.

Task 4: Giving examples of real life situations that most students will have encountered, allows the students to take the imaginary scenario of the webquest and apply it to people or family members that they visualise as similar to the characters. This is a cognitive tool that helps children to see how they can apply their learning to their home and social lives.

Task 5: By now the children have been swamped with new information that may not seem directly related to the task. By asking the students to present their findings in a simple table format with visual prompts aids them to gather all the information they have been accessing and relate it back to the task at hand

Task 6: Reflecting back upon what they have learnt gives the students an opportunity to revise all the new skills they have acquired as well as the new or adjusted knowledge they now have on this subject. It also gives them an opportunity to make the teacher aware of any areas they are still not clear on or where they feel they need extra tuition.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Society and environment : * The children learn about other social and economical statuses to their own. * They may also learn of other family structures and how people chose to live. Eg: some students may not understand what it is to live in an apartment block. * Students also learn to care about the impact that humans have on animals, they learn to be considerate of the animals environment and the impact that its' surrounds may have on that animal.

English: * Children are learning new words and the meanings of those previously unused words. They are also finding second uses for words they have had in their vocabulary for years. * Spelling and grammar will need to be used correctly throughout the assignment. * students will enhance their reading skills.

Technology: *Students will increase their fluency with online learning programs such as webquest and the websites provided for their research

Science: * Students learn about new and different animals. * Students will learn about the natural environments of animals that are not pets. * Students will increase their investigation skills in order to complete the assignment.