A WebQuest for Fourth Grade: Life Science

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Primate Adventure
A WebQuest for Fourth Grade Life
Science Designed by Kristina Calisto    C
himps Flo and Flint Based on a template from
San Diego State Universitys The WebQuest Page
Colobus Monkey
Spider Monkey
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Introduction On the student page Welcome This
WebQuest was developed as part of the elementary
science methods course at Roger Williams
University, in Bristol, Rhode Island. The
WebQuest is geared toward 4th graders who are
learning about animals specifically primates.
This topic was chosen based on the book With
Love by Jane Goodall. I would suggest reading
the book to your class before beginning the
WebQuest. In this WebQuest students will we
take on the roles of primatologists (primate
specialists) they will be introducing a new
primate to the Gombe National Park family.
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Learners This WebQuest focuses on the content
area of life science. I have geared this WebQuest
toward fourth graders. However, I feel it can be
modified to be used in grades 3 - 6.
The only prior knowledge the student needs is
to know the characteristics of primates and other
animals. Students will also need to know how to
use a computer to conduct research and navigate a
WebQuest. Based on the Benchmarks
for Science Literacy research says students
should understand the following THE LIVING
ENVIRONMENT Several areas related to The Living
Environment have received considerable research
attention over recent years. These include
student meanings of the terms animal, plant, and
living students' ideas about plant nutrition
and their understanding of genetics and natural
selection. Diversity of Life Classification of
organisms Some research indicates that in 2nd
grade there is a shift in children's
understanding of organisms from representations
based on perceptual and behavioral features to
representations in which central principles of
biological theory are most important. Children at
this age can beginto understand that animals of
the same species have similar internal parts and
offspring (Keil, 1989). When asked to group
certain organisms, lower elementary-school
students form groupsof different status. Meaning
of the words "animal" and "plant" Elementary-
and middle-school students hold a much more
restricted meaning than biologists for the word
"animal" (Mintzes et al., 1991). For example,
most students list only vertebrates as animals.
Elementary- and middle-school students use such
criteria as number of legs, body covering, and
habitat to decide whether things are animals.
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• Standards Curriculum
• National Science Education Standards
• Life Science
• CONTENT STANDARD C
• As a result of activities in grades K-4, all
  students should develop understanding of
• The characteristics of organisms
• Organisms and environments
• Benchmarks for Science Literacy
• Diversity of Life
• A great variety of kinds of living things can be
  sorted into groups in many ways using various
  features to decide which things belong to which
  group.
• Features used for grouping depend on the purpose
  of the grouping.

more
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• Curriculum Standards (continued)
• Language Arts Standards (3rd Ed.)
• Writing
• Uses the general skills and strategies of the
  writing process
• Uses grammatical and mechanical conventions in
  written compositions
• Gathers and uses information for research
  purposes
• Reading
• Uses the general skills and strategies of the
  writing process
• Uses reading skills and strategies to understand
  and interpret a variety of informational texts
• Viewing
• Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand
  and interpret visual media
• Technology Foundation Standards for Students
• Basic operations and concepts
• Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the
  nature and operation of technology systems.
• Students are proficient in the use of technology.
• Technology research tools
• Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and
  collect information from a variety of sources.

back
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Process On student page-Exploration Begins 1.
Please review this Primate Expert Sheet before
you begin researching your primate. This will
help guide you through your research. Record your
findings in your science notebook. 2. Now you
may choose one of the following primates that you
want to research If you click on the image of
the primate you will be sent to a website which
will help you learn about your primate.

Gorilla
Colobus Monkey
Spider Monkey
Gibbon
Pygmy Marmoset
Baboon
Chimpanzee
Orangutan
more
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• Process (continued)
• Now that you have finished your research on the
  primate you chose it is time to create your
  brochure! Your brochure should include the
  following items
• Cover Page Please include your name, the
  title, and a colored drawing of your primate
• Introduction Here you should introduce
  your primate by telling me what your primate
  looks like. You might also want to name your
  primate.
• Information You should present the
  information you found while researching your
  primate in a creative way. Use your Primate
  Information Expert Sheet to help you. Please
  include at least 5 facts about your primate. You
  do not need to record every answer or fact you
  came across just the ones you think visitors
  would like to know.
• Images Please draw related images
  throughout your brochure. Make your brochure
  colorful.
• Remember to be creative when creating this
  brochure you want visitors of the park to be
  interested in the new primate.

more
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Process (continued) Teacher This WebQuest
allows students to learn about primates in a
creative way. Students should be able to complete
this WebQuest within two 45 minute class periods.
The first day students would be given the
scenario and begin researching their primate and
on the second day they will be creating their
brochures. This WebQuest incorporates elements of
science, language arts and art. I chose to have
students work independently on this WebQuest so
that each student has the opportunity to research
a primate that is interesting to him or her. This
WebQuest is self-explanatory however, I feel that
in order for teachers to pull this WebQuest off
they should be able to navigate the web. The
teacher should also have some background
knowledge about primates. I feel that this
WebQuest is easy enough for students to navigate,
therefore, novice teachers should have no
problem. The role that students take on is
becoming a primate specialist (primatologist)
Variations This lesson could be carried out
as a lab, the WebQuest could be introduced by the
teacher and then the students could conduct their
research at home. Then back at school students
could work to complete their brochures based on
the research conducted.
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• Resources Needed
• Materials Needed
• Computers with internet capabilities and
  PowerPoint software
• Books about Primates displayed throughout the
  classroom
• Cardstock (for brochures)
• Writing untensils
• Crayons, Markers, and Colored Pencils
• Websites to conduct research
• Orangutan
• Colobus Monkey
• Gorilla
• Spider Monkey
• Gibbon
• Chimpanzees
• Baboon
• Pygmy Marmoset
• Human Resources
• One teacher would be sufficient enough to
  implement this WebQuest. The

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Evaluation On student page -Results This rubric
will help evaluate student performance based on
identifying characteristics of primates,
interesting facts about primates and creativity
of the brochure. There are four levels which
students work can meet, with one being the lowest
and four being the highest.
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Conclusion On student page- Welcome Back The
concept of learning about animals at a young age
is important. Many times children are unable to
identify characteristics of animals. This
WebQuest will help children better understand
primates. Students are able to see how closely
related these animals are to themselves. This
WebQuest is a fun and creative way to engage
students. Students are able to take on a
different role and explore things they would not
have the opportunity to do if they were only
learning from a text book. Students will also
begin to see the importance of primates and what
we can do to save them from extinction.
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Credits References There are a few websites
that helped me make this WebQuest so lively.
Those include A special thanks to the
Jane Goodall Institute and the Zoo School Website
which were the inspirations for my WebQuest.
Also thanks to all the websites which are
directly linked to photos on the process page for
research purposes. If you are looking to create
your own WebQuest you might want to refer to the
following website. It provides the latest version
of templates and training materials for creating
a WebQuest. The WebQuest Page