A WebQuest for 4th Grade about Kangaroos

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Creating a Kangaroo's Kingdom
A WebQuest for 4th Grade about
Kangaroos Designed by Jessica Craib
  Based on a template from San Diego State
Universitys The WebQuest Page
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Introduction This lesson was developed as part
of the elementary science methods course at Roger
Williams University, in Bristol, Rhode Island.
In this WebQuest, students will help the curator
at the local zoo gather information for a new
exhibit. Students will work in teams of three,
each student will have a specific role and tasks
to complete. When the students have completed
their research they will create a brochure that
will be given to the curator and will provide the
information needed to create the new Kangaroo
exhibit. I hope you and your students have fun
completing this WebQuest!
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• Learners
• This WebQuest is anchored in fourth grade
  science. The goal of this WebQuest is for
  students to learn about Kangaroos how they move,
  what they eat and where they live.
• Prior to this lesson students must know how to
  use the Internet and be familiar with the
  schools policy regarding appropriate Internet
  use. Students must also know how to create a
  brochure in MS Word.
• Also, research found in Benchmarks for Science
  Literacy, chapter 15 The Research Base suggests
  that students in fourth grade need to know
• The 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. Elementary- and middle-school
  students also hold a much more restricted meaning
  than biologists do for the word "plant." Students
  often do not recognize that trees, vegetables,
  and grass are all plants (Osborne Freyberg,
  1985).

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The relationships between organismsLower
elementary-school students can understand simple
food links involving two organisms. Yet they
often think of organisms as independent of each
other but dependent on people to supply them with
food and shelter. Upper elementary-school
students may not believe food is a scarce
resource in ecosystems, thinking that organisms
can change their food at will according to the
availability of particular sources (Leach et al.,
1992).
Learners (continued)
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• Curriculum Standards
• National Science Education Standards
• Life Science
• CONTENT STANDARD CAs a result of activities in
  grades K-4, all students should develop
  understanding of
• The characteristics of organisms
• Organisms have basic needs. For example, animals
  need air, water, and food plants require air,
  water, nutrients, and light. Organisms can
  survive only in environments in which their needs
  can be met. The world has many different
  environments, and distinct environments support
  the life of different types of organisms.
• Each plant or animal has different structures
  that serve different functions in growth,
  survival, and reproduction. For example, humans
  have distinct body structures for walking,
  holding, seeing, and talking.
• The behavior of individual organisms is
  influenced by internal cues (such as hunger) and
  by external cues (such as a change in the
  environment). Humans and other organisms have
  senses that help them detect internal and
  external cues.
• All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat
  plants for food. Other animals eat animals that
  eat the plants.
• Benchmarks for Science Literacy
• The Living Environment
• Diversity of Life
• By the end of the 5th grade, students should know
  that
• 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.

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Curriculum Standards (continued)

• The Living Environment
• Interdependence of Life
• By the end of the 5th grade, students should know
  that
• For any particular environment, some kinds of
  plants and animals survive well, some survive
  less well, and some cannot survive at all.
• Insects and various other organisms depend on
  dead plant and animal material for food.
• English Language Arts Standards
• Standard 4 Writing Gathers and uses
  information for research purposes
• Level II (Grades 3-5)  
•   1. Uses a variety of strategies to plan
  research (e.g., identifies possible topic by
  brainstorming, listing questions, using idea
  webs organizes prior knowledge about a topic
  develops a course of action determines how to
  locate necessary information)
• 4. Uses electronic media to gather information
  (e.g., databases, Internet, CD-ROM, television
  shows, cassette recordings, videos, pull-down
  menus, word searches)
•   7. Uses strategies to gather and record
  information for research topics (e.g., uses
  notes, maps, charts, graphs, tables, and other
  graphic organizers paraphrases and summarizes
  information gathers direct quotes provides
  narrative descriptions) 
•   8. Uses strategies to compile information into
  written reports or summaries (e.g., incorporates
  notes into a finished product includes simple
  facts, details, explanations, and examples draws
  conclusions from relationships and patterns that
  emerge from data from different sources uses
  appropriate visual aids and media) 
•   9. Cites information sources (e.g., quotes or
  paraphrases information sources, lists resources
  used by title)

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Curriculum Standards (continued)

• Standard 7 Reading - Uses reading skills and
  strategies to understand and interpret a variety
  of informational texts
• Level II (Grades 3-5)  
•   1. Uses reading skills and strategies to
  understand a variety of informational texts(e.g.,
  textbooks, biographical sketches, letters,
  diaries, directions, procedures,magazines)
•  2.  Knows the defining characteristics of a
  variety of informational texts (e.g., textbooks,
  biographical sketches, letters, diaries,
  directions, procedures, magazines) 
•   3.  Uses text organizers (e.g., headings, topic
  and summary sentences, graphic features,
  typeface, chapter titles) to determine the main
  ideas and to locate information in a text
• 5. Summarizes and paraphrases information in
  texts (e.g., includes the main idea and
  significant supporting details of a reading
  selection)
• Standard 8 Listening and Speaking - Uses
  listening and speaking strategies for different
  purposes
• Level II (Grades 3-5)  
• Contributes to group discussions
• Asks questions in class (e.g, when he or she is
  confused, to seek others opinions and comments)
• Responds to questions and comments (e.g, gives
  reasons in support of opinions, responds to
  others ideas)
• Listens to classmates and adults (e.g, does not
  interrupt, faces the speaker, asks questions,
  summarizes or paraphrases to confirm
  understanding, gives feedback, eliminates
  barriers to effective listening)
• Makes basic oral presentation to class (e.g, uses
  subject-related information and vocabulary
  includes content appropriate to the audience
  relates ideas and observation incorporates
  visual aids or props incorporates several
  sources of information)

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Process Prior to the WebQuest This WebQuest
should be performed by students after an
introductory lesson about Australia and
Kangaroos. One suggestion is to have students
read the book Outside and Inside Kangaroos by
Sandra Markle the day before they begin this
activity. Topics The primary topic covered in
this WebQuest is Kangaroos. Also, this is a
multidisciplinary lesson. Students will build
upon their knowledge about Australia and will
incorporate art, technology, and the Language
Arts. Time Requirement This WebQuest will take
4, 45-minute blocks. In the first block the
teacher will introduce the WebQuest, establish
groups, and direct the students to assume the
role they will play during this activity. During
the remaining periods the teams should research
their area of expertise and begin planning their
brochure. The final period will be used to
create the brochure and class will take place in
the computer lab. Grouping The teacher will
create groups with 3 students in each
group.
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Process (continued)
Teachers Role This WebQuest can be done by a
novice teacher or by a veteran teacher. The
teachers role is minimal. Prior to this
WebQuest the teacher may read the book Outside
and Inside Kangaroos by Sandra Markle and while
the students are completing the WebQuest the
teacher will observe students and provide
guidance if needed. Variations To modify this
lesson, students can assume the role of
researching another animal. For example, they
may research polar bears, seals, or elephants.
Also, the final product could be changed. For
example, the team could present their findings to
a panel of curators, create a research paper, or
create diagramas that represent their research
(food webs, a model of a kangaroo, and a model of
their habitat).
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Process (continued)

• Students will use the following process to
  complete this WebQuest
• 1. You will be assigned to work with two other
  students by the teacher.
• 2. As a group, you will each decide which role
  you would like to play during this activity.
  There is one role for each team member. The
  roles are listed below. Pick one and begin
  researching your area of expertise. This
  research is done independently.
• Habitat Creator- Your area of expertise is
  animal habitats. You will research where
  kangaroos live. The information you gather will
  be used to create a home for the new animals at
  the zoo. Listed below are online resources you
  may want to use
• Tourism Australia
• Red Kangaroos
• San Diego Zoo
• Food Manager- You are an expert in knowing what
  food animals require to survive. You must
  research what kinds of food Kangaroos eat. The
  information you provide for the brochure will
  tell the curator what kinds of food the zoo will
  need to feed the animals. The online resources
  below will be helpful
• The Big Zoo
• Kangaroo Facts
• National Wildlife Federation
• Roger Williams Park and Zoo

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Process (continued)

• Mobility Expert- You are fascinated with the
  different ways that animals move. You must
  research how kangaroos move. The following
  websites will be helpful for you
• Australian Koala, Kangaroo, Kookaburra Page
• Kangaroo Facts
• San Diego Zoo
• National Wildlife Federation
• 3. When you have completed your research you
  and your team should have a team meeting to
  discuss your findings. During this meeting you
  should begin planning your informational
  brochure. When designing your brochure remember
  to include
• Pictures
• A map of Australia
• Title
• The required information (cited if needed)
• 4. Create your informational brochure using
  computers and MS Word
• 5. Before giving the curator your final brochure,
  you should evaluate it using the Rubric linked to
  this WebQuest

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• Resources Needed
• Materials needed
• Classroom computer or access to a computer lab
• Basic computer software
• Science Notebooks for note taking (one for each
  student)
• Pencils (one for each student)
• Book Resources
• Tradebook Outside and Inside Kangaroos by Sandra
  Markle
• World Book Encyclopedia
• National Geographic Set- Mammals
• Suggested Websites to use for research
• Tourism Australia
• CIA World Factbook
• The Big Zoo
• National Wildlife Federation
• Red Kangaroos

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Evaluation Each teams final brochure will be
submitted for evaluation by the teacher. The
teacher should use the following rubric, each
team is given one group score.
Outstanding 4 Good 3 Developing 2 Beginning 1 Score
Creativity of Brochure Brochure was extremely well-planned and presented in a creative way Some apparent creativity is displayed   Brochure shows little creativity Brochure shows that no creativity was used
  Content  of Brochure    Brochure is well-organized, demonstrates thorough research, and includes all required information Brochure is organized, demonstrates that some research was done, and includes most of the required information  Brochure is not well organized, little effort was put into research, and includes half of the required information Brochure is unorganized, no research was done, and meets less than half the requirements 
Group Work Team worked well and all members contributed to groups success Worked as a team and completed assigned tasks with little to no supervision Team sometimes worked well together, team needed to be supervised Not all team members contributed, did not complete assigned tasks
Spelling Grammar    Less than 2 errors which reflects clear understanding and thorough proofreading  Less than 4 grammatical and/or stylistic errors Less than 6 errors in grammar and/or spelling More than 6 grammatical and spelling errors 
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Conclusion This is a valuable WebQuest that will
engage students in active research activities.
Students will take ownership for the activities
they will complete and feel as though they are a
contributing member to a team. Furthermore,
students will demonstrate their creativity in
designing their final product. After completing
this WebQuest students will have a strong
understanding about Australia and Kangaroos.
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• Credits References
• I would like to thank the local zoo for allowing
  the students to help gather information for their
  new Kangaroo exhibit.
• Sources
• Pictures used from
• Australian Flag
• Kangaroo on Grass
• Kangaroo Sleeping
• Mom Joey Picture
• Kangaroo Cleaning Itself
• Map of Australia
• Kangaroo Jumping
• Eastern Gray Kangaroo
• Tradebook
• Outside and Inside Kangaroos by Sandra Markle