webquest

Discovering Dinosaurs
Madalaine Connolly, Mona Reid, Jenny Ames, Kim Martin

INTRODUCTION:
Have you ever wondered about dinosaurs? Perhaps you’ve thought of what types of food they ate, where they lived, the way they looked, and even why they aren’t around today. There are many unanswered questions about dinosaurs because we were not alive when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. With this WebQuest you will have the opportunity to work together in groups and gather exciting information about dinosaurs.

CONCEPT AND FRAMEWORKS (CA: Grades 2-4; Life Science):
Describe how fossils provide evidence of past life on Earth.

TASK:
You will work in groups of four to create a mural (large picture) that will display an environment that could support and sustain four dinosaurs. You will need to think about the following…

Size and type of dinosaur assigned to you (meat eating/plant eating)
Food that will sustain your dinosaur (plants, other dinosaurs, carcasses)
Availability of water
Enemies
Shelter

PROCESS:

With the teacher, you will create a chart to find out what you already know about dinosaurs and what you want to learn. In addition, the teacher will show you some examples of what the project may look like.
We will begin our exploration by reading the first chapter of our science textbook, Animals of Long Ago. This will introduce key terms that you need to know as you explore and discover new information about dinosaurs and their habitat.
In groups of four, you will use the text and other classroom resources to answer the following questions: What is a dinosaur scientist called and what is their job? What is a fossil and how can it help a dinosaur scientist?
The two types of dinosaurs are plant eaters and meat eaters. Give specific examples (dinosaur names) of both plant eaters and meat eaters. Give examples of common foods they ate.
Describe the environment the dinosaurs lived in. Define the following terms: dinosaur, habitat, swamp, fossil, paleontologist, extinction.
History of dinosaurs. When did they roam the earth? What was this period called?
What does the text book and other resources say about the extinction of dinosaurs?
After your research, everyone will return to their groups and share the information they gathered and learned.

PROJECT:
You will participate in a group project creating a ‘Dinosaur Habitat Mural’ by following the steps below:

Each group of four students will be given an enlarged picture of four different dinosaurs.
You will first identify your dinosaur and answer the following questions:

Is it a meat eater or a plant eater?
Does it walk on two feet, four feet or none?
Is it large, medium, small?
Does it fly, walk, swim?
Who are its enemies?

Describe your dinosaur and include its unique features.
What kind of environment would your dinosaur need to survive?
With your group, share your answers about each dinosaur and begin to create an environment for all your dinosaurs to co-exist.
You may use your imagination and be as creative as you wish but remember to be realistic with the characteristics of your dinosaurs. Example: Tyrannosaurus Rex cannot be made to fly, Brontosaurus cannot swim etc.
You and your group will be given a large piece of butcher paper to paint, draw and bring to life a dinosaur habitat. You may work with crayons, markers, paint or any materials available in the classroom.
After your habitat is complete, strategically and carefully place your dinosaur where you think it will survive.
Each group must present their murals to the class as well as introduce and share the information they learned about their dinosaurs. Completed murals will be displayed in class.

ROLES:
You are a team of scientists working together to recreate a dinosaur habitat on a mural. The mural will include the four dinosaurs and an environment that will support them.

RESOURCES:

Dinosaurs by Karen Shuey
My Visit to the Dinosaurs by Aliki
Digging Up Dinosaurs by Aliki
Dinosaurs Are Different by Aliki
Fossils Tell of Long Ago by Aliki
Did Dinosaurs live in your Backyard? By Melvin and Gilda Berger
Graveyards of the Dinosaurs by Shelly Tanaka
Great Dinosaur Atlas by Guiliano Fornari
Science Text Book by Silver Burdett Company
Zoobooks Created and Written by John Bonnett Wexo

GREAT WEB SITES FOR DINOSAUR LESSONS AND PROJECTS:

LEARNING OUTCOMES & EVALUATIONS:

Children will be evaluated throughout the WebQuest project and the following rubric will be used for assessment:

Mural Presentation (20 points)

Each person will formally present his or her dinosaur. Points will be based on eye contact, voice clarity, and fluency. In addition, points will be awarded for content.
The group is able to explain how the dinosaurs and habitat coexist on the mural.
The presentation is organized and students demonstrate knowledge of dinosaurs and habitat.

Finished Product of Mural (20 points)

All four dinosaurs are accurately portrayed on the mural.
Habitat and surroundings are compatible with the knowledge collected.

Cooperation (10 points)

Group members were able to get along with each other.
Differences in opinion were dealt with fairly and required little teacher intervention.

Participation (10 points)

Group members worked collaboratively and contributed equally.
All group members were “voices” in the group and made an effort to contribute their talent to the project.

Contribution as an Individual to the Group (20 points)

Individuals were able to research, take notes, and report accurately on their dinosaur.

Demonstration of Knowledge as group (10 points)

Group members were able to integrate information on each dinosaur to create the mural.

Neatness/ Organization (10 points)

Efforts were evident and age appropriate.

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