So glad you could join us for this WebQuest. After watching the Voyage of the Mimi,
you probably wish you had an opportunity to see and experience some of those
same things. This interactive tool is
not exactly the same thing as a sailboat on the ocean, but it does give you the
chance to learn about marine mammals, and have some fun at the same time.
The “Task” section will
tell you what you need to do, and the “Process” section will explain how you
can achieve these goals. Click on
“Assessment” to see what you will be graded on, and the “Resource” section will
bring you to an abundance of links for your research.
Okay… you have a lot to accomplish, so let’s get started.
In this WebQuest you are going to take on the role of
a marine biologist and learn about some pretty amazing and cool stuff! Get ready because the journey under the sea
begins now.
n
You have just graduated from Manny’s Marine Mammal Academy.
n
A new magazine called Ocean
Quest for Kids has hired you to help them with their first issue. Your assignment is to research one marine
mammal, and write an article that is creative and informative.
n
You will work within a group to produce the first issue of
this magazine.
n
You and your group will present your completed magazine to
the class.
Your
teacher will assign you to a group.
Each group will consist of three students.
Although everyone in your group also has a role as a marine
biologist, you each must have a different specialty in one of the marine
mammal orders. You must chose which
order you want to be a specialist in:
Cetacean
Sirenia
Once you have decided which specialty is yours, you must
choose a marine mammal within that order to study and research.
For example: “I want
to be a specialist in the Carnivore order and I will research the Hooded Seal”.
CETACEANS
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CARNIVORE
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SIRENIA
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Whales: Beaked, Arch (Hubbs) Beluga Blue Bowhead Fin Gray Pilot Right, Northern Right, Pygmy Right, Southern Sperm, Pygmy Dolphins: Common Bottled Nosed Pacific White Sided Spinner Spotted Porpoises: Dall Harbor |
Sea Otter |
Manatee Dugong |
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PINNEPEDS
- Suborder
|
|||
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Seals: Bearded Crab Eater Gray Harbor Harp Hooded Leopard Northern Elephant Ribbon Ringed Weddell Sea Lions: California Sea Lion Steller Sea Lion Miscellaneous
Walrus |
It is your job, as a contributor to the magazine, to
research a marine mammal within the classification order (Cetacean, Carnivore,
or Sirenia) that you chose.
Locate information on your chosen Marine Mammal from the
links provided in the Resource Section of this WebQuest. Fill out your Research Summary Sheet.
Write a magazine article from the facts located on your
Research Summary Sheet. This article
should be written in an interesting format, with proper grammar and correct
spelling.
Meet with your group to discuss the magazine content and
divide responsibilities. Your magazine
must include:
n
An attractive cover that will have a title, picture, and
brief descriptions of what is on the inside of the magazine
n
Table of contents
n
The marine mammal articles that each of your group members
wrote
n
A
picture of each Marine Mammal highlighted in your magazine
n
At least three fun activities for your readers, such as
puzzles,
word searches, bookmarks, or
coloring pages
Meet with your group to assemble your magazine. Upon completion of the magazine, your group
will present the magazine to the class and discuss your different research
findings on marine mammals.
Whales
Arch Beaked (aka
Hubbs Beaked) Whales
More
about Arch Beaked (Hubbs Beaked) Whales
Right Whales:
Dolphins
More about
Bottlenosed Dolphins
More about Pacific
White-sided Dolphins
Porpoises
Seals
Sea Lions
More about
California Sea Lions
Miscellaneous
Fun
Activities
You will be evaluated according
to the following rubric:
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|
Beginning 5 |
Developing 10 |
Accomplished 15 |
Exemplary
20 |
Score
|
|
Research Project Summary Sheet |
Few areas
of summary sheet were completed. Many
mistakes. |
Most areas
of the summary sheet were completed.
Some mistakes. |
All areas
of the summary sheet were completed.
Some mistakes. Variety of
resources used. Few details. |
All areas
of the summary sheet were completed.
Information is accurate.
Variety of resources used.
Much detail included. |
|
|
Article |
Article
contains little information from the summary sheet. Many spelling and grammatical errors. |
Article
contains some information from the summary sheet. More than 7 spelling or grammatical errors. |
Article
contains most of the information from the summary sheet. More than 5 spelling or grammatical
errors. |
Article
contains all the important information from the summary sheet. Very few spelling or grammatical errors. |
|
|
Magazine |
Little of
the magazine was completed as instructed. |
Most of the
magazine was completed as instructed. |
Magazine
was completed as instructed. All
required elements (cover, table of contents, articles, and fun pages) are
included. |
Magazine
was completed as instructed. Magazine
contains all required elements and is visually appealing. |
|
|
Group Participation |
Student did
not work cooperatively with other members of the group. |
Student did
not work cooperatively with other members of the group some of the time. |
Student
worked cooperatively with members of the group. |
Student
demonstrated outstanding cooperation skills with other members of the group. |
|
|
Class Presentation |
Student
presentation did not add to other student’s knowledge. |
Student
presentation added little to other student’s knowledge. |
Student
presentation increased the value of the project and added to other student’s
knowledge. |
Student
presentation greatly increased the value of the project and added to other
student’s knowledge. |
|
CONCLUSION
Next month’s issue of Ocean Quest for Kids has now
been completed and you have done a great job!
We hope you had fun with this interactive project. This WebQuest was designed to increase your
knowledge about Marine Mammals, reinforce skills in Web navigation, learn the
benefits of group work, and communicate your research to your classmates.
Congratulations…you
are a star…(fish)!
:0)
This marine Mammal WebQuest was designed to make use of Web
resources. However, print resources can
be used to fill in the information gaps when necessary. We have included an abundance of resources
for students who are reading at grade level and for students who are lower
level readers.
The object of this WebQuest is for students to take on the
role of a marine biologist and research one particular marine mammal within the
three orders (Cetacean, Carnivore, Sirenia).
The students must then work together in groups to compile their
information and produce a magazine, which should be presented at the end of the
unit.
Suggestions for Starting:
Print out enough summary sheets for each student. (To print:
highlight the Summary Sheet Area and choose “Selection Only”, enter
number of copies needed, click print)
Ocean Mammal Summary Sheet
Your name:
___________________________ HR Section 5- ______
Your Ocean
Mammal’s name: _______________________________
Its scientific
name is: ______________________________________
|
Required Information |
Summarize
information. Where did you find it? |
|
|
Physical characteristics: (Include size, length
and weight) Are there any identifying markings? |
|
|
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Where is it found? Does it stay there all year long? |
|
|
|
How long does it live? |
|
|
|
What are its predators? |
|
|
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What are its food sources? |
|
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Classification:
How does this organism compare to other organisms? |
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Is it endangered? What is being done to make sure
it survives? |
