|
Signs
of Spring
A WebQuest
for Kindergarten-2nd Grade
Designed
by Suzanne
Stillwell
Created in March 2000
Updated January 2007
sstillwe@hallsville.org
Introduction
| Task
| Process
| Evaluation
| Conclusion
| Credits
| Teacher
Page
Introduction
Spring begins in
March every year. As the first day of spring comes and goes,
we see more and more signs of spring. Scientists all over the world are gathering data to see if global warming is changing the patterns of temperature and the behavior and growth of animals and plants. Your class has been selected to gather information and report on the signs of spring in your community.
The
Task
You and your classmates will serve as local scientists to observe, record and report signs of spring.
You will use these questions to guide your observations:
- What the weather is like?
- What is the daily low and high temperatures?
- What is happening to plants and animals?
- How have the weather, plants and animals changed over the weeks of early spring?
To record your observations, you will make a chart of the daily high and low temperatures. You will take digital photos of signs of spring that you observe when on weekly walks in your community. As scientists, you will keep a journal of your observations.
To report your findings, your class will create a web page and send a link to the news stations and to the scientists letting them know about early spring in
our community.
The
Process
- You will go on
weekly observation walks with your class to observe signs
of spring in the area around the school.
- During each
walk, you or the teacher will take digital pictures of interesting signs of spring. Some of these digital photos
will be included in the web page with your comments
explaining their importance as a local sign of
spring.
- After each walk,
you will draw, write or tell someone what to write to
record your observations in your journal. Some of these
records will be selected to be scanned into the class web
page.
Sample Journal Page
- You will be
assigned to a group with the responsibility of recording
weather conditions on a given day. Use a thermometer to record temperature during your recess time. Also visit a local weather station website or watch the local TV news to find out the high and low temperatures of the day. The data will be
entered in an Excel worksheet to be used to make a graph.
These records will be added as a graphic for the web
page.
Web Sites to
visit
Evaluation
You will be graded
on the your journal entries, weather recording, use of the
web, and contribution(s) to the class web page
project.
|
|
Beginning
1
|
Developing
2
|
Accomplished
3
|
Exemplary
4
|
Score
|
|
Completion
of weekly observation journal page
|
You drew a picture in your journal.
|
You
drew a picture recording a sign of spring you saw
on the nature walk. |
You
drew a picture and told someone what to write or
wrote on your own to record your observations from
the nature walk. |
Your
pictures and writing show a comparison to previous
observations to record changes in the
environment. |
|
|
Weather Recording
|
You
recorded weather information, but some of it was
inaccurate or information was
missing. |
You
recorded weather information accurately, but some
information was missing. |
You
recorded weather information accurately and
completely. |
You
recorded weather information accurately and
completely , and you noted trends or changes over
time. |
|
|
Web
Research
|
You
attempted to visit recommended sites, but did not
gain information. |
You
visited some recommended sites and gained minimal
information. |
You
visited recommended sites and gained substantial
information to contribute to the
project. |
You
visited recommended sites regularly using the
information to add key information to the
project. |
|
|
Participation
in Group Web Page Project
|
You
participated in activities, but did not produce
work to contribute to the web page |
You
participate d and contributed only group elements
to the web page. |
You
participated and contributed at least 1 individual
element to the web page. |
You
participated and contributed 2 or more individual
elements to the web page. |
|
Conclusion
You have followed
the development of signs of spring this year. As
summer comes, continue to watch the changes in your
environment. When fall comes, come back to the web sites on
this quest and study the Signs of Fall. Be a year round
scientist!
If you notice changes in trends, report them to other scientists. Talk to your parents and teachers. Together, study more about global warming, it's effects on our world and what we can do to help at the following web sites.
Sites for Teachers and Kids |
Sites to Study with Parents |
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