WebQuest

Journey Through the World of Biomes

A WebQuest for 5^thGrade Science

Introduction

Have you ever wanted to relocate to a different part of the world? What part of the world would you choose to live in? What kind of climate would you experience living there? Which animals would you come across? What kind of vegetation (plants) would you see? All of these characteristics label an area as a specific biome. A biome is a global community that is determined by the forms of plant life and climate. There are six different biomes in the world: coniferous (taiga), deciduous (temperate), desert, grassland, rainforest, tundra.

The Task

Now is your chance to experience living in a different part of the world. You have moved to a new biome and you have been hired as a real estate agent. In order to keep your job, you have just two weeks to recruit four people and their families to come and live in your biome. You will need to:

Create an attractive PowerPoint presentation to persuade your clients (classmates);
Construct a 3-dimensional biome to show your clients

This is your mission, if you choose to accept it.

The Process

To accomplish the task, you need to complete the following:

First you will be assigned a partner to work with.
Groups will then have the opportunity to pick their biome to explore.

Here are some links to refer to in order to obtain information on your biome:

*Research can be done in the classroom, during computer lab time, and/or at home.

3. After completing research and taking notes on the Biome Research Worksheet, you will need to start preparing slides for your PowerPoint presentation. You will complete this presentation during computer lab time. This needs to be top quality because you will be presenting this to your peers and will be graded on your effort. See the rubric below for more details on the grading process.

4. The final part of your project consists of creating a diorama of your biome. You and your partner need to work together and put equal efforts toward creating this “Biome in a Box”. Your creation needs to be clearly labeled with the name of the biome and your names.

Materials that you may need include: a box of any size, small animals, plastic plants, popsicle sticks, clay, fabric, rocks, twigs, moss, etc.

Just for Fun

The following are links to some fun activities that you can do when you are done your research:

Biome Word Search
http://www.surfnetkids.com/games/biomes-ws.htm

Biomes Mix & Match
http://www.surfnetkids.com/games/biomes-mm.htm

Rainforest Concentration
http://www.surfnetkids.com/games/rainforest-c.htm

Rainforest Word Search
http://www.surfnetkids.com/games/rainforest-ws.htm

Rainforest Word Scramble
http://www.surfnetkids.com/games/rainforest-sc.htm

Jigsaw Puzzles http://www.jigzone.com/ms/z.php?k=22C8GB7F http://www.jigzone.com/ms/z.php?otd=jz/pv36/Forest_stream_2.jpg+67_piece_classic+10

For extra credit, you may do one or more of the following:

1. Create an acrostic poem with the name of your biome.

2. Make a board game that is centered on components of your biome.

3. A Venn Diagram comparing/contrasting biomes.

4. Create quiz questions with answers using information for your biome.

Evaluation

You will be individually graded on the criteria below:

	Poor 1	Needs Improvement 2	Satisfactory 3	Excellent 4	Score
Knowledge of Biome	Incomplete/unclear information.	Shows knowledge of basic information.	Knows many aspects of given biome, but is missing some key information.	Explores different aspects of given biome thoroughly.
Originality/Creativity	Repetitive with little or no variety.	Materials presented and created with little originality.	Variety in presentation with many creative aspects.	Very original ideas and concepts presented that captures the audience full attention.
Teamwork	Partner did most of the work.	Student contributed to the project with average effort.	Student cooperated with partner, offering assistance to him/her and working from his/her ideas.	Excellent collaboration and cooperation between student and his/her partner is obvious in creating both the PowerPoint presentation and diorama.
PowerPoint Presentation	Graphics are lacking. Little effort put into preparation for presentation. Delivery not smooth and audience attention often lost.	Graphics are present. More time should have been put into presentation. Delivery not smooth, but able to maintain interest of the audience some of the time.	Graphics and font are interesting and organized appropriately. Presentation is rehearsed with fairly smooth delivery that holds audience attention most of the time.	Graphics are fascinating and well-organized. Presentation is well-rehearsed with smooth delivery that holds audience attention.
Biome in a Box	Materials used and organization of them do not resemble assigned biome.	Plant and animal life were illustrated in a diorama that resembles the assigned biome.	A variety of textures and materials were used to depict the environment and accuracy of biome characteristics is satisfactory.	Various materials were displayed in a creative way to create a high quality 3-D project that is an excellent reproduction of the assigned biome.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have now successfully completely your mission. By the end of this project, you will have thoroughly explored your assigned biome and understand many or all of the aspects of that biome. You will also have learned about the other five biomes from your classmates’ presentations.

Credits & References

Rubric ideas courtesy of http://www.rubistar.4teachers.org, 8/14/03

Biome pyramid. Available http://drjoe.biology.ecu.edu/ Ch09/Ch09.htm, 8/13/03

Biome link images. Available http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/desert/index.htm, 8/13/03

Last updated on August 15, 1999. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page