Teacher's Page
Introduction

    This lesson was developed as a requirement for a graduate course entitled Creating a WebQuest.  The course was offered through the Charleston County School District, Charleston, South Carolina, as part of a plan to improve and to enhance the technology skills of classroom teachers.

    Children are fascinated by the amazing creatures that fill the ocean from the surface to the floor!  This ocean animal WebQuest is presented as an opportunity to help children to understand that we all must use our coastal environs responsibly, so that the incredibly diverse array of animals that live in the ocean will survive and flourish.
    In this WebQuest, the students will use their reading and writing skills and technology resources to find information and to develop strategies to inform others, so that a community can begin to recognize and to solve a 'real world' problem of litter and pollution on beaches and in coastal waters.

Content Area and Grade Level

    This WebQuest can be used in Grade One. Usually, this WebQuest would be implemented during the latter half of the second semester of First Grade, during the month of May.  The teacher would probably want to teach a mini-unit on marine debris and marine pollution education, in conjunction with Earth Day activities in April, so that the children would have an understanding of the possible effects of marine debris and pollution on ocean animals.  The following site would provide the teacher with excellent information: http://www.yoto98.noaa.gov/books/debris/debris1.htm 
    This WebQuest is not designed to be a totally independent assignment.  The teacher would probably want to enlist the help of parent volunteers to guide and to monitor the children's progress, as they navigate the suggested links.
    The WebQuest targets the areas of language arts and technology.  This WebQuest could be modified for Grades Two and Three.

Curriculum Standards

   The WebQuest's main objective is for the students to utilize technology and the Internet to research an ocean animal.  The students will use the information they find to create a diorama that is accurate, detailed, and visually appealing and a written and illustrated report that is informative and linguistically intelligible.  Informational literacy is the main focus of this WebQuest project.
    As a result of completing this WebQuest, the student will comprehend and apply information to a real life problem and a new task.  The student will analyze and synthesize the information into a new product and a new plan of action.  The student should be able to evaluate informational and technical text, associating text with prior knowledge and experience.

    Upon completion of this WebQuest, the students will be able to:

• Use the World Wide Web to research and to learn about ocean animals
• Create a written report, a diorama, and a poster to document information obtained on the Internet
• Develop an opinion and support that opinion with facts
• Realize that they can play a role in the way that decisions are made about the environment in their community

Language Arts Standards, Grade One
         Reading

• Demonstrate the ability to read independently for extended periods of time to derive pleasure and to gain information. 1-R1.2
• Demonstrate the ability to draw conclusions and make inferences. 1-R1.11
• Demonstrate the ability to categorize and classify ideas. 1-R1.1
• Begin following one-step written directions to complete a task. 1-R1.1
• Begin using graphic representations  such as charts, graphs, pictures, and graphic organizers as information sources and as a means of organizing information and events logically. 1-R1.17
• Demonstrate the ability to respond to texts through a variety of methods, such as writing and art. 1-R1.18
• Demonstrate the ability to identify pictures and diagrams as sources of information. 1-RS2.1
• Continue gathering information from a variety of sources, including those accessed through the use of technology. 1-RS2.2
• Demonstrate the ability to organize and classify information by constructing categories. 1-RS3.1
• Continue presenting his or her research findings in a variety of formats. 1-RS3.

• Demonstrate the ability to generate drafts using words and pictures that focus on a topic and that include relevant details. 1-W1.3
• Demonstrate the ability to edit for language conventions such as spelling, capitalization, and punctuation with peer or teacher support. 1-W1.5
• Demonstrate the ability to write in a variety of formats. 1-W1.6
• Demonstrate the ability to write informative pieces with peer or teacher support. 1-W1.6.1
• Demonstrate the ability to use the Internet with teacher support and guidance to communicate with family and friends. 1-W1.6.2
• Demonstrate the ability to use written language to explain and to inform. 1-W2.

• Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology.
• Teachers identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.
• Teachers plan for the management of technology resources within the context of learning activities.
• Teachers plan strategies to manage student learning in a technology-enhanced environment.
• Teachers implement curriculum plans that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning.
• Teachers facilitate technology-enhanced experiences that address content standards and student technology standards.
• Teachers apply technology to develop students' higher order skills and creativity.
• Teachers manage student learning activities in a technology-enhanced environment.

• Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.
• Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
• Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
• Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions.
• Students employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world.
• Prior to Grade Two, students will use input devices (e.g. mouse, keyboard, remote control) and output devices (e.g. monitor, printer) to operate successfully computers, VCRs, audio tapes, telephones, and other technologies.
• Students will communicate about technology using developmentally appropriate and accurate terminology.
• Students will work cooperatively and collaboratively with peers and others when using technology in the classroom.
• Students will demonstrate positive social and ethical behaviors when using technology.
• Students will practice responsible use of technology systems and software.

• Internet connection
• Computers in close proximity, so that students can collaborate, as they locate and use the information.
• A slide show using KidPix would be another means of sharing information.
• A PowerPoint presentation would be another means of sharing information.

•  Amos, William, Exploring the Seashore, National Geographic Society, 1988
• Armour, Michael, Orca Song, Scholastic, Inc., 1997
• Arnold, Caroline, Sea Turtles, Scholastic, Inc., 1994
• Bailer, Darice, Humpback Goes North, Scholastic, Inc., 1999
• Berger, Melvin and Gilda, Is a Dolphin a Fish?, Scholastic, Inc., 2001
• Berger, Melvin and Gilda, What Do Sharks Eat for Dinner?, Scholastic, Inc. 2001
• Boyle, Doe, Otter on His Own, Scholastic, Inc., 1995
• Cole, Joanna, Hungry, Hungry Sharks, Random House, Inc., 1986
• Fichter, George,  Starfish, Seashells, and Crabs, Western Publishing Co., 1993
• Gibbons, Gail, Sea Turtles, Holiday House, 1995
• Guiberson, Brenda,  Into the Sea, Scholastic, Inc., 1996
• Hodge, Deborah, Whales, Scholastic, Inc., 2000
• Langeland, Deirdre, Octopus' Den, Scholastic, Inc., 1998
• Mallory, Kenneth, Families of the Deep Blue Sea, Charlesbridge Publishing, 1995
• McNulty, Faith, Playing with Dolphins, Scholastic, Inc., 1999
• Milton, Joyce, Whales, the Gentle Giants, Random House, Inc., 1989
• Llewellyn, Claire, The Best Book of Sharks, Kingfisher Publications, 1999
• Morris, Rick, Mysteries and Marvels of Ocean Life, Usborne Publishing Ltd., 1989
• Rinard, Judith, Along a Rocky Shore, National Geographic Society, 1990
• Simon, Seymour, Whales, Scholastic, Inc., 1989
• Zoehfeld, Kathleen, Dolphin's First Day, Scholastic, Inc., 1994
• Zoehfeld, Kathleen, Great White Shark, Scholastic, Inc., 1995
• Zoehfeld, Kathleen, Manatee Winter, Scholastic, Inc., 1994
• Zoehfeld, Kathleen, Seal Pup Grows Up, Scholastic, Inc., 1994

Extension Activities for Students

Teacher Resources

Whale Watching Web	http://www.physics.helsinki.fi/whale/
Thematic Whale Unit…Interactive  Resource for Teachers, Parents, Kids	http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/Whales/
Potentially Endangered Animals	http://www.thewildones.org/
Marine Mammals on the Web	http://mmotw.paraphysics.com/
Protected Marine Species…Online Zoologists	http://www.rtis.com/nat/user/elsberry/marspec.html

Entry Level Skills and Knowledge
   Students will need basic technology skills, such as knowing how to search defined areas of the internet and basic word processing knowledge.

Estimated Time Frame
  It is estimated that this WebQuest will require approximately three weeks of study, depending upon the availability of computers and students' abilities.

Evaluation
         Students' work will be evaluated by the application of a rubric.
          Students will be evaluated on the following:
Degree of participation and cooperation
Quality of information that is gathered from the research
The accuracy, the detail, and the neatness of the projects

Conclusion
   Hopefully, your students will find this unit to be a fun and interesting way to apply their reading, writing, and technology skills, as they learn more about ocean animals and their habitats.