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Overview

Writing a Rainforest Book Web Quest is an affective teaching tool.  Not only does it cover cross curricular content standards, but students are able to retain the information required because they are practicing the skills in a way that makes sense to them and carries meaning.  Prior to this Web Quest, students have been learning about the rainforest through a designed multidisciplinary unit.  Therefore, this Web Quest will generate interest through stimulation of the various learning styles.  It will make sense because of the students' background knowledge of the rainforest while reinforcing the commonly used theme covered throughout all grade levels- the writing process.  Through the motivation of sharing their final project, through a sense of pride and accomplishment, this task has meaning.  Also, because of the changing of tasks, independent as well as cooperative learning, and the completion of a multitude of learning activities, students' attention is kept as per the Primacy-Recency model.

This Web Quest also addresses the affective domain.  This Web Quest encourages accountability in that the students are responsible for their entire group's success in creating a rainforest book.  Although, the students are being graded as a group, their is an individual grade included in the rubric to hold each student accountable for his or her part. By missing one component in full or in part, the final book will be incomplete and the group would be unsuccessful in completing their Web Quest mission.  The Web Quest generates motivation by generating interest.  Students are given varying activities including utilizing technology, publishing software, and both independent and group activities.

Goals & Objectives

| Goals & Objectives | Learning Outcomes | N.J.C.C.C.S. | Bloom's Taxonomy | Gregorc's Learning Styles | Multiple Intelligences | Back to Top |

• The students will explore many aspects of the rainforest by becoming rainforest experts.
• The students will demonstrate understanding of the steps of how a book is made.
• The students will work together to create a final, neat, and presentable product.
• The students will follow the steps in the writing process.
• The students will follow steps for proofreading.

Learning Outcomes

| Goals & Objectives | Learning Outcomes | N.J.C.C.C.S. | Bloom's Taxonomy | Gregorc's Learning Styles | Multiple Intelligences | Back to Top |

When students have completed this WebQuest, they will have...

• deepened their knowledge of the rainforest
• acquired an understanding of the process of how a book is made
• worked cooperatively towards a common goal
• have a final project to present
• practice public speaking, oral reading, and presenting their final product

Curricular Areas Covered

Science, Language Arts, Literacy, Technology

N.J.C.C.C.S.
New Jersey Language Arts Core Curriculum Content Standards Addressed
(Click on the standard to read more)

| Goals & Objectives | Learning Outcomes | N.J.C.C.C.S. | Bloom's Taxonomy | Gregorc's Learning Styles | Multiple Intelligences | Back to Top |

• Standard 3.2 (writing) all students will write in clear, concise, organized language that varies in content and form for different audiences and purposes. Building upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 4, students will:
  • A. Writing as a Process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, post-writing)
    • 3. Use strategies such as reflecting on personal experiences, reading, doing interviews or research, and using graphic organizers to generate and organize ideas for writing.
    • 4. Draft writing in a selected genre with supporting structure according to the intended message, audience, and purpose for writing.
    • 5. Revise drafts by rereading for meaning, narrowing the focus, elaborating, reworking organization, openings, and closings, and improving word choice and consistency of voice.
    • 7. Review and edit work for spelling, mechanics, clarity, and fluency.
    • 8. Use a variety of reference materials to revise work, such as a dictionary, thesaurus, or internet/software resources.
    • 9. Use computer writing applications during most of the writing process.
    • 10. Understand and apply elements of grade-appropriate rubrics to improve and evaluate writing.
  • B. Writing as a Product (resulting in a formal product or publication)
    • 5. Sharpen focus and improve coherence by considering the relevancy of included details, and adding, deleting, and rearranging appropriately.
    • 6. Write sentences of varying lengths and complexity, using specific nouns, verbs, and descriptive words.
    • 7. Recognize the difference between complete sentences and sentence fragments and examine the uses of each in real-world writing.
    • 8. Improve the clarity of writing by rearranging words, sentences, and paragraphs. 10. Provide logical sequence and support the purpose of writing by refining organizational structure and developing transitions between ideas.
  • C. Mechanics, Spelling, and Handwriting
    • 1. Use Standard English conventions that are appropriate to the grade level, such as sentence structure, grammar and usage, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and handwriting.
    • 2. Use increasingly complex sentence structure and syntax to express ideas.
    • 3. Use grade appropriate knowledge of English grammar and usage to craft writing, such as subject/verb agreement, pronoun usage and agreement, and appropriate verb tenses.
    • 4. Use punctuation correctly in sentences, such as ending punctuation, commas, and quotation marks in dialogue.
    • 5. Use capital letters correctly in sentences, for proper nouns, and in titles.
    • 6. Study examples of narrative and expository writing to develop understanding of the reasons for and use of paragraphs and indentation.
    • 7. Indent in own writing to show the beginning of a paragraph.
    • 8. Spell grade-appropriate words correctly with particular attention to frequently used words, contractions, and homophones.
    • 9. Use knowledge of base words, structural analysis, and spelling patterns to expand spelling competency in writing.
    • 10. Use a variety of reference materials, such as a dictionary, grammar reference, and internet/software resources to edit written work.
  • D. Writing Forms, Audiences, and Purposes (exploring a variety of forms)
    • 1. Write for different purposes (e.g., to express ideas, to inform, to entertain, to respond to literature, to question, to share) and a variety of audiences (e.g., self, peers, community).
    • 10. Use a variety of strategies to organize writing, including sequence, chronology, and cause/effect.
    • 12. Use relevant graphics in writing (e.g., maps, charts, illustrations).
    • 14. Review scoring criteria of a writing rubric.
    • 15. Develop a collection of writings (e.g., a literacy folder or a literacy portfolio).

     

Bloom’s Taxonomy

| Goals & Objectives | Learning Outcomes | N.J.C.C.C.S. | Bloom's Taxonomy | Gregorc's Learning Styles | Multiple Intelligences | Back to Top |

“Become a Rainforest Expert” questions are tiered using all the levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.  Bloom’s Taxonomy divides the way people learn into 3 domains.  One of these is the cognitive domain which emphasized intellectual outcomes.  This domain further divides into categories which are arranged progressively from the lowest level of thinking, simple recall, to the highest, evaluating information.

Knowledge: (Exhibit memory of previously-learned material by recalling facts, terms, basic concepts and answers.

v     Where are the world’s rainforests located?

v      Name the layers of the rainforest.

Comprehension: (Demonstrate understanding of facts and ideas by organizing, comparing, translating, interpreting, giving descriptions, and stating main ideas.)

v     Compare some of the plant life located in the rainforest to the plant life found in your neighborhood.

Application:  (Solve problems to new situations by applying acquired   knowledge, facts, techniques and rules in a different way.)

v     What would result if all the Earth’s rainforests disappeared?

Analysis:  (Examine and break information into parts by identifying motives or   causes.  Make inferences and find evidence to support generalizations

v     How would you categorize the different types of animals located in the rainforest?

Synthesis: (Compile information together in a different way by combining elements in a new pattern or proposing alternative solutions.)

v     What would happen if the kapok tree was cut down?  What effect would it have on one of the animals that depend on it?  (If you need help, refer to The Great Kapok Tree.)

 Evaluation:  (Present and defend opinions by making judgments about information, validity of ideas or quality of work based on a set of criteria.)

v     Based on what you know, how would you explain the importance of the rainforest?  What information would you use to support this view?

 

Gregorc’s Learning Styles

| Goals & Objectives | Learning Outcomes | N.J.C.C.C.S. | Bloom's Taxonomy | Gregorc's Learning Styles | Multiple Intelligences | Back to Top |

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Multiple Intelligences

| Goals & Objectives | Learning Outcomes | N.J.C.C.C.S. | Bloom's Taxonomy | Gregorc's Learning Styles | Multiple Intelligences | Back to Top |

v    Verbal Linguistic Intelligence

The auditory learner will benefit from this Web Quest while discussing their ideas for their rainforest story with their group members.  The child will be able to listen to the information contributed by the other students.  They will enjoy sharing their own thoughts orally, especially while presenting the final project to the class and teacher.

v    Visual/Spatial Learner

The visual learning style is addressed throughout this Web-Quest.  The layout of the Web-Quest is filled with visually stimulating graphics.  While the students are becoming rainforest experts they will be visiting various links that contain appealing graphics, pictures, and photographs.  Also, the visual/spatial learner will enjoy completing the graphic organizers for the planning/pre-writing stages of the story.  The visual learner will also benefit from the Writing Process video tutorial.

v    Kinesthetic Learner

The kinesthetic learner will appreciate using the computer.  This learner will be hands-on throughout his/her entire journey through the Web-Quest.  The option of acting out a scene from the story during the presentation will also appeal to the kinesthetic learner.

v    Interpersonal

This Web-Quest is designed not only to encourage the development of independent exploration, but it  also promotes the interaction with others.  Students will work cooperatively with their group members and share their ideas to create a common final project, a rainforest book.

v    Intrapersonal

To ensure individual accountability, students are assigned specific jobs and roles they must fulfill in order to be able to contribute to the group project.  Before beginning the cooperative group stage, students are engaged in their own independent exploration of the rainforest as they work on becoming rainforest experts.

v    Logical/Mathematical

The students use critical thinking and problem solving skills to evaluate the information they have gathered about the rainforest then will apply this knowledge to create a fantasy story.  Also, the logical/mathematical student will enjoy answering the following questions during the Become a Rainforest Expert task:

v     Compare some of the plant life located in the rainforest to the plant life found in your neighborhood.

v     How would you categorize the different types of animals located in the rainforest?

| Goals & Objectives | Learning Outcomes | N.J.C.C.C.S. | Bloom's Taxonomy | Gregorc's Learning Styles | Multiple Intelligences | Back to Top |