Under the Sea

A WebQuest for 3rd Grade

Designed
by
Diane Smith

smith@hudson.edu

Introduction | Task | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion| Credits

Introduction

We have been asked to design the new Hudson SEAquarium!  What animals should we put in the exhibit?  Your job is to learn more about one animal to see if we might want to include it.  Reach into the fishbowl and pick out one slip of paper.  Open up the paper to find out the name of your animal!

Here are some facts you will want to consider:

  • What type of ocean habitat does my animal like? 
  • What does it need to survive?
  • What are its predators?

Enjoy your Ocean Webquest!

The Task

Your job is to help design the SEAquarium.  First, you have to learn about the ocean environment that the animals need in order to survive.  Find out specific facts about one ocean animal.  Should your animal be included in the SEAquarium?  What other animals should be included in its exhibit?  What animals should NOT be in the same environment as your animal?

The Process

You will need to use at least 3 sources of information to complete your project.  See the Resources list!  You must use:

          1 encyclopedia article (either print or online)
          1 web site
          1 book

You will create a display board about your animal to share with the class.  Be sure to include:

• a color picture
• a diagram with the main parts labeled
• height and weight
• food
• name and number of young
• ways it protects itself
• fascinating or unusual facts

For each resource, you will take notes on an “Animal Notes” page.  Please see Mrs. Smith if you have any questions!

  Resources             

Encyclopedias
New Book of Knowledge  REF 031 NEW
World Book Encyclopedia  REF 031 WOR

Web Resources

All About Lobsters

Everything you ever wanted to know about lobsters, sponsored by the Gulf of Maine Aquarium. 

         http://octopus.gma.org/lobsters/allaboutlobsters/aalindex.html  

Anenomes

Check out the pictures and info from the National Aquarium.

          http://www.aqua.org/animals/species/pranem.htmlAnimal Diversity Web  

Animal Diversity Web

Type in the name of your animal to get a list of web sites about it.

          http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/index.html

Barnacles

Imagine spending most of your life standing on your head and eating with your feet!  Find out about these interesting crustaceans here.
        http://www.umassd.edu/public/people/kamaral/thesis/Barnacles.html

Beyond Jaws                                               

Discover the fact and fiction of Great White Sharks.        http://plaidworks.com/sharks/great-white.html

 

Electronic Zoo: Animal Resources

Click on Animals, then Select a Species from the Pick List.

          http://netvet.wustl.edu/e-zoo.htm

eNature.com

This site has information about all kinds of animals.  Check out their Online Field Guides.

http://www.enature.com/

Fabio's Sealife Picture Gallery

Breathtaking underwater photographs by Fabio Ehrengruber, dive master.

http://www.wgn.net/~fabio/

Jellies Online Exhibit

Become mesmerized by phantom-like moon jellies as they pulse up and down in their habitat.

http://www.vanaqua.org/Jellyfish/main.htm

Mystic Aquarium: Institute for Exploration

Explore our ocean planet!  Click on Animals and Habitats; then click on Animal AquaFacts.  Select your animal from the list that follows.

          http://www.mysticaquarium.org/

National Aquarium in Baltimore

Click on Animals.  Then, under See More About the Animals, go to Species, and click on Go!  Select a Species and click Go! again.

          http://209.251.35.100/animals/species/index.html

Nearctica: The Natural World of North America

Brings you the best of the natural world on the web with links to other sites.

          http://www.neartica.com/

Ocean Animals            

Information on all kinds of ocean creatures!       http://mbgnet.mobot.org/salt/animals/

Ocean Planet

Takes you on a tour of the Ocean Planet exhibit in the Smithsonisan Institute's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

          http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/ocean_planet.html

In Search of Giant Squid

This online exhibit explores and interprets the mystery, beauty and complexity of giant squids.

http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/squid.html

Marine Crustaceans of Southern Australia

This guide from the Museum Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, has great photographs.

          http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/crust/page1a.html

SeaWorld Animal Information Database

This site is packed with definitions, graphics, animal facts, descriptions of habitat, and other resources.

http://www.seaworld.org/infobook.html  

 

Undersea and Oversea

Explore the past, present, and future of our oceans.

http://www.fi.edu/oceans/oceans.html

WhaleTimes

Do you like whales, seals, sea lions, sharks, penguins, and walruses? Then you're going to love WhaleTimes!

 http://www.whaletimes.org/                        

Zoobooks: Animals A-Z

Click on the letter of the alphabet to learn about your animal.

          http://www.zoobooks.com/animalsAtoZ/directory.htm

Books

Down, Down, Down in the Ocean by Markle, Sandra  577.7 MAR

I Wonder Why the Sea is Salty by Ganeri, Anita  551.46 GAN  

Kingfisher Young People's Book of Oceans  REF 551.46 LAM

Life in the Oceans by Baker, Lucy  551.46 BAK

Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor by Cole, Joanna  591.92 COL

Mysterious Undersea World by Cook, Jan Leslie  551.4 COO

Ocean by Higginson, Mel  551.46 HIG

Ocean Realm from the National Geographic Society  REF 500.9 OCE

Oceans by Carter, Katharine Jones  551.46 CAR

Oceans Atlas by Ganeri, Anita  REF 551.46 GAN

Search for the Right Whale by Kraus, Scott D.  599.5 KRA

Underwater Life by Morris, Dean  574.92 MOR

What On Earth is a Pout? by Ricciuti, Edward R. 597 RIC

 

CD-Roms

Oceans Below  CD-ROM 551.46 OCE

Evaluation

A TOTAL OF 100 POINTS CAN BE EARNED.

• 20 Points for using at least 3 resources:

     1 encyclopedia
     1 web site
     1 book  

• 20 Points for writing clear, detailed information about your animal.  You must tell why your animal should be included in the SEAquarium.

• 20 Points for creativity and neatness.

• 20 Points for Credits and References.

• 20 Points for presenting your project to the class.

Your Goal: A completed display board that you can share with confidence. Note: Late projects will lose 10 points per day.

Conclusion

After finishing this project, I hope you have learned some new and interesting facts about ocean animals and how they live together.  I also hope you have learned how to organize and present information to your classmates.

  Credits and References

Make a list of all the resources you used to find out about your animal.