Prelude to Armageddon (Teacher's Page)

Prelude to Armageddon
(Teacher Page)

A WebQuest for
9^th Grade Earth Science

Designed by:
Anthony Greer and Richard Catalano

Introduction

This lesson was designed for a project in EDUC 410 at the State University of New York @ Potsdam. EDUC 410 or Media and Technology is a cognate requirement for those seeking a degree in Education.

This lesson will teach the students about the planets in our solar system. It will peak their interest into something different that they hopefully have not yet explored. The groups of students (Team Genesis) will research facts about each of the planets of our solar system and determine if there is a way that one or all of the planets could be inhabited. Then the students will build a 3-dimensional model of what one of these structures would look like.

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Learners

This lesson is geared for 9^th grade Earth Science students. This WebQuest can be interwoven with Language Arts, where the students could have their papers proof-read and submitted for a grade. This could also be put into the Art program with their ShoeBox Model of a living environment. The students should have a knowledge of how to use the internet, and how to pick out pertinent data.

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Curriculum Standards

The students will learn how to use the library and internet from doing their research for the project. All standards used will be based on the New York State Department of Education Physical Setting/Earth Science Core Curriculum.

Standard # 2: Information Systems - Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information, using appropriate technologies.
    Key Idea # 1 - Information technology is used to retrieve, process, and communicate information as a tool to enhance learning.
        Performance Indicator # 1.1 - Use a range of equipment and software to integrate several forms of information in order to create good-quality audio, video, graphic, and text-based presentations.
        Performance Indicator # 1.2 - Use spreadsheets and database software to collect, process, display, and analyze information. Students access needed information from electronic databases and on-line telecommunication services.
        Performance Indicator # 1.3 - Systematically obtain accurate and relevant information pertaining to a particular topic from a range of sources, including local and national media, libraries, museums, governmental agencies, industries, and individuals.
    Key Idea # 2 - Knowledge of the impacts and limitations of information systems is essential to its effectiveness and ethical use.
        Performance Indicator # 2.1 - Understand the need to question the accuracy of information displayed on a computer because the results produced by a computer may be affected by incorrect data entry.
Standard # 6: Interconnectedness: Common Themes - Students will understand the relationships and common themes that connect mathematics, science, and technology and apply the themes to these and other areas of learning.
Key Idea # 6: Optimization - In order to arrive at the best solution that meets criteria within constraints, it is often necessary to make trade-offs.
Performance Indicator # 6.1 - Determine the criteria and constraints and make trade-offs to determine the best decision.
Standard # 7: Interdisciplinary Problem Solving - Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.
    Key Idea # 2 - Solving interdisciplinary problems involves a variety of skills and strategies, including effective work habits; gathering and processing information; generating and analyzing ideas; realizing ideas; making connections among the common themes of mathematics, science, and technology; and presenting results.
        Performance Indicator # 2.1 -
            Students participate in an extended, culminating mathematics, science, and technology project. The project would require students to:
            • Working Effectively: Contributing to the work of a brainstorming group, laboratory partnership, cooperative learning group, or project team; planning procedures; identify and managing responsibilities of team members; and staying on task, whether working alone or as part of a group.
            • Gathering and Processing Information: Accessing information from printed media, electronic data bases, and community resources and using the information to develop a definition of the problem and to research possible solutions.
            • Generating and Analyzing Ideas: Developing ideas for proposed solutions, investigating ideas, collecting data, and showing relationships and patterns in the data.
            • Common Themes: Observing examples of common unifying themes, applying them to the problem, and using them to better understand the dimensions of the problem.
            • Realizing Ideas: Constructing components or models, arriving at a solution, and evaluating the result.
            • Presenting Results: Using a variety of media to present the solution and to communicate the results.
Standard # 4: Physical Setting - Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
Key Idea # 1 - The Earth and celestial phenomena can be described by principles of relative motion and perspective.
        Performance Indicator # 1.1 - Explain complex phenomena, such as tides, variations in day length, solar insulation, apparent motion of the planets, and annual traverse of the constellations.
           Major Understanding # 1.1a - Most objects in the solar system are in regular and predictable motion.
            Major Understanding # 1.1b -
                Nine planets move around the Sun in nearly circular orbits.
                • The orbit of each planet is an ellipse with the Sun located at one of the foci.

This lesson will also teach your students how to work in groups. They will learn how to do research in both the library through books but also on the Internet. Your students will have to learn to communicate their ideas with their teammates and also with you in the form of a summative essay. The students must be creative in how they design the ShoeBox model, while paying attention to detail and explaining whey they did what they did.

This lesson is designed for students to productively work within groups and at the same time work along side the teacher. Questions will be encouraged by the teacher at any point throughout this project. This lesson should encourage creative production within the group as well as ample amounts of teamwork and compromise in order to submit a finalized result.

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Process

In order to complete this assignment you must follow these guidelines:

You will be assigned to groups of 3-4 students.
Since the planet Earth can not sustain life in the future, there is no need to research this planet. Each group member will research 1-3 planets and report their findings to the entire group.
Use given resources, texts, encyclopedias and the library to research and complete the first 6 steps of the task listed above.
Be sure to submit your one page progress report to the Director of NASA (your teacher) at the end of your first week.
Also, the end of your first week will be the time to ask any questions to your teacher you have to date regarding your findings.
During your final week of preparation, collaborate with all members of Team Genesis in order to layout your research so that it will be presentable to your colleagues (your classmates). Also, create a work cited page to let the Director of NASA (your teacher) know where you got your information.
After the two weeks are up, you and your team will present your findings along with your shoebox model to your colleagues (classmates) as well as the Director of NASA (your teacher).

Remember the groups should be assigned and not picked by the students, this way you will be less likely to get groups that will be all talk and no work. One procedure I found to be useful, is arrange all your students on a datasheet in order from highest grade to lowest. Then count down the list up to the number of groups you have and repeat all the way down. This will allow you to mix up the abilities of every group.

This project will take two weeks in two complete. Some time should be spent in class before it starts giving the students some background information on the Solar System. If feasible, a trip to a planetarium to show the students some constellations or planets would be useful to peak the students interest in the subject. The first half of the first class period spent on the project should be a trip to your school library, so that the librarian can show the students how to use the library resources. The second half should be spent in a computer lab where there is enough computers for each student in your class, so that they can commence their research.

The major areas where students may encounter problems is in the researching of facts. This is why it is imperative for the teacher to spend just a couple of minutes each day with each group to make sure they are on the right track as well as to answer any questions that the group may have.

Variations

If you want to vary this lesson you can have your groups be teams for each planet that is to be researched. You would have to add some more guidelines to the process on what they would be researching though.

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Resources Needed

To implement this lesson, your class will need access to a computer lab, in which each group will be able to be use a computer at the same time.

All the websites used in this WebQuest can be found in the Credits section.

Besides spending the first half of class on the first day in the library allowing students to learn properely how to navigate through resources in order to obtain information, this is really all the direction they will need. Students have already been encouraged to use as many resources as possible. Finally, considering this project is spread out and will take two weeks to complete, the content teacher will be sufficient in terms of aiding this learning process.

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Evaluation

Beginning
1

Developing
2

Accomplished
3

Exemplary
4

Score

Team's Hypothesis for Sustainable Life on Different Planets

Hypothesis was not very well planned. No facts to support argument. Length was too not adequate.

Some thought was put into the hypothesis but is still too short. Too much speculation with little facts.

Hypothesis was well thought out. Arguments were supported with some facts and some speculation.

Hypothesis was well thought out. Arguments were supported with facts, not speculation. Defended both sides of argument. Was of adequate length.

Ability to Retrieve Facts on the Different Planets.

No facts, all speculation. No proof of where information was retrieved.

Facts were found for some planets.

Most of the information retrieved was true, with resources cited.

All facts are true, with resources cited.

Essay

Half of the required length or shorter. Too much speculation, few facts to back up your arguments.

Essay was choppy, did not flow well. Sections were too short. Some facts, but still too much speculation.

Was of required length. Flow of essay was good. Few speculations, mostly facts. Shared some interesting facts.

Paper was well thought out. Flowed well in between planets. Sections were of assigned length or longer. Interesting facts were presented to the team.

Use of Resources (i.e. Works Cited Page, Different Types of Media Used)

Had only one source. Did not follow citation guidelines.

Used two sources. Only one kind of media. Works cited page is not adequate.

Used three to four sources. Cited all sources, used different types of media.

Used five or more sources, cited all sources used. Received adequate information from each source used. Used three different types of media.

Shoebox Diagram

Did not present one or very little time and effort put into it.

Little explanations. Not very creative. Attention to detail was slim.

Well constructed, with explanations. Good attention to detail.

Attention to detail was intact. Creative, and well explained.

Peer Evaluation

Team member did not stay on task. Did not get their share of the work done.

Team member did not contribute much. Had assignments in on a timely manner.

Team member slacked at times, but overall was a key contribution to the group.

Team member contributed equally to all parts of the project. Was on task at all times, and very well presented.

The quality of the students' final project presented to the entire class will be the one task that will be evaluated with the most weight. Along with this project, the students will be tested at the end of this unit (Solar System) during their regular class time.

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Conclusion

This WebQuest will not only peak the students interest in our solar system but at the same time allow students to research and find information using an array of resources. Some of this information will be needed in order for their projects to be completed but also, we allowed room for students to find facts that are of particular interest that they would like to share with the rest of the class.

This allows for creative thinking and teamwork because each group will want to bring some fact up in their discussion that sparks not only the teacher's interest, but their peers' interest as well.

Finally this WebQuest will inform students of why our planet is inhabitable today and why other planets may or may not be. And considering that commercial space travel and visiting other planets is inevitable, this will allow the students (who are the generation that will eventually partake in these futuristic events) to learn as much as they can about this topic.

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Credits

The Nine Planets - This website is actually linked to Blackboard within the Academic Web Resources page and proved to be a valuable link in order to find many interesting facts regarding our solar system.

Google Image Search - Within this site we were able to obtain mostly all the pictures and .GIF's we used in our Webquest.

NASA - This website allowed us to research any prior efforts that have been made in the past to find life on other planets. (e.g.. the Mars landing) Also, we were able to get an idea of what space travel entails for an astronaut.

Life On Other Planets - This website allows students to see first hand what type of factors are involved in finding life on other planets than earth. It discusses each planets environmental factors, which would cause problems for human existence.

Hubble Telescope - This website gives a good insight on how the universe is looked at today.

New York State Department of Education - This website is where are the standards for this project were found.

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Last updated on October 31, 2002 . Based on a template from The WebQuest Page.

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Team's Hypothesis for Sustainable Life on Different Planets	Hypothesis was not very well planned. No facts to support argument. Length was too not adequate.	Some thought was put into the hypothesis but is still too short. Too much speculation with little facts.	Hypothesis was well thought out. Arguments were supported with some facts and some speculation.	Hypothesis was well thought out. Arguments were supported with facts, not speculation. Defended both sides of argument. Was of adequate length.
Ability to Retrieve Facts on the Different Planets.	No facts, all speculation. No proof of where information was retrieved.	Facts were found for some planets.	Most of the information retrieved was true, with resources cited.	All facts are true, with resources cited.
Essay	Half of the required length or shorter. Too much speculation, few facts to back up your arguments.	Essay was choppy, did not flow well. Sections were too short. Some facts, but still too much speculation.	Was of required length. Flow of essay was good. Few speculations, mostly facts. Shared some interesting facts.	Paper was well thought out. Flowed well in between planets. Sections were of assigned length or longer. Interesting facts were presented to the team.
Use of Resources (i.e. Works Cited Page, Different Types of Media Used)	Had only one source. Did not follow citation guidelines.	Used two sources. Only one kind of media. Works cited page is not adequate.	Used three to four sources. Cited all sources, used different types of media.	Used five or more sources, cited all sources used. Received adequate information from each source used. Used three different types of media.
Shoebox Diagram	Did not present one or very little time and effort put into it.	Little explanations. Not very creative. Attention to detail was slim.	Well constructed, with explanations. Good attention to detail.	Attention to detail was intact. Creative, and well explained.
Peer Evaluation	Team member did not stay on task. Did not get their share of the work done.	Team member did not contribute much. Had assignments in on a timely manner.	Team member slacked at times, but overall was a key contribution to the group.	Team member contributed equally to all parts of the project. Was on task at all times, and very well presented.