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My WebQuery - Rainforest Adventure

Rainforest Adventure

A WebQuery for 3rd Grade

Designed by

Elizabeth Hansen

hansenel@cwu.edu

 

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Introduction   

Welcome rainforest explorers! Today you will be exploring the features of the rainforest.  It is your responsibility to explore and figure out what is living there. There are so many animals, layers, and plants that you get the special job of picking one of the areas and researching it. While completing this you will find new information and become experienced explorers. So what are you going to find? Lets Go!

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Task   

For this adventure, you will focus on either  

• Plants 
• Animals 
• Layers

of the rainforest. It is up to you to chose what sounds most interesting and begin investigating. You will create a visual representation of one of the three areas. The visual needs to show your creativity  is up to you how you want to create your representation. This could include

• Painting
• Drawing
• Model
• Power point 
• Paper

or any other creation as long as it is of one of the three topics. The materials for your chosen project will be provided.

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The Process

1. What is this assignment about?
2. How do you think you should begin this assignment? 
3. Do you understand where to find information?
4. Is the information you’ve found facts or opinions about the topics? And how do you know? 
5. Do the sources you used all have similar information? 
6. Have you found enough information to start the task? 
7. Did you check the rubric and look at what you need to have in order to complete all of the parts?
   

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Resources

• Layers of a Rainforest. This site gives simple information about the layers of the rainforest. It also provides information of animals and plants. 
• All About Rainforests. All About Rainforests is an easy to navigate with areas where you can research animals, read an introduction, explore the different layers, and learn new vocabulary words. 
• Rainforest Facts. This site gives a general overview of rainforests, such as where they are, what types of rainforests there are, the layers, and what we get from the rainforest. 
• Rainforest Alliance - Kid's Corner. A very interactive site that allows YOU to find information about plants or animals. You will find fun facts about the rainforest and animals. 
• Rainforest Animals. At this site, you will be able to find all sorts of information on different animals. 

Evaluation

Category	3	2	1
Visual Representation	Item created shows viewers an aspect of the rainforest – plant, animal, or layer. Large enough for whole class to see.	Item created shows viewers an aspect of the rainforest – plant, animal, or layer. Not large enough for entire class to see.	Item created was not focused on one (plan, animal, or layer) of the rainforest Not large enough for class to see.
Attractiveness	Project is neatly put together using an eye-catching layout. Colors and design relate to the subject matter. Realistic.	Project is mostly put together neatly. There are some eye-catching features. The colors and design don’t full relate to the subject. Some parts aren’t realistic.	Project is confusing. Colors and design aren’t related to the real subject. The project doesn’t portray a realistic representation.
Content	Item created is focused on only one are – plants, animals, or layers.  There is thought and able to see how research information was used in creating the project.	Item is focused on more than one aspect of the rainforest. The project doesn’t have much research backing the finished work.	The item has hardly any focus. Hardly any research can be seen in the finished project.
Connecting/ Understanding	There’s an understanding of the plant, animal, or layer that they chose. The project depicts knowledge of how the animal, plant develops and functions.	There is somewhat of an understanding of the chosen topic that is seen in the project. Project shows some knowledge on how the topic develops and functions.	There is a lack of understanding when creating the product. The project shows little knowledge of how it functions or develops.

Conclusion 
Well explorers, by the end of this project you will have learned about the rainforest and been able to chose one topic to research on your very own! It will be an exciting adventure learning about plants, animals, and or the layers at which they live in. You will see how they grow and how they live, so differently from you. 


Now that you have seen how amazing the rainforest is, you can check out this site to see how you can help preserve the wonderful rainforest and all that calls this forest its home.  Rainforest Heros!  

Article #3 Apple Textbooks

After reading the article I was completely impressed by how far technology has come. I really had no idea that virtual textbooks could be so interactive and have so many different ways for students to learn.

Students now know all about technology that letting them use textbooks on Ipads, Ipods, or other devices is something that the are used to. I think that its important for kids to learn in a way that they are comfortable and familiar with.They can highlight important parts of the text and even make note cards in a quick and easy way. The books are also interactive so students can enlarge or rotate images to better understand the concepts.

I think that these apple textbooks are a great idea for students and teachers. It makes it easy for teachers to make up their own textbook, depending on what they are teaching and what they want to include for students to know. Teachers can create a text anyway they wish, this is important because they can choose the specific information that will be used in lessons and not have useless chapters that they don't use, but are included in regular textbooks. 

These Apple Textbooks are a great tool and I think really should be integrated into classrooms in as many classes as possible. I feel that they can create a hands on learning experience for students.

Article #2 Post

I can see that video tapping in a classroom can be great for feedback. I know that when I was taking a class we were being watched and that way our teacher could see how we taught.

Having my classroom in which I teach in video tapped would allow me to see how I actually manage my students and could allow me to be a better teacher. As it said in the article, I would see how many times I asked the children to raise their hands, to be quiet, etc. This would not only help me become a better teacher, but because I can look at my faults, my students would be able to learn in a far better environment. I want students to learn in the best possible way, even if this means taking time to look over a video that was of me teaching.

I believe that even when I am an “experienced” teacher, I can always learn more and become a better teacher. I never should stop learning because the students I teacher are never going to stop either. Videotaping can further my growth as an educator    and allow me to grow and learn. 

Kids Marshmallow Experiment

Should we let students opt out of face-to-face education?

After thinking about the question I came to the conclusion that students should not be able to opt out of face to face communication. Face to face communication is extremely important to learning, no matter what a students learning style is.

Students need to have person communication with others, not only with their teachers, but with their peers as well. Face to face interaction is vital for social growth and for their education. Students learn to work together in groups and how to be collaborative learners. Students are able to receive extra help when needed, either by peers or something set up by their teacher.

Students shouldn’t be isolated and only learn on the computer. Kids already spend hours online surfing the web, whether it be gaming, chatting, or on social sites. There is so much learning that happens in the classroom that can’t be taught via technology. 

EDUCATIONAL LINKS

EDUCATIONAL LINKS

1.OSPI  This site explains what your child should be learning at each grade level. It provides information for parents on their children’s rights, state testing, special education, and early learning. Parents can see what kind of new standards there are and other helpful tips and information that can help them understand their children’s learning. 

2.   PBS Parents. PBS Parents provide information on milestones, parenting tips, and nutrition as well as games and craft ideas based on characters from PBS Kids television programming. This site is easy to find information on topics, especially for the early childhood ages. 

3.    CDC. This site allows parents to be aware of their child’s growth and see what milestones their children should have completed to almost reached. It also provides facts about ADHD, Autism, and other developmental disabilities that their children may have. 

4.    Nutrition for Kids. Parents can use this site to find information concerning snacks, the best healthy foods to buy, and teaching kids to love healthy foods. It also has articles about toddler feeding and ideas for cold weather fitness. There are also activities for kids concerning healthy eating.  

5.    Scholastic. This site is focused on reading and how it creates a better life in children. Scholastic provides information for parents about different books that their children should read. It gives different age groups and popular titles. There is also a section on child development that gives age-by-age guides, cognitive development, language development and other information. There are also kids’ sites for early learners, middle, and older children. 

6.    Funbrain. Funbrain has math and reading games for students. It’s a great interactive website that allows kids to pick what they would like to work on. 

7.    Dole SuperKids. This part of the Dole website is focused on kids and their healthy eating habits. It gives fun recipes that kids will enjoy and that they can actively help make. I think its important for kids to be excited about eating healthy foods and these recipes are perfect for kids. SuperKids also provides information on fun fitness tips for kids and their families. It also has games that kids can play online. 

8.    Brain Pop. This site has information on science, art & music, social studies, English, math, health, and engineering & tech. There is much information for kids to use. It is user friendly and very bright and colorful, making it appealing to kids.

9.    Starfall. This site is perfect for kindergarten aged kids. It has interactive games where children practice their ABCs, have beginning reading practice, and simple math. It is bright and the games are easy for young kids to understand and be able to work on alone. 

     Xtramath. This is a free web program for students, teachers, and parents. It gives games to help progress students math skills. It is easy for parents and students to us.