The Rainforest: A Paradise That Must Not Be Lost

A WebQuest for 6^th Grade

Designed By

Carol Westphal

cwestphal@emerson.ypschools.org

Introduction

The Bronx Zoo would like to expand their Jungle World rainforest exhibit and needs to learn more about animals who live in the rainforest. The Bronx Zoo has hired you as a scientist. You will travel to the world’s rainforests in South America. Your job over the next month will be to do authentic research and develop a PowerPoint presentation, as well as prepare to give an oral presentation for the first annual convention titled The Rainforest: A Paradise That Must Not Be Lost. You will need to explain to other scientists, zoo administrators and zookeepers why your animal needs the rainforest to survive and should be included in the rainforest habitat at the Bronx Zoo.

After choosing your animal you will use non-fiction books and the Internet to gain valuable information about your animal. There are many books available for you to do research and takes notes in the school Library Media Center.

The Task

Now that you have chosen your rainforest animal you are required to address several questions. You will report your findings in a PowerPoint presentation and prepare an oral speech. You may write your speech on index cards for the rainforest convention. Make sure that you practice giving your speech to a family member or a friend on what you learned about the wonderful animal you spent time researching. You are required to hand in a hard copy of your PowerPoint to your teacher that answers these questions:

1. Which rainforest does the animal live in?

2. What layer of the rainforest does your animal live in?

3. Does your animal come out during the day or at night?

4. What does your animal eat?

5. Which animals like to eat your animal? (Who are its predators?)

6. How does your animal protect itself?

7. Is your animal an endangered species?

8. Describe how your animal looks, include color and size.

9. Describe how your animal is in danger from people.

10. What makes your animal special? Write something you have learned about your animal that makes it unique.

Resources

Look at the following websites to complete the task.

http://www.kathimitchell.com/rainfor.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/rainforest/

http://www.rainforestanimals.net

http://www.rainforestweb.org/

http://www.rainforestheroes.com/

http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/

http://kidsmongabay.com

The Process

Before you can begin your research you must first identify the geographic location and climate of the rainforest. You will complete the following PPA worksheets on line.

Define the Problem

Gather Evidence

Identify Courses

Evaluate a Policy

Develop Solutions

Select Best Solution

First you will select an animal to begin the research. You will need to keep track of all the information you gather in your folder.

1. You will need to use different resources for your information. You will need to keep track of where you found your information by writing the author, title, and copyright date for each source.

2. You will take notes on all the questions listed above on the worksheet given out in class. Include any other information that you think is interesting.

3. Once you have gathered all your information you should begin to write your note cards for your oral presentation. Remember to practice your speech.

4. Begin to create your PowerPoint presentation. Remember to add graphics, charts and sound.

Evaluation

Rubric

Criteria

Points

	4	3	2	1
Body Language	Movements seemed fluid and helped the audience visualize.	Made movements or gestures that enhanced articulation.	Very little movement or descriptive gestures.	No movement or descriptive gestures.	____
Eye Contact	Holds attention of entire audience with the use of direct eye contact.	Consistent use of direct eye contact with audience.	Displayed minimal eye contact with audience.	No eye contact with audience.	____
Introduction and Closure	Student delivers open and closing remarks that capture the attention of the audience and set the mood.	Student displays clear introductory or closing remarks.	Student clearly uses either an introductory or closing remark, but not both.	Student does not display clear introductory or closing remarks.	____
Pacing	Good use of drama and student meets apportioned time interval.	Delivery is patterned, but does not meet apportioned time interval.	Delivery is in bursts and does not meet apportioned time interval.	Delivery is either too quick or too slow to meet apportioned time interval.	____
Poise	Student displays relaxed, self-confident nature about self, with no mistakes.	Makes minor mistakes, but quickly recovers from them; displays little or no tension.	Displays mild tension; has trouble recovering from mistakes.	Tension and nervousness is obvious; has trouble recovering from mistakes.	____
Voice	Use of fluid speech and inflection maintains the interest of the audience.	Satisfactory use of inflection, but does not consistently use fluid speech.	Displays some level of inflection throughout delivery.	Consistently uses a monotone voice.	____

Conclusion

The PowerPoint presentation will be the final activity of this unit. Students will preview all slideshows and listen as each research scientist gives their presentation. Afterwards students will write a plan on how they can help save the rainforest.

New York State Learning Standards:

Information Literacy Standards

Standard 1: The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively.

Standard 2: The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently.

Standard 3: The student who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively.

ELA

Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas.

Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation.

Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people.

Social Studies Standards

Standard 3: Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live—local, national, and global—including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.

Technology

Standard 5: Students will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs.

This page written by Carol Westphal
Last updated on Nov. 17, 2007.