Create your own group Dinoman

Author Elizabeth Meringer, 2015

Abstract

In this WebQuest the students will be put into one of three Dinosaur teams. Each team will consist of three students who will be given individual directions regarding their role which will be assigned at random along with the information they need to find. They will have to research one of the following dinosaurs: Stegosaurus, Tarbosaurus, and Chirostenotes as well as work on one of the following and becoming a: Habitat Expert, Food Expert, or Friends Expert. Each group will be responsible for using the research, materials, and information to create their final “Dinoman”, half dinosaur and half human along with its Habitat, Food, and Friends. The students will discuss what part will be dinosaur and which is human and expand on their knowledge.This WebQuest is designed to be completed over a week during the daily 45 minute interval Science period. They will be presenting their final project at the end of the week.

Performance Objectives

Performance Objectives:

Students will be able to:

research the materials on their dinosaur
apply their knowledge individually
collaborate their knowledge into a group project
create a Dinoman (half dinosaur half man), along with its Habitat, Food, and Friends

Essential Questions:

Where kind of environment does your dinosaur live in?
Does it like a hot or cold environment?
What does your dinosaur eat?
Could it eat human food, if so what specially?
Who are your dinosaurs friends?
What other dinosaurs could your dinosaur be friends with?

Outcomes: Students will work together to complete their individual roles and assignments as well as understand the value and meaning of multi-tasking. Students will share what parts of their Dinoman were human and what parts were dinosaur as well as elaborate on their individual role and how that impacts their Dinoman.

Scaffolding Knowledge Essential Question: What research did you acquire to create your Dinoman?

Level	Activities
Remembering	Students peek into their prior knowledge, think about geographical locations, and research how that pertains to their dinosaur. They will also recall various key words and emphasize their individual group tasks in order to create their Dinoman.
Understanding	Students will perform activities throughout the lesson to better grasp the concept of their dinosaur and how their group will create their Dinoman. What did they contribute individually and how will it impact the way they perceive the project as a whole? What have they learned that can influence the dynamic of their dinosaur and group input?
Applying	The students will compute the information that they research in their different groups on their dinosaurs. Whichever category they are in (Habitat Expert, Food Expert, and Friends Expert), they will find, transfer their information, and produce their final product: Dinoman.
Analyzing	Students will identify and list the different parts of their dinosaur, compare and contrast their findings as well as examine what other information they need to find. Did they use an enough time accordingly to explore their role and find accurate data? How can they relate their data to each other to create a final project?
Evaluating	Students will research using the various materials (books, computer, SmartBoard) and have to decide if there is a sufficient amount of information to make their Dinoman. Does it make sense? Do they have enough supporting evidence to develop their final product? Did they do the correct amount of assessment to determine the final product? Did each person on their team follow through on their assignment?
Creating	After they were able to discuss amongst themselves and share their findings, they will the take the necessary steps in making their Dinoman- half dinosaur half human as well as making Habitat, Food, and Friends. They will look at their dinosaur and see which dinosaur parts and which humans parts they will incorporate into their final: Dinoman.

Multiple Intelligences

Intelligence	Activities in the lesson that will address this intelligence
Linguistic	Research materials using books and web based articles to find information on their dinosaur. The group will have to discuss what changes the dinosaur will go through and listen to each others opinions. Next, the students will gather new key words that they learned from the online websites. They will act out how their Dinoman will make friends. They will have to color and cut duringtheir individual group work. Students will work on their Paleontologist forms.
Logical-Mathematical	Formulate what your final Dinoman might look like. What will the measurements be? What pieces will you include in your final project- grass, friends, food? Where should it live? Will it live in a lake or Ocean? Does it live in a Tree house, regular house, maybe it will make its own living area in your backyard or at the park. What should it eat- does it eat bigger portions or smaller portions? Who are his friends… does your Dinoman get along with a lot of friends or only a few?
Musical	Students will watch and listen to the story “How Dinosaurs Play With Their Friends” on the Smartboard pertaining to ways to make friends. There will also be background music depending on which website they use for research. There will be sound when they are developing their Habitat online as well.
Bodily-Kinesthetic	Students will create an environment for their dinosaur using the Smartboard. They will have to build their Dinoman and predict the size to know how much room. Students will work together to make pieces for the Dinoman and connect the pieces together. They will have to act out what they see happening in the video in order to demonstrate what kind of a friend to be and not to be. (Depending on which group) Some will be cutting out their dinosaur puppets and some will be coloring.
Spatial	Students will need room to do their independent work, guided practice, as well as make their final project. The final project includes the Dinoman and all parts pertaining to the Habitat, Food, and Friends. The students will need room to work with their materials in whichever way they choose. They also need room to watch the Smartboard in order to complete their own tasks.
Interpersonal	The students will exchange their new knowledge that they learned with each other. They will discuss what the websites provided and how it will help shape their final project. The students will provide an understanding to all the parts involved in the making of the final project. They will also be able to ask each other questions as they develop their project in order to better help their understanding. What questions do they think of as well as what new words do they learn?
Intrapersonal	The way the student will perceive the information provided to them. Did they find it useful and helpful enough to use in their final project? What did they learn? What parts of the project did they value? Which role did they have to investigate? How will their role pertain to the Dinoman?

Mind Styles

Concrete Sequential

During Concrete Sequential the teacher introduces the WebQuest. She explains the goal and individual roles. The teacher also discusses the key words as well as the three different dinosaurs with the students. Students will begin to research through using the worksheets given to them by their teacher. They will come together, exchange ideas, figure out which parts of the dinosaur and which parts of the human to use, fill out the Paleontologist form, and create their Dinoman.

Concrete Random

Students look at different options and materials before helping complete the Dinoman. The students will rotate and enjoy feeling the different materials(seeing, hearing, touching,listening) in order to choose what is needed in making their final project.

Abstract Random

Students will listen to each other and value their opinions in completing their projects. They observe what they see and discuss the habitat, food, and friends their Dinoman will have. They will be put into groups of three students and rotate their roles until they finishing gathering their information.

Abstract Sequential

Students will use various resources to investigate their dinosaur and their role. They will research facts to contribute to their final project. They will begin thinking about the weight of their Dinoman depending on which parts they use. Once the student begin creating their Dinoman they begin to think about any changes that might need to be made in order to improve their facts and project.

Difficulty vs. Complexity Sousa states that difficulty refers to the amount of effort that the learner must expend within a level of complexity to accomplish a learning objective (Sousa, p. 263). In this WebQuest the students are presented with materials that might be challenging for them to complete. However, using teamwork and determination, the complexity of the work (the thought process) will make the WebQuest more intriguing to the students. (Sousa, p. 263) The students will have to research the knowledge and understand the roles in order to complete their final Dinoman. This WebQuest is presented to the students with a level of difficulty as well as complexity. This WebQuest is designed to challenge the students to think creatively and utilize abstract as well as complex thought processes in the building of their Dinoman. By referencing activities and events in their own lives they are able to put the Dinoman in the context of their world.

Motivation Throughout this WebQuest, the students are encouraged to seek validation and to use this reward for motivation. By working with members of a group they seek to obtain peer approval. By collaborating with the group they will be eager not to disappoint other members and will strive to “do their part and uphold their end.” Erikson explains that school age children are in the stage of “industry vs. inferiority.” Through social interactions children develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments and abilities. Children who feel successful develop security in their abilities to be successful. (Erikson, 1950) Through their individual roles and assignments, the students contribute to the final Dinoman group project providing the opportunity to reinforce their sense of team spirit. While working on their individual roles in the WebQuest and researching their dinosaur, the information is processed into working memory. If the students are intrigued with the assignment, they then will be able to spend a vast majority of time researching it and understanding it (Sousa, p. 51).

Standards Addressed

The following New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards are addressed in this Webquest:

Literacy
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.5 With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).
Science
5.3.2.B.2 Compare how different animals obtain food and water.
5.3.2.C.1 Describe the ways in which organisms interact with each other and their habitats in order to meet basic needs.
5.3.2.C.3 Communicate ways that humans protect habitats and/or improve conditions for the growth of the plants and animals that live there, or ways that humans might harm habitats.
5.3.2.E.2 Describe how similar structures found in different organisms (e.g., eyes, ears, mouths) have similar functions and enable those organisms to survive in different environments.
5.4.2.G.3 Identify and categorize the basic needs of living organisms as they relate to the environment.
Technology
8.1.2.B.1 Illustrate and communicate original ideas and stories using digital tools and media-rich resources.
8.2.2.B.1 Brainstorm and devise a plan to repair a broken toy or tool using the design process.
8.2.2.G.1 Describe how the parts of a common toy or tool interact and work as part of a system.

New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards

Teacher Preparation

Materials:

computer
Smartboard
paper
pencils
crayons
scissors
glue
shoe box, poster board, clay

List any printable handouts needed: Stegosaurus coloring page Tarbosaurus finger pupppets Chirostenotes using math shapes to recreate dinosaur paleontologist form rubric dinosaur individual

Key Terms


Classify	to arrange objects (people, things) into groups- alike or different
Scientist	a person who studies natural and physical science by doing research or solving a problem
Paleontologist	a person who studies fossils, plants, or dinosaurs from a long time ago
characteristic	a quality or trait that makes objects or people different from each other or stand out
observation	a statement, comment, or remark about something you have noticed

Lesson Outline

Teacher Instructional Process: Focus and Review

Welcome! Begin the lesson by having the students sit in front of the Smartboard. Explain to them that they are going to be completing a WebQuest and that they will be put into a group of three students. They will be assigned and required to research one of the following dinosaurs: Stegosaurus, Tarbosaurus, and Chirostenotes. Open the Introduction Page and begin to introduce the WebQuest to the students. Explain their teams, roles, and what information for which they will be responsible:

Where does your dinosaur live?
What does your dinosaur eat?
Who is your dinosaur friendly with?

This WebQuest is designed to be completed over a week during the daily 45 minute interval Science period. Students will divide their time between independent work and group work. To start they will be instructed on what each website provides and as well as what information to look for. The teacher will then show the students the Paleontologist form along with the rubric so they understand what is expected of them. Once the students gather information in their groups they will have to create and name their own “Dinoman”- dino-human. Since the dinosaur may be with the students for a while, it might become part dinosaur part human. The students will be able to use various materials such as pencils, straws, styrofoam, and construction paper to help construct their Dinoman. Each group will make one Dinoman and if they want they should include Habitat, Food, and Friends.

Open the Task page

review the task page with the students
explain that they will be assigned a dinosaur and an expert role
they will have to research their role
finally reinstate the goal of the project

Open the Process page

assign the roles- Habitat, Food, Friends
discuss their independent work- coloring page, finger puppet, ebook
and group work- using their independent work and researched facts to create Dinoman

Guided Practice

The teacher will rotate the groups so they each get time on the computers to do their research. This also helps the teacher verify that they understand the information as well as staying on task. The students are to refer back to questions on the WebQuest in order to confirm that their knowledge is precise and to demonstrate competency. They will come together to sort through their printed research and figure out what is important to include in their final presentation.

Habitat:

The students will show their classmates the habitat they created online.
The students will summarize their results and reviewing their conclusions
As a team they will work to build on the task.

Food:

The student will present to their group what they studied and found.
He/she will explain their ideas and what they think their Dinoman would enjoy eating.
Using their materials they will then begin to construct different foods to present with their final project.

Friends:

Students will watch and listen to the ebook on how the dinosaur makes friends.
They will act out how they think their Dinoman will make friends
During the WebQuest, the teacher can go around asking what they learned from the ebook.

Independent Practice

During Independent Practice, students will work on their own projects and information. They will either examine where the Dinoman lives, eats, and whose his/her friends are. The students will be prompt to explore and take notes on their various assignments. They will have (monitored) access to the web to explore the information assigned to them at the beginning of the lesson. This is the time when they will work on the assignment presented in each dinosaur in order to help expand on their final Dinoman creation and realize what areas of the dinosaur to include and what areas of the human to include. (Finger puppet, coloring page, or create your own dinosaur using math shapes)