Teaching inquiry with Webquests

WebQuests...

A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web

parts (elements) of WQ - 

• Engagement/Introductdion
• Explore/Investigate/Task
• Explain/reflect/process
• Elaborate/conclusion
• Evaluate/assess

WebQuests on Weather:
Fourth Grade Severe Weather

• This WebQuest will be helpful for my inquiry 
• Lacks an evaluation element

Climate Change

Weather Vs. Climate

Weather, Climate, Global Warming, Greenhouse Effects

WebQuest on Weather and Climate Change

Engagement:
You are scientists researching the climate of a region and how climate change may be affecting it.  More specifically, you will be meteorologist and first research the local weather patterns during each season and determine the various climate.  Then you will look into climate change and how it may or may not be affecting the region.

Explore:
Using the internet, your team of scientists will create a powerpoint or slideshow of the different types of weather that make up your region's climate.  Include any extreme weather that is know to exist in the region.  Then discuss if the climate is changing and how it is affecting the region.  You will print out worksheets to guide you.  Your teams three minute powerpoint/slide show will describe the region you have been assigned, weather patterns, severe weather situations, climate, if climate change is prevalent, how it is affecting the region, and how the region is adapting or not.

Explain: Let's get started..

• Your region has been provided for you.  Make a slide that includes the name of the region and where geographically it is located in the world. http://www.worldatlas.com/
• Print out the guiding sheets to help collect weather and climate data.  These will help to stay organized and guide you in completing each slide. 

• Look up data using  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/noaa-n/climate/climate_weather.htmlto determine weather and climate.  If you use outside resources, please reference them. 
• watch this video on weather and climate and make notes on your guided sheets to about the difference between them. http://www.brainpop.com/science/weather/climatetypes/
• For your region, find and state the following data for your region and include in a slide
• Date, temperature, humidity, wind speed & direction, visibility, and dew point using this link http://www.weather.com/
• research for severe weather patterns and how your region was affected.  Make a slide.
• Make a paragraph about how your region was affected and what they did or could have done to protect themselves from the natural disasters.  
• Does climate change affect the region?  How? Make a slide on the issue

Elaborate:

• Make a paragraph about how your region was affected and what they did or could have done to protect themselves from the natural disasters.  
• Does climate change affect the region?  How? Make a slide on the issue
• Share your presentation with your classmates

Evaluate:
Students will complete guided worksheets and turn them in.  Slideshow will be graded off rubric (facts, creativity, higher order of thinking)