Earth Invasion

A WebQuest on Earth's Continents

ZEBRAS live in Africa
LIONS and ELEPHANTS, too.
Australia is down under
Home of the KANGAROO!

Clap your hands for Asia!
It's the largest one.
Antarctica is covered in ice.
The PENGUINS sure have fun!

North America is where I live.
It's where I work and play.
In Europe you'll find England,
Where the queen rules every day.

South America is home to Brazil.
It's the largest country there.
The world has seven continents,
And I've just named them with care!


worldmap
Designed by Christine Pang
pangc@pacificu.edu

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Teacher Page

Introduction

The year is 3050, and Martians from outer space are interested in what life is like on Earth. They have just contacted the Principal and I, and they have a special assignment for all of you. They want to know what the best continent to live on is, and what they can look forward to while there! In groups of four, your task will be to “sell” your assigned continent to these Martians.


Well what are you waiting for? The Martians are on a spaceship headed directed to Earth as we speak! So get to work! And if I understood correctly, the winners of this assignment, or the presenters of the continent that they choose to live, just might get a free ride on the Martians’ spaceship, as a Thank You! Good luck!


The Task

Over the next few days, you and three classmates will be assigned a continent (North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, or Australia) to research.  As a team, you will use the links provided below, books, maps, etc. to find out all you can about your continent. What sets your continent apart from the rest? Why would anyone, let alone Martians from outer space, choose to live on YOUR continent? You will compile all of your information, and creatively put it together as to present to the class and the Martians upon their arrival. Keep in mind, these Martians have never been to Earth before, so they have no idea what to expect! Be detailed in your work, and be creative!!

A few suggestions to consider:

*Climate/Seasons: What kind of weather can they expect?

*Location: Where is your continent located?

*Physical features: What are special landforms and/or landmarks on your continent?

*Population: How many people live on your continent?

*Culture: Who are the people and what do they do on your continent?

*Language: What languages are spoken?

*Neighbors: Who or what is around them? (Oceans, other continents, etc.)

*You may also consider suggesting a specific country or state.. But you must provide reasons for why.

The Process

Step 1:
By table groups, you will be randomly assigned one of the six continents (we are excluding Antarctica for this project).

Step 2:
When you have received your continent, discuss with your teammates what is important to know about your continent. Remember, the Martians know absolutely nothing about Earth in general, so be specific! (*Hint: the more they know about your continent, the more likely they'll be to choose to live there). Decide on how you will organize your information as you find it- make a chart, a web, a checklist, etc., and make a plan! You must present your plan to the teacher and get the okay, before you can move on. Every member must participate in this quest, so you may also consider splitting up the tasks.

Step 3:
Research, Research, Research! The links provided below each continent are sources from which you may obtain information. Search around the websites provided. There are other links to valuable information about your continent! However, you are not limited to these resources! You may go to the library to check out books and/or maps. This is the most important step in you quest, so take your time! Do not expect to finish all of your research in one working period. We'll do daily check-ins to see how much more time each group needs.
australia

Australia

http://www.factmonster.com/atlas/country/australia.html

http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/world/A0805376.html   

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0107296.html

http://worldalmanacforkids.com/WAKI-ViewArticle.aspx?pin=x-au176900a&article_id=209&chapter_id=5&chapter_title=Geography&article_title=Australia

http://worldalmanacforkids.com/WAKI-ViewArticle.aspx?pin=x-gr087200a&article_id=219&chapter_id=5&chapter_title=Geography&article_title=Great_Victoria_Desert

http://worldalmanacforkids.com/WAKI-ViewArticle.aspx?pin=x-ri053300a&article_id=233&chapter_id=5&chapter_title=Geography&article_title=Rivers

http://worldalmanacforkids.com/WAKI-ViewArticle.aspx?pin=x-gr084100a&article_id=247&chapter_id=5&chapter_title=Geography&article_title=Great_Barrier_Reef
Step 4:
Once you have completed your research, sit down and talk with your team about the research you all found. Decide how you will present your continent to the Martians (and the class) in its final form, then make it! You can make a brochure, a poster, a book, etc.- Use your imagination! Be sure to include all of your information on your display, and make sure it is neat and clear! I have examples of displays that you may browse through. I will also provide any construction paper, tag board, poster boards, etc. that you may need. Do not rush through this display.. your audience will be able to tell if you put time into it, or if you just threw it together.


Step 5:
Almost done! The next step will be to write a short reflection about your experience through this project. Do you feel like you contributed your share of work? Do you feel like your group members contributed their share of work? What do you think you did well as a group? What do you think you should've done differently? Please include reasons for why and why not. Please include reasons to support your responses. Though the majority of your grade will come from the group work, I will take into consideration any comments you leave here, and don't worry, I will not be sharing anything you write. Also in this reflection, please include at least one paragraph about what you learned about your continent through your research. It can be something that you surprised to read about, an important landform or landmark that you didn't know was there, etc.- anything!


Step 6:
When all of the groups have finished their projects, you will take turns presenting your continents to the Martians and the class. Your presentation should be around 5 minutes each, and you must share all of the important information you found! Be prepared to answer any questions that the Martians and/or your classmates may have- you have become the "experts" on your continent! This is your time to sell your continent! I suggest you meet with your group, divide the presentation, look over all of your great research, and PRACTICE! 

Evaluation

The following rubric describes how you will be graded on this project. Since it is a group project, all group members will receive the same grades for the first 5 categories (Research Plan, Group Work, Research, Final Product, and Group Presentation). This means that it is all of your responsibilities to make sure each member is participating equally! An individual grade will be given for your Reflection & Summaries, based on what you turn in. Your point total in each category will be added up and divided by 23 to determine your grade. 

Beginning

1

Developing

2

Accomplished

3

Exemplary

4

Score

 

Research Plan/ Organizational Tool
Group have no clearresearch plan of action. No organizational tool was created, or students can not descibe their tool.  
Group presented a research plan of action OR an organization tool.
Group presented a well thought out plan for how they would approach their research. Organizational tool was equally well thought out and carefully and thoughtfully designed, as to help them in their research.
Scoring not available

 

Collaborative
Group Work

 

 
One or more individuals did not contribute at all to group work.  Member(s) were not supportive of one another; did not try to engage or include everyone. Group was off-task during work periods.
One or more individuals contributed little to none to group. Group was off-task during work periods.
 For the most part, all members contributed to group work. Group was on-task during work periods. Group appeared to have some difficulty working together. All members contributed to group work equally. Group was on-task during work periods. Group was able to settle any disputes or disagreements on their own.  

 

Research on Continent

 
Group appeared to be disorganized in their research- did . Stnot use Organization tool at all. Group did not take advantage of all of the resources provided for them.
 Group used only the resources provided for them, but did not use their Organizational tool.
Group found great research and used their Organization tool to guide them through and help organize their research. Group used only the resources provided for them.
Research is outstanding- beyond the suggested! It is obvious that the group used their Organizational tool to guide them through and help organize their research. Group used resources beyond what was provided for them.

 

Final product (Handout, poster, brochure, etc.)
 Final product is messy, disorganized, and lacks relevant information about continent. It appears as if no time was put into the creation of this display.
Final product lacks neatness, clarity, and relevant information about continent. It is clear that group simply "threw it together."
Final product is somewhat creative, neat and clear, but lacks relevant information. Group could have spent a little more time on display.
Final product is creative, neat, clear, and contains relevant information about continent. Group obviously put thought and time into display.

 

Group Presentation
Group appears unprepared for presentation. Not all members have a part in the presenation. Group is unable to answer questions.
Group appears slightly unprepared for their presentation. Not all members have a part in the presentation. Group is able to answer some of the questions without looking at notes.
Group appears to be prepared for their presentation, but could have used some more practice. All members have a part in the presentation. Group is able to answer most of the questions without looking at notes. 
Group is well-prepared for their presentation. All members have a part in the presentation. Group is knowledgable about their continent and are able to answer questions confidently.

Individual Reflection
and Summary		 Student turned in a reflection, but did not include an assessment of how he/she and his/her group memebers contributed to this project. Summary was missing. Student turned in reflection and a summary, but appears to have put little to no effort into it.  Student turned in a well thought out reflection about his/her own contributions as well as his/her group members' contributions to this project. Student include a one paragraph summary about what he/she learned through their research. Student turned in a well thought out reflection about his/her own contributions as well as his/her group members' contributions to this project. Student included more than one paragraph about what he/she learned through their research. It is clear that this student put time and effort into this reflection.

Conclusion

Congratulations! Great work! You all did an amazing job at using your resources to become "experts" on the Continent assigned to you! The Martians and I were SO impressed with the research you came up with, the handy brochures, poster boards, handouts, etc. that your groups created, and of course, your presentations! The Martians were so impressed, that they just couldn't decide on one! ALL of the continents sounded remarkable to live on! GREAT JOB!

So now that you studied one of the seven continents that make up Earth, and we heard from our classmates about five others, I challenge you to find out about Antarctica and even more about the other continents! There are no limits to what you can do with the information you find! You may use the website links provided here, or you may choose to find some on your own! Whatever the case, good luck!


Credits & References

World Map: NASA free images http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/
Continent Poem: http://teachers.net/gazette/DEC02/continents.html
Continent Images: http://www.pics4learning.com


Links:
http://worldalmanacforkids.com
http://www.geographia.com
http://www.factmonster.com

Last updated on August 15, 1999. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page