USF's WebQuest
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| Unit Summary | Teacher's Resources | Day 1 Lesson | Day 2 Lesson |
| Day 3 Lesson | Day 4 Lesson | Day 5 Lesson | Day 6 Lesson |
| Day 7 Lesson | Conclusion | Student's Web Quest |
WebQuest Title: Climate and Biomes
Author: Patricia Rodriguez de Gil
Date: February 4, 2003
Dear Colleague:
Geography is the study of the earth and its people. As such, the topic of my Unit Plan is The earthís Natural Regions. This unit covers seven days of instruction adequate to a seventh grade, middle school setting. To ensure better understanding of the different earthís natural regions, the lesson plans are developed using the five geographic themes. Such important concepts as Latitude, Longitude and Prime Meridian are introduced on lesson one using a PowerPoint presentation. The main body of the unit consists in the study of the earthís regions according to its climate. For instance, Tropical Climates, Mid-Latitude Climates, High Latitude Climates, and Dry Climates are studied in this unit . Lessons five and six engage students in a web quest. The unit will conclude with students' presentation of their webquest assignment.
A very important part of each lesson that makes up this unit is the development of map skills, journal writing, vocabulary development, study activities such as individual, cooperative and critical thinking activities.
As this is an ambitious plan, however, successful completion is expected and every effort will be made to adequate the content to the time available and to the grade level. The resources that will be used up this point will be maps, textbook, overhead, Internet, and extra reading material.
Goals/Objectives:
Topic:
The Earth's Natural Regions
SS.B.2.3 The student understands the interactions of people and the physical and human characteristics of a place
1. Knows the physical characteristics of places (e.g., soils, land forms, vegetation, wildlife, climate).
2. Understands the
distribution of different types of climate (e.g., marine climate or continental
climate) that are produced by such processes as air-mass circulation,
temperature, and moisture.
3. Knows areas that can be classified as regions according to physical criteria
(e.g., land form regions, soil regions, vegetation regions, climate regions,
water basins), and human criteria (e.g., political regions, population regions,
economic regions, language regions).
4. Understands the distribution of different types of climate (e.g., marine
climate or continental climate) that are produced by such processes as air-mass
circulation, temperature, and moisture
5. Understands how physical processes help to shape features and patterns on
Earth's surface (e.g., the effects of climate and weather on vegetation, erosion
and deposition on land forms, mud slides on hills).
6. Knows plants and animals associated with various vegetation and climatic regions on Earth (e.g., the plant and animal life supported in a midlatitude, forest in North America, the kinds of plants and animals found in a tropical rain forest in Africa, animals and trees that thrive in cities).
Days: 7
Days (50 Minutes)
Content:
The main body of the unit will consist in the study of the earthís regions
according to its climate. For instance, Tropical Climates,
Mid-Latitude Climates, High Latitude
Climates, and Dry Climates will be studied in this unit.
Methods:
ß Teacher presentations
ß Student presentations
ß Cooperative Learning
ß Multiple Intelligences
ß Group discussions
ß PowerPoint presentation
ß WebQuest
Webquest Summary:
Goals/Objectives:
Topic: Ecosystems and Biomes
SS.B.2.3. The student understands the interactions of people and the physical and human characteristics of a place.
1. Knows plants and animals associated with various vegetation and climatic regions on Earth (e.g., the plant and animal life supported in a midlatitude, forest in North America, the kinds of plants and animals found in a tropical rain forest in Africa, animals and trees that thrive in cities).
Days:
3 (50 Minutes)
Content:
Once the physical characteristics that form the different climatic regions (Tropical Climates, Mid-Latitude, Climates, High Latitude Climates, and
Dry Climates) have been studied, animal, and vegetation will be studied by region. Students will explore the internet to gather information and
produce a display to be presented to the class.
Methods:
ß Cooperative Learning
ß Multiple Intelligences
ß Student presentations
Unit Information:
Unit Lesson Sequence
Day 1 Back to Top
Lesson Plan Outline
Method (Attention Getter, Lecture, Callout Group, etc) Content/Key Ideas/Concepts/Facts
Materials
(Transparencies, audio, handouts, etc)Guided Discussion
(Generating Student Background Knowledge)
To give purpose to the lesson, this session will start with a guided discussion.
What is climate? What causes changes in climate? What are the effect of climate on the environment?
Handout "Concept map"
Teacher-Student Interactive PowerPoint Presentation Understanding Latitude is very important to understand climate. Therefore, important concepts such as Latitude, Lagitude, Prime Meridian, and Grid System are introduced in this lesson with a PowerPoint presentation. Also, during the presentation some review activities are considered. As such, students will work on vocabulary and map skills. (PowerPoint presentation)
world map
(grid system)
Retell the main points
To summarize, the students will work on their notebook. They will write at least about three important concepts learned in this lesson.
Interactive student Notebook
Day 2 Back to Top
Lesson Plan Outline
Method (Attention Getter, Lecture, Callout Group, etc) Content/Key Ideas/Concepts/Facts
Materials
(Transparencies, audio, handouts, etc)Lesson Question It is important that students know what is the Lesson's theme. The lesson can be developed around this question and what students know about it.
Question: What kinds of maps do you know?
Maps on Overhead Cooperative Learning Once established the kinds of maps (political, physical, geological, population and climate), students will form groups of five students. Using the textbook, each student will be responsible for studying one kind of map and will fill out a handout of the main characteristics of the map he/she is studying. Later, each student will share the information to the group and a chart will be completed.
Textbook
Blank World Maps
Related Lesson Question As each student is working in a given kind of map, the related question for each map is: What are the special parts of the map you are studying? Students will make sure that their maps include the Map's Name, Map Key, Compass Rose, and Scale. Textbook
Blank World Maps
Color pencils
Students' Presentations On the board, a group chart will be filled out with students' input so that the group shares the same information. Overhead
Handout "Kinds of Maps Chart"
Day 3 Back to Top
Lesson Plan Outline
Method (Attention Getter, Lecture, Callout Group, etc) Content/Key Ideas/Concepts/Facts
Materials
(Transparencies, audio, handouts, etc)KWL
Using this brainstorming method (KWL) students will fill out the first column, what they know about Climate Maps and the middle column, what they want to know about climate maps. KWL Chart Internet Research
Using the following internet addresses, students will research about the Koeppen's Climate Classification System. This system is the most widely used for classifying world climates and for this level, the five mayor climate types will be studied.
Internet addresses: http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/planet.htm
Internet
Worksheet
World Maps
Color Pencils, Markers
Wrap up At the end of the lesson, students will fill out the last column of the KWL with what they have learned about climates. A very important conclusion of this activity should be that the kind of climate of a place depends mainly on its latitude. Other factors that also influence are landforms, bodies of water, and air movements KWL Chart
Day 4 Back to Top
Lesson Plan Outline
Method (Attention Getter, Lecture, Callout Group, etc) Content/Key Ideas/Concepts/Facts
Materials
(Transparencies, audio, handouts, etc)Word Search Using Word Search, students will review the concepts that they need to know in order to successfully understand the assignment (webquest) for days five and six. Handout Word Search Teacher Lecture According to the textbook "Geography, the World and its People", the world climates can be organized in four major regions: tropical, mid-latitude, high latitude, and dry. Students will study this regions by latitude (or distance from the Equator) or by vegetation. Textbook
Graphic Organizer
Pair up-Share
Students will work in teams of two, using the textbook
Day 5 and 6 Back to Top
Lesson Plan Outline
Method (Attention Getter, Lecture, Callout Group, etc) Content/Key Ideas/Concepts/Facts
Materials
(Transparencies, audio, handouts, etc)Group work Students will team up to investigate about the following biomes: Rain Forest, Tundra, Savannah, Grasslands, and Taiga. Students will understand the main characteristics of each biome, where they are located, the types of animals and plants that can be found in each one and will apply that knowledge by choosing a country that is located in one of those biomes and will create a display with their investigations.
Webquest "Climate and Biomes." Internet research First as a group, later individually, students will follow the links provided in the webquest to accomplish the task. Internet Group work After information is gathered, students will discuss the elaboration of the display (size, panels, map, illustrations, explanations,) cardboard display, color pencils, markers, maps, images.
Day 7 Back to Top
Lesson Plan Outline
Method (Attention Getter, Lecture, Callout Group, etc) Content/Key Ideas/Concepts/Facts
Materials
(Transparencies, audio, handouts, etc)Student Presentations Students will present their investigation to the group. Presentations will be set up according to a schedule. Each presentations will be 8-10 minutes each and all students should participate. Student Displays Unit Wrap up It is important to preserve all types of biomes as each one houses many unique forms of life. Students will have a better understanding of how to preserve the earth's natural biomes.
Students WebQuest :
Because we share the world with many other species of plants and animals, we must consider the consequences of our actions. Over the past several decades, increasing human activity has rapidly destroyed or polluted many ecological habitats throughout the world. It is important to preserve all types of biomes as each houses many unique forms of life.
After the class has finished with this unit, the students will have an understanding of latitude and its relationship with climate, what are the major Koeppen climate categories and where they are located. Students will be familiar with biomes, where are they located and their characteristics as well. In addition, students will have a better understanding of how to preserve the earthís natural biomes as each houses many unique forms of life, and how the continued heavy exploitation of certain biomes, such as the forest and aquatic, may have more severe implications.
Credits/References: