Rainforest WebQuest

A WebQuest for 6xth, 7th, 8th Grade (Interdisciplinary)

ONLY THE STRONG and THE SMART SURVIVE

Introduction

The Great Adventure!!! Four unknown participants have been chosen to brave the rainforests of the world. You have been abandoned, dropped from the sky, for one month in one of the worlds’ most dense and dangerous rainforest. Can you survive with the clothes on your back, a compass, one tool of your choice, and the combined knowledge you possess about rainforests? Your goal-- SURVIVE AND LIVE TO TELL ABOUT IT!

In order to collect the $400,000,000 prize, your entire team must survive the whole month (together as a team). Each of you must contribute your area of expertise to the survival of the team. You will prepare a path for The Great Adventure.

Task

Task #1: Your survival team will consist of 4 members, and each of you will be responsible for one area of survival while in the rainforest.

Task #2: As a team, you must create a tri-fold brochure that will guide the visitors that follow to a fulfilling, yet, adventurous vacation. The team is required to compile their information and survival techniques and transform that information in a tri-fold brochure. This will complete your contract and present you with 1 million dollars.

Task #3: Team members include a hunter/gatherer, a mediator/warrior, and a shelter/location surveyor.

Process

You have been dropped in one of the world’s rainforest and all you have to survive is your wits, one tool, and a compass. Everything else is up to you.

You consist of: Hunter/gatherer

You are responsible for finding edible and safe food, water, and plants for the entire team. Question: Remember that if the food is not edible and safe, you are likely to die. Do you have the tools or weapons needed to kill the animal of your choice? Could that plant be used for medicinal purposes?

Mediator/warrior

You are responsible for keeping the peace between the team and the neighboring tribes as well as between you and the native animals of the rainforest. Question: How well do you know the tribes and their culture, customs, and traditions? Are they dangerous? How can you protect the team from the wild animals of the area with the available tools and resources?

Shelter/location

You are responsible for the team’s shelter from the elements and the animals as well as locating your position in the rainforest. Question: Which rainforest are you in? What type of rainforest are you in (temperate or tropical)? What resources are available for shelter? What is the weather like in the area? What are the layers of the rainforest and would they be helpful in preparing your shelter?

Resources

Rainforests of the World
http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/rforest/index.htm

Rainforest at Night
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/earthpulse/rainforest/index_flash.html

Traditions http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/explore/rainforest/rainforest_traditions_lo.html

The Rainforest Workshop http://kids.osd.wednet.edu/Marshall/rainforest_home_page.html

Rainforest Facts
http://www.tooter4kids.com/Rainforest/rfFACTS.htm

Edible Plants from the Rainforest
http://www.caske2000.org/survival/jungleplants.htm

The Rainforest Edible Plants

http://www.chantry.net/episodes/rainforest.htm

Animals of the Rainforest
http://www.toucansam.kelloggs.ca/eng/c3p1.htm

Animals of the Rainforest

http://www.animalsoftherainforest.com/frames1.htm

Tropical Rainforest Animals
http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/rforest/animals/

Rainforests Throughout the World http://www.hipark.austin.isd.tenet.edu/projects/fourth/rainforests/maps/maps.html

Tropical Rainforest Resources Medicinal and Tonics http://www.si.edu/maroon/foodways/medicinals_and_tonics.htm

Gallery of Rainforest Photos
http://www.realtime.net/~raintree/gallery/gallery.htm

Evaluation

Making A Brochure: Survival in the Rainforest

Teacher name: Teacher

Student Name ___________________

CATEGORY	Excellent	Good	Satisfactory	Needs Improvement
Content - Accuracy	All facts in the brochure are accurate.	99-90% of the facts in the brochure are accurate.	89-80% of the facts in the brochure are accurate.	Fewer than 80% of the facts in the brochure are accurate.
Attractiveness & Organization	The brochure has exceptionally attractive formatting and well-organized information.	The brochure has attractive formatting and well-organized information.	The brochure has well-organized information.	The brochure's formatting and organization of material are confusing to the reader.
Graphics/Pictures	Graphics go well with the text and there is a good mix of text and graphics.	Graphics go well with the text, but there are so many that they distract from the text.	Graphics go well with the text, but there are too few and the brochure seems "text-heavy".	Graphics do not go with the accompanying text or appear to be randomly chosen.
Writing - Organization	Each section in the brochure has a clear beginning, middle, and end.	Almost all sections of the brochure have a clear beginning, middle and end.	Most sections of the brochure have a clear beginning, middle and end.	Less than half of the sections of the brochure have a clear beginning, middle and end.
Writing - Grammar	There are no grammatical mistakes in the brochure.	There are no grammatical mistakes in the brochure after feedback from an adult.	There are 1-2 grammatical mistakes in the brochure even after feedback from an adult.	There are several grammatical mistakes in the brochure even after feedback from an adult.

Conclusion

The helicopter has landed to pick up the team. Are all four of you at the chopper site? Did you survive? Have you collected enough information to create the final component of your contract, the brochure? This will be the only tool for the “visitors” on The Great Adventure to use on their trip to your rainforest.

Will you brave the wilds of the rainforest again—was it worth it?

Credits & References

"We all benefit by being generous with our work. Permission is hereby granted for other educators to copy this WebQuest, update or otherwise modify it, and post it elsewhere provided that the original author's name is retained along with a link back to the original URL of this WebQuest. On the line after the original author's name, you may add Modified by (your name) on (date). If you do modify it, please let me know and provide the new URL."

Last updated on October 8, 2002. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page