A WebQuest for 3rd Grade Science

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A WebQuest for 3rd Grade
Science Designed by Ms. Ashley
Matthews   Based on a template from San Diego
State Universitys The WebQuest Page
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Introduction This lesson was designed as a
part of the elementary science methods course at
Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode
Island. As junior paleontologists students
will find out what paleontologists do, they will
also find out information about dinosaurs and
fossils. Hopefully, by the end of this lesson
students will know what it is that
paleontologists are looking for when they go in
search of fossils. Student will also find out why
fossils are formed and how they came to be buried
and preserved.  At the end of the webquest
students will be asked to complete a short
writing summary about what they have learned
about dinosaurs and fossils.
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Learners This lesson is designed for a third
grade science. This lesson could be used in
several different elementary grades. The subject
matter and websites might need to be changed for
higher level thinkers like students above grade
4. The main skills that students will require
for this lesson are, basic writing skills,
knowledge of the internet, and somewhat advanced
reading skills. It is not required that students
know much about dinosaurs before beginning this
lesson. I would maybe do a What does our class
know about dinosaurs? activity before starting
to get the kids thinking about dinosaurs.
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Curriculum Standards Life Science CONTENT
STANDARD CAs a result of activities in grades
K-4, all students should develop understanding
of The characteristics of organisms. (Ex
The facts that the students will be learning
about dinosaurs) Life cycles of
organisms (Ex How dinosaurs found food, what
killed them, essentially how they survived and
died.) Organisms and environments (Ex How
the dinosaurs lived, what they ate, where they
lived ) Earth and Space Science CONTENT STANDARD
DAs a result of their activities in grades 5-8,
all students should develop an understanding
of Earth's history (Ex Students will study
the different periods of time during which the
dinosaurs we alive.) Properties of earth
materials (Ex How fossils are formed and
fossils in general) History and Nature of
Science CONTENT STANDARD GAs a result of
activities in grades K-4, all students should
develop understanding of Science as a human
endeavor (Students will be learning about what
the people that study fossils do and how they do
it.)
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Curriculum Standards (continued) Language
Arts Standards Writing   1. Uses the general
skills and strategies of the writing
process 2. Uses the stylistic and rhetorical
aspects of writing 3. Uses grammatical and
mechanical conventions in written
compositions 4. Gathers and uses information for
research purposes Reading   5. Uses the general
skills and strategies of the reading
process 6. Uses reading skills and strategies to
understand and interpret a variety of literary
texts 7. Uses reading skills and strategies to
understand and interpret a variety of
informational texts Listening and
Speaking 8. Uses listening and speaking
strategies for different purposes Viewing 9. Uses
viewing skills and strategies to understand and
interpret visual media
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The Process 1. Click here to see a clip about
dinosaur fossils. Continue to look through the
site until there are no more next
buttons. Dont forget to write down any
information that you think find
interesting. 2. When did dinosaurs live? Click
here to find out! 3. Use these following sites
to find information about the following three
periods. Cretaceous Period Jurassic Period
Triassic Period 4. Choose 2 dinosaurs from the
list below and follow the links to learn more
about them. Take notes and
print the information page.
Brachiosaurus Apatosaurus
Iguanodon Tyrannosaurus
Eoraptor Triceratops
Stegosaurus Velociraptor
Corythosaurus Ankylosaurus 5. Choose
one of the dinosaurs from that list and Print out
a picture for the time period when it lived. 
Triassic Period Jurassic Period
Cretaceous Period 6. Color the picture of
the habitat of your dinosaur.
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• Resources Needed
• The resources needed to successfully complete
  this webquest are
• Crayons, markers, general art supplies for
  students to complete number 6 on the process page
• Students could need an email address but it is
  not absolutely necessary
• Paper
• Pencils
• A computer savvy teacher to be able to assist in
  any computer problems or just to help with any
  questions tat the students may have about the
  assignment.
• -There really only needs to be one teacher
  present during this lesson.

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Evaluation
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Evaluation (continued)
Note The student are being graded on the
result of this webquest, the writing assignment.
Teachers may choose to add a section or two for
writing skill and neatness, and maybe any grammar
issues that have been being worked on in their
particular classroom.
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Conclusion Through out this lesson I hope to
broaden student's knowledge about dinosaurs and
fossils. I hope that though this lesson they will
realize how much fun science can be! This
lesson will be very beneficial to the students
who participate in it. They will learn all kinds
of new and exciting things about dinosaurs and
fossils as they pretend to be Junior
Paleontologists. The lesson that I have designed
incorporates several different topics but doesnt
seem too complicated. I think this lesson will be
fun and engaging for student.
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Credits References Pictures Animated
Dinosaurs The WebQuest Page Dinosaur
Pictures Activities Dino-Period
Pages Yahooligins Dino-Info Page Coloring
Pages The lesson that I used is loosely based
on a lesson that I used for my Trade book Review
for this same class.  Based on a template from
San Diego State Universitys The WebQuest Page