Sharks!

A WebQuest for 3rd Grade (Language Arts and Science)

Designed by Linda Kilcoyne

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | 

Introduction

Your grandparents are taking you on vacation this summer and they are letting you choose where to go.  You would all like to go to the beach, but your grandparents have been listening to the news about recent shark attacks.  In fact, you are a bit worried too, and you have decided to learn about sharks and their habits, then share the information with your grandparents.   Hopefully, the information you find will put your grandparents concerns to rest and you'll all go to the beach.

The Task

You will write a letter to your grandparents explaining why or why not you should vacation at the beach, based on what you have found out about sharks and shark attacks.  They await your 

The Process

1.  You and your partner should start by testing what you already know about sharks.  Take this online quiz.  Now read myths about sharks.  By the end of this quest you should be able to answer:

• What is a shark?

• What is the difference between a shark and a fish?

• What kinds of sharks are there?

• What size are sharks?

• What do sharks eat?

2.  Go to Zoom Sharks and read the different sections to find the answers to the questions above.   Print out and use this graphic organizer to record facts about sharks.

3.  Now you and your partner will read a report about why researchers think shark attacks have increased, at Time for Kids.  At the bottom of the article is a link (What do you think?) for you to respond to the article.  Go to that link, fill in the boxes with your (you or your partner's) information.  Then place your cursor just before the words "News Opinion" and drag the cursor to highlight to the bottom of the message box.  Right click your mouse and go to print. Hit submit to send your response to the article. Turn in your response.

4.  At some beaches signs are posted to warn swimmers of sharks.  At the next site there is a chart of "Tips for Avoiding Attack."  Read the entire article and pay close attention to the chart.  You and your partner are to create a poster of tips for swimmers to avoid shark attacks.  You will need some paper to take notes.  Get the poster materials from the designated area.

5.  Now is the time to think about writing a persuasive letter to your parents (each partner must write their own letter) to state your position on whether or not you should vacation at the beach based on the chances of a shark attack.  You will need to give at least three reasons for your position and elaborate on each reason.  The site you just visited included a chart "What are My Chances of an Attack?"  It may be useful in developing your position.  Print out the hamburger model to lay out your reasons and elaborations.

Write your rough draft and have your partner proofread it.  Copy your final copy on notebook paper.

6.  It's time to see what you have learned about sharks.  Take this quiz.

7.  For your last task, you will make a shark book.  Go to this site, follow the directions to print out your book.  Have fun!

Evaluation

You and your partner must finish all the activities listed.  Scoring will be based on the following rubric.

Conclusion
You have learn a lot about sharks and their habits.  Based on what've learned about sharks you have written your recommendation to you grandparents.

 Enjoy your vacation!