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Your process, or the steps you take to complete this WebQuest,
is as important as your final product. Each class or group's process
may be different. Some students will begin their work on this WebQuest
before or after taking a field trip to Sabino Canyon; others will not
visit the canyon.
The following framework is just one possible process students
may follow.
Begin by reading books about ecology and/or the Sonoran Desert.
Visit your school library or public library to
find resources. Your classroom teacher and school librarian can work
together to help you locate resources for your study. What keywords
will you use to search? Ask your teacher and librarian for assistance.
Here are some recommended titles:
Cactus Café: A Story of the Sonoran Desert by Kathleen
Weidner Zoehfeld
Cactus Hotel by Brenda Guiberson, illustrated by Megan Lloyd
Cactus Poems by Frank Asch, illustrated by Ted Lewin
A Desert Scrapbook by Virginia Wright-Fierson
The Desert is Theirs by Byrd Baylor, illustrated by Peter Parnall
Desert Trip by Barbara Steiner, illustrated by Ron Himler
Our Endangered Planet: Life on Land by Mary Hoff and Mary M.
Rodgers
A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History by Lynne Cherry
Saguaro Moon: A Desert Journal by Kristin Joy Pratt-Serafini
Visit the Southwest
Children's Literature Web site for over 100 books about the Southwest.
These six questions (called the Big6) may help you in your inquiry
process:
What are my questions? Are they fat (good) questions?
Which of the ecology topics is your team most interested in studying:
water, land use, plants, and animals? Choose one topic and web what
you already know about it. Make a list of your groups' questions about
your topic. (Remember: "fat" questions are ones that can't
be answered with "yes," "no," nor with simple phrases.)
What resources can I use to find information?
Check out the links on the WebQuest Resources
Page. Use books, CD-ROMs, and other material from your school and/or
public library and your classroom. If possible, help your teacher or
librarian arrange for a guest speaker on your topic or on ecology in
general. You may want to work in partners or divide up the resources
among each of the members of your group.
In this resource, how do I find information?
Brainstorm keywords that relate to your topic. Use them while searching
for information. Use indexes, tables of contents, glossaries, timelines,
graphs, charts, and illustrations to help you find answers to your questions.
How will I use the information I find?
Keep a research log or journal or make notecards to record your
findings. Remember to record where you found your information. Record
important page numbers and URLs where you can return to valuable illustrations
or to check your facts.
What can I make to show what I have learned?
Your team can write a letter to a decision-maker, a letter to the editor
of the newspaper, create a presentation to give to an individual or
group, write a speech, story, poem, or song. Remember your audience
is very important. Review the information on the Ecology
WebQuest Task Page.
How will I know I did my job well?
Use the rubric your class, your group, and/or your teacher created to
evaluate your work. You should refer to this rubric as you conduct your
research. Work as a group or class to write a list of self-reflection
questions for each person to answer when the project is complete.
To get started on your inquiry, go to the Ecology
WebQuest Resources Page.
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