TEACHER'S GUIDE
Survivor: The Galapagos Islands?

Last updated on February 2002. Based on a template from The Web Quest Page

Introduction

The aim of this Web Quest is to help students gain mastery in information literacy skills utilizing the Big6 research process. They will practice how to access information from multiple sources, and read for information. The primary purpose of this lesson is to teach the student how to take notes, organize and write a well-developed research paper. This exercise will model note taking and how to write a Baker-Keyhole essay using the notes the students have recorded.  In addition, the students will enhance their map, graphing and problem solving skills.

Learners

This lesson is designed for the fifth grade language arts, science, social studies, and math curriculum. The students will develop their research, reading, writing, map, graphing and problem solving skills. This Web Quest could be extended to the Middle School curriculum.

Prior to beginning the lesson, students need to be familiar the Big6 research process and with multiple resources for accessing information and keyword search strategies. They need to know how to maintain an active web quest and active online resources at the same time on their computer. They will be reviewing previously learned word processing and spreadsheet techniques. The students will also need to know how to create a graph using Microsoft Excel.

Curriculum Standards

Performance Task for Information Literacy

Performance Task for Writing A Research Paper

NYS Learning Standards for Mathematics, Science, and Technology

Standard 2: Information Systems

Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.

Students will learn how to access, generate, process, and transfer information using word processing, spreadsheets, online resources and the Internet as they research for this project.

Standard 3:Mathematics

Students will understand mathematics and become mathematically confident by communicating and reasoning mathematically, by applying mathematics in real-world settings, and by solving problems through the integrated study of number systems, geometry, algebra, data analysis, probability, and trigonometry.

Using data read in an article, students will enter information into a spreadsheet and create a graph. They will solve a word problem related to their research topic.

Standard 4:Science

Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.

Students will identify human forces that are endangering wildlife on the Galapagos Islands and recommend solutions for their survival.

NYS Learning Standards for English Language Arts

Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding

Students will listen, speak, read and write for information and understanding.

Students will read for information in five resources including an encyclopedia, a primary source, web sites, and a magazine article. They will take notes about what they read and cite the source. They will write a Baker-Keyhole essay using their notes.

Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will listen, speak, read and write for critical analysis and evaluation.

Students will use a research rubric to evaluate their project.

NYS Learning Standards for Social Studies

Standard 3:Geography

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography.

Students will locate South America, Galapagos and San Cristobal Islands, The Pacific Ocean, and Ecuador in an Atlas and make predictions about the climate of the Galapagos Islands based on where it is located on the map.

Menu

Process

To accomplish the task, you will need to do the following:

1) Choose a partner to work with you (your teacher may help do this for you). Write your name on the Research Notes packet provided.

Research A lesson on note taking, citing sources and a review of the Big6 research process should precede this section. Brainstorm steps #1 and #2 in the  Big6 research process with the entire class. Decide what source should be used first if a team of biologists had to go to the Galapagos Islands.

Review  step # 3 ( how to locate and access information) and #4 (how to use information) in the Big6 research process prior to students answering 2-7.

2) Go to Encarta Atlas and locate the Galapagos Islands. Zoom out until you can answer the following questions on page #1 of your research packet: This should be demonstrated on the Gateway presentation station. Review  step # 3 in the Big6 research process: how to locate and access information in the Atlas. 

a. What continent is east of the Galapagos Islands?

b. What country is closest to the Galapagos Islands?

c. What ocean surrounds the Galapagos Islands?

d. Prediction: What do you the think the climate of the Galapagos Islands is like, based on where it is located on the map?

e. Locate San Christobal Island on the map provided.

3) Go to World Book Encyclopedia and read background information about the Galapagos Islands. Use this information to answer the following questions, in complete sentences, on page #2 of your research packet.

Searching by keyword should be reviewed on the Gateway presentation station. Review  step # 3 in the Big6 research process: how to locate and access information in the encyclopedia.

a. What country owns the Galapagos Islands?

b. How many islands are there?

c. How were the Galapagos Islands formed?

d. Who used the Galapagos Islands and what did they do there?

e. What does the word Galapagos mean?

f. Name some of the strange animals that live there, and no where else in the world.

g. Who studied the animals on the Galapagos Islands?

4) Go to Charles Darwin’s Diary, read what Darwin wrote in his diary on September 17^th and other entries of your choice. Answer the following question on page #2 of your research packet: An explanation of primary source documents should precede this section.

h. What was Darwin’s first impression of the Islands and what did he find?

5) Go to Yahooligans and enter the keyword Galapagos in the search screen. Choose sites that have information about the following animals: Searching by keyword should be reviewed on the Gateway presentation station. Review  step # 3 in the Big6 research process: how to locate and access information on the Internet.

o Galapagos Fur Seal

o Giant Tortoise

o Galapagos Island Iguana

(Note: You might have to hit next matches before you find information on certain animals).

Copy and paste pictures of the animals onto a blank Microsoft Word Document and type the following as your title, How can the Galapagos Islands’ Wildlife be Protected? Then give your document the file name: Galapagos cover. Save it into a folder labeled Galapagos on your H: drive for future use. This will eventually become the cover for your research report. Creating new folders should be taught to students.

Using the sites, write notes about why these animals are endangered on page #3 of your research packet. Please be sure to paraphrase the information, rather than copying it down verbatim (word for word). Use complete sentences when answering the questions.

Find additional information about the animals in at least two other sources (i.e. World Book Encyclopedia, Encarta Encyclopedia, Eyewitness Nature, SIRS and/or Yahoo Search.) and record it on page #3 of your research note packet. Searching by keyword should be reviewed on the Gateway presentation station. Category and keyword search strategies should be reviewed. Review  step # 3 in the Big6 research process: how to locate and access information on the Internet. 

6) Go to Treasures of Evolution Island and scroll down to the heading Nasty History, Nasty Menu. Beginning with the third paragraph, read to the end of the page. Answer the following questions on page#4 of your research packet:

a. List at least four reasons why the Galapagos Islands’ wildlife is endangered.

b. Create a graph using Excel to show the increase in their population and tourism. Spreadsheet and graphing using Excel should be taught to the students prior to this section.

                    c. Word Problem

7) Go to  Galapagos Oil Spill and read the Time For Kids article about the recent oil spill affecting the Galapagos Islands. Answer the following questions on page #4 of your research packet:

b. How was the oil spill caused?

c. What did the Charles Darwin Research Station do to help minimize the effects of the spill?

d. If the currents and winds had not carried the fuel away from the islands, how might this spill have endangered the life of the animals?

Research Report

A lesson modeling writing a Baker-Keyhole essay should precede this section. Review  step # 5 in the Big6 research process: how to synthesize and integrate information from a variety of sources.

* Open a new document in Microsoft Word. Title it How can the Galapagos Islands’ Wildlife be Protected?

* Begin the introductory paragraph with a general statement: The wildlife on the Galapagos Islands is being threatened by outside forces. Use your notes from handout #2 to complete the introductory paragraph about the Galapagos Islands. End this paragraph with a thesis statement that tells the main idea: The animals on the Galapagos Islands must be protected. Define and model general statement and thesis statement. Discuss the purpose of an introductory paragraph.

* Begin the second paragraph with a topic sentence: Many animals on the Galapagos Islands are in danger of becoming extinct. Use your notes from handout #3 to complete the paragraph about the endangered animals. Give details and examples of how the animals are being threatened. End the paragraph with a transition (eases the reader’s path from paragraph to paragraph): Many other animals on the Islands are also being threatened. Define and model topic and transition sentences. Examples and modeling of transition words are also necessary prior to this section.

* Think of your own topic sentence for the third paragraph. Use your notes from handout # 4 to write about the conditions threatening the survival of the Galapagos wildlife. Think of your own transition to the next paragraph.

* Write the conclusion on your own. The first sentence in the conclusion restates the thesis: The animals on the Galapagos Islands must be protected. Briefly, summarize (1-2 sentences) paragraphs two and three. Recommend three or more ways the Galapagos Islands can protect their wildlife and insure their survival for future generations to enjoy. End with a general statement about the topic. Help students brainstorm ideas to protect the animals based on their research prior to this section. See Kidspiration Idea Web. Discuss the purpose of a concluding paragraph and model writing one. Show how to briefly summarize the other paragraphs.

* Read your research report, edit and revise. Conference with your teacher for guidance. An editing and revising lesson should precede this section. A student sample should be projected on a transparency and the whole class should edit and revise together. Emphasize that "I" should not be used in the report.

Remind students that all the information they gathered need not be used in their final report.

* Give credit to your sources and create a bibliography of the resources used in writing your report. Sample.

Use the Classroom Connect site for citing Web sites.

Use the Quick Guide for citing other sources.

Review how to cite sources in a bibliography.

* Finish the cover you saved earlier by adding your name. Print your cover, research report, graphs and bibliography.

Presentation to Others (Select One)

1.Produce a poster to encourage others to help save the endangered animals of the Galapagos Island animals.

2. Create a Web Page on Microsoft Word or FrontPage to encourage others to help save the endangered animals of the Galapagos Islands. This should be demonstrated on the Gateway Presentation station or a template should be provided to the students.

3. Create fliers on Creative Writer to help save the endangered animals of the Galapagos Islands. This should be demonstrated on the Gateway presentation station.

Research Notes Be sure to inform students to write complete sentences when answering all the questions in the research notes.

Cover - Student's Research Notes
#1 Location and Climate of the Galapagos Islands
#2 Galapagos Background Notes
#3 Animal Fact Sheet
#4 Environmental Data
#5 Research Report on The Galapagos Islands

This could be printed out and distributed to students as a packet or they could save it to their H: drive, and maintain an active Microsoft Word and active online resources at the same time on their computer.

Resources Needed

Items needed to implement this lesson.

1.Each student should have access to a computer that allows on-line access to the Internet.

2.The web quest can be made available on the classroom web page or it can be set up as a shared file on All share.

3.Each student should have access to Microsoft Excel, World Book Network Encyclopedia, Encarta, Encarta Atlas, SIRS Discover, and any other appropriate online resources.

Menu

Evaluation

This lesson will be successful if the student has successfully followed the Research Report Rubric and created a graph using Microsoft Excel.

Students should use this rubric to evaluate their research paper and they should give themselves a grade.

CRITERIA      NOVICE       APPRENTICE      PROFICIENT     DISTINGUISHED

Menu

Conclusion

It is important for students to learn the Big6 research process and the proper format for writing a research paper. They need to be guided through the research process many times before they master the skill of writing a good research paper. Modeling specific writing skills like general statements about the topic, topic and transition sentences, and introductory and concluding paragraphs are an important part of this process. These language arts skills are especially significant with the increased emphasis on reading and writing in the New York State ELA test in 4^th and 8^th grade, and in the new 5^th grade Social Studies Assessment.

Credits
The Web Quest Page

The Big6 Skills Information Problem-Solving Approach

Big6 Assignment Organizer from St. Andrew's School

Charles Darwin’s Diary

Yahooligans

Treasures of Evolution Island

Galapagos Oil Spill – Charles Darwin Research Station

Time For Kids

Time for Kids article on Galapagos Oil Spill