Dinosaur Detectives!
A WebQuest You Can Really Dig

Designed by Alison Davis
Speech Therapist
Rock Hill School District Three
November 26, 2003


 The Introduction
  The Task
  The Process
 The Evaluation
 The Conclusion
 The Standards

The Introduction

You are a  paleontologist.  You have been hired by a museum to design its new dinosaur exhibit! You and your team must search the world to "dig up" information about dinosaurs and bring back this information for the museum (your class).

The Task

You will have five people on your detective team to help research the dinosaurs.  Each detective will research two types of dinosaurs and write a description of the dinosaurs.  This description should include the following information:

1.  The name of the dinosaur and the meaning of its name
2.  The period of time that the dinosaur lived
3.  The type of food the dinosaur ate (hint: was it a meat eater or plant eater?)
4.  The size, weight, and height of the dinosaur
5.  Special physical traits of the dinosaur (hint: did it have horns, scales, etc.?)
6.  A picture of the dinosaur (this picture can be drawn, copied, or downloaded)

Meet with your team to discuss your findings.  Decide as a team which dinosaurs should be recommended for the museum exhibit.  You should choose five dinosaurs which represent a variety of dinosaurs from several time periods.  Each team member should have at least one dinosaur chosen.

The Process

1.  Travel to the following web sites to dig for the facts you need:
 

  http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/index.html
http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/dinobase/dinomenu.html
 http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/Dinos/Genlist/Genlist/Genus.html
 http://www.nhm.ac.uk/education/online/dinosaur_data_files.html
 http://search.eb.com/dinosaurs/dinosaurs/gallery/index.html
 http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/dinosaur.htm
 

2.  Travel to the media center to find books and additional resources about the dinosaurs.

3.  Use classroom resources to do your research also.

4.  Work with your team to develop a "Dinosaur Dictionary".  You should have no more than 2 pages for each dinosaur.  One page can have the facts and a second page can have the picture of the dinosaur.  Your teacher will help you bind the dictionary when it is complete.

5. Present your findings to the museum officials (your class).  Each detective must explain why he or she is recommending these dinosaurs.  The officials will vote on the dinosaurs they want to be part of the exhibit at the museum.

The Evaluation

Your group will graded together.  Remember, this is a team effort!!

Beginning-1
Progressing-2
Proficient-3
Score
  • Only 1-2  facts per dinosaur are included.  A picture may or may not be included. 
  • The individual components are not combined into a dictionary form.
  • Few group members participate in the research and or presentation.
  • 3-4 facts per dinosaur are included, along with a picture of the dinosaur. 
  • The pages are in a dictionary form.
  • Most group members participate effectively and clearly in the research and class presentation.
  • 5 facts and a picture of each dinosaur are included. 
  • The pages are bound in a dictionary form.
  • Each member of the group participates fully in the research and the presentation .

The Conclusion

Congratulations! You and your team are now world famous dinosaur detectives!  Keep on digging for knowledge!!

Check out these web sites just for fun!

This is a dinosaur word unscramble:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/activities/unscramble

You can make a Triceratops run with the flip bookat this site:
http://www.fmnh.org/sue/kids4.html

The Standards

South Carolina Language Arts Standards:

Reading-The student will draw upon a variety of strategies to comprehend, analyze, and evaluate what he or she reads.

Communication-The student will recognize, demonstrate, and analyze the qualities of effective communication.

Research-The student will access and use information from a variety of appropriately selected sources to extend his or he knowledge.
 
 
 

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