Introduction

This lesson was developed in the course Teaching with WebQuests , a course offered by the Teacher Education Institute.

We have seen videos and have had discussions on the topic of living and non-living. However, our projects have been few and mostly focusing on living plants. This WebQuest is structured so that the students can get the opportunity to conduct an in-depth animal observation that is satisfying to my classroom expectations. This study will not only be interesting to the students since they all have a great interest in a variety of animals but their overall research and opinion will lead them to determine which animal (from the ones studied) will make the best classroom pet. Once this project has been completed the class will be ready to bring in the actual pet. Having a classroom pet that we can study, learn to take care of, and truly observe would be an exciting and authentic learning experience for my students. Also, prior to having the actual classroom pet, giving the students the opportunity to study a few pets to see which one would be most practical for our classroom environment and student needs would further enhance their knowledge and skills.