Step 1:
Go to your teacher and whisper the passwords, “The moon seems to change.” You will be given a password to access an online book, Faces of the moon. After you read this book, you may have the beginning of an understanding of why our moon is disappearing. You may only discuss this with your group members. Remember, this is a top secret mission and we don't want to alarm members of the community with the possibility that our moon is disappearing. At home, wait until the sun starts to set and ask your parents’ permission to go outside and draw a picture of the moon. This will help you remember what the moon looks like and keep track of how much it is changing. This will also be the cover of your mini-book, so make sure to do your best work in capturing what the moon looks like in the evening or night sky. Then make a prediction of what the moon will look like in a couple of days. Come back to this Web Quest tomorrow to receive further instructions by going to Step 2. |
Congratulations on completing your first task.
Step 2: Submit your drawing to your teacher and whisper, “The moon has 4 major phases,” to receive your Mission Folder. Today you will be assigned your role, or job in your group. There will be a: - Web navigator (You will be responsible for navigating through the webquest and share the reading responsibilities with the Web text reader) - Web text reader (You will take turns with the Web navigator and read the pages of the webquest.) - Book reader (You will be responsible for reading books aloud to your group. Your teacher may assign one to the group or your group may find one that is interesting.) - Key vocabulary word keeper (Your job will be to find key vocabulary words and take a vote among your group members to decide whether to keep the work, throw the word away, or talk about it later. You must make a list of the words your group decided to keep.) - Main Idea finder (Your job is to find the main idea in the passages that are read by your group.) - Supporting Detail locator (Your job will be to help the Main idea finder by locating the supporting details.) Now that you know your jobs, travel on the internet super highway to find information about the moon. Work with your group members to fill in the Moon Phase worksheet and place the worksheet in your Mission Folder. This website has reflective questions you may wish to answer on your own to help you extend your knowledge and understanding of the moon beyond what your teacher has asked in the Moon Phase worksheet. At the bottom of this worksheet, don't forget to write down the url of the website where you got your information. Don't forget to give credit to your source of information. Use the information you entered on the Moon Phase worksheet to get started organizing your thoughts on what you will write about the moon in your book. Work in your group to come up with an outline you will follow for your mini-book. |
Step 3:
Click on the computer to the right to discover information about the moon’s rotation and orbit around the earth. Fill in the worksheet, The Moon Rotates & Orbits Earth and after checking in with your teacher, replace the completed worksheet back into your Mission Folder. At the bottom of this worksheet, write down the URL of the website where you got your information. For your mini-book, make a list of vocabulary words you feel your reader would need to know in order to better understand your book and what is happening with our moon. Don't forget to include the definition of each word on your list. If you did not find the definition on the website, you may need to look in the dictionary. Get members of your group to help you. |
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If you would like to see what it would look like from space to watch the Moon rotate and orbit around the Earth, click on the
movie to the right. |
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Step 4:
Have you ever heard of the man who lives in the moon? We may not know why the Moon is disappearing, but we do know that this is a myth, an imaginary story or legend told in ancient times to explain something people did not understand. There is no man, or anyone, or anything else living in the moon. However, you do need to know what is on the moon and what the moon is made of. Take out the “What’s on the moon?” worksheet from your Mission Folder. To learn what's on the moon, click the man in the moon picture to the right. At the bottom of this worksheet, don't forget to write down the url of the website where you got your information. Don't forget to give credit to your source of information. When you have completed this task, begin writing your first draft for your mini-book. Make sure you check the rubric on the Resources page of this website so that you include every element required and meet the standards of excellence. |
Keep up the great work!
This message is to keep you aware of your timetable and the ever increasing danger
we feel of losing our only moon. Here is the latest picture…
You should have learned, at this point that the moon is not disappearing. We are just
seeing the different phases of the moon depending on its location in orbit around Earth.
Step 5:
It is time for you to put your mini-book together. Hopefully, you have completed your
first draft, made revisions and edited your work, and conferenced with either a group
member or the teacher about your writing. Be sure when you are publishing, you are
doing your best work. When all the mini-books have been published, your class will
vote on which one will be placed in our files to close out this mystery. Our
"Closed Cases Files" are open to the public and may be viewed from your teacher's
website. Future students, parents, educators, scientists and investigators will be able
to see your mini-book and have their questions about the moon answered.
When you have completed your mini-book, click on the Conclusion tab located at the
top right of this page.
It is time for you to put your mini-book together. Hopefully, you have completed your
first draft, made revisions and edited your work, and conferenced with either a group
member or the teacher about your writing. Be sure when you are publishing, you are
doing your best work. When all the mini-books have been published, your class will
vote on which one will be placed in our files to close out this mystery. Our
"Closed Cases Files" are open to the public and may be viewed from your teacher's
website. Future students, parents, educators, scientists and investigators will be able
to see your mini-book and have their questions about the moon answered.
When you have completed your mini-book, click on the Conclusion tab located at the
top right of this page.