Climate WebQuest

Introduction

Welcome to your Climate WebQuest! Today you will work in groups of three to research and learn about climate. Climate research is an important part of studying weather and helps to protect, preserve, and understand wildlife. Through a variety of activities your group will learn about, research, and collect data all about the different climate regions.

Task

For this WebQuest you are tasked with researching, discussing, interpreting, and representing data all dealing with climate in different regions. After completing all 5 activities in this WebQuest you should be able to say the following:

1. I can use graphs and tables to represent climate data about typical weather changes throughout the different

seasons.

2. I can describe the climates of different regions through collecting research.

Process

Activities:

1. BKIDS Climate article

Visit- https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/climate/352972
Read the Kids version of BKIDS climate article. (Remember to click the play button to have the article be read aloud)
Discuss the findings with your group and use your science notebook to write down any important details.

2. Climate Types- Earth Science for Kids! By Miacademy Learning Channel

Visit-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZQuupAVnvg
Watch the video to learn about the 5 different climate types! (Remember to click the "cc" but at the bottom of the video if you want written captions to appear at the bottom of the screen)
As you watch be sure to write down any important or interesting details in your science notebook.

3. WebQuest Question Sheet Part 1: Questions 1-4

Get out your groups copy of the Climate WebQuest Question Sheet. Be sure to put all three names of your group members at the top of the packet.
Using both the BKIDS Climate article and the Miacademy Climate types video to answer questions 1-4. Be sure to discuss each question with the whole group and I will be walking around to make sure everyone is participating!

4. National Centers for Environmental Information (NOAA website): Climate at a Glance Regional Mapping & WebQuest Question Sheet Part 2: Questions 5-7

Visit- https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/regional/mapping/-1/tavg/202309/1/value
Take a few moments to refamiliarise yourself with the website and all of its parts. Remember to always keep the site set to "Regional Mapping" and to hit the blue "Plot" button after changing any settings to update the map.
While exploring the site check out how the average temperature changes depending on the region, month, and year. Change the map at least three times and write down the following in your science notebook:

1. Region 2. Average Temperature 3. Year 4. Month

Once you are comfortable go to Part 2 in the WebQuest Question sheet. Complete the questions and graphs. Please remember that scientists are quick but neat when creating tables and graphs!

5. NASA Climate Kids: What is Climate Change? & WebQuest Question Sheet Part 3: Question 8

Visit- https://climatekids.nasa.gov/climate-change-meaning/
Read the "What Is Climate Change?" Article and watch the videos.
As you read and watch write down and important or interesting details in your science notebook.
After you have read the article and watched the videos go to Part 3 in the WebQuest Question Sheet. Read the prompt, discuss with your group, and then answer the question. Be sure to include everyones opinions and use the information you learned from all the resources. (A good place to be reminded of important details to consider is your science notebook notes from activities 1-4!)

Evaluation

This Climate WebQuest will be graded based on the following:

1. Participation (20 points)

While completing the WebQuest you participated or helped contribute during research, discussions, and completion of the question sheet.

2. Question Sheet (20 points)

The question sheet has all three portions completed with accurate (correct) and thorough answers.

3. Science Notebook Notes (10 points)

For both articles and youtube video each group member has neat and labeled notes detailing key or important information from each source.

4. Grammar and Handwriting (10 points)

3rd grade level grammar, spelling, and punctuation is used throughout the WebQuest Question Sheet and while taking notes. (You do not need to write in complete sentences while taking notes in your science notebook, short phrases are okay!)

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have completed the Climate WebQuest and are one step closer to becoming an expert! While completing this WebQuest you were able to learn about different climates and how they are changing as well as work with and interpret real data that climate scientists collected. Hopefully you now know why it is so important for humans to understand and study the effects climate has on the environment! I hope you look forward to continue learning about such a fascinating topic as climate in the future. Great job!

Credits

Citations:

Britannica Kids. (2024). Climate. Retrieved from: https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/climate/352972

Kurt, Dr. S. (2021, January 27). WebQuest: an inquiry-oriented approach in learning. Educational Technology. Retrieved from: https://educationaltechnology.net/webquest-an-inquiry-oriented-approach-in-learning/

Miacademy Learning Channel. (2023, April 25). Climate types - earth science for kids!. YouTube. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZQuupAVnvg

Michigan Department of Education. (2015, November). Michigan K-12 standards science. Retrieved from: https://www.michigan.gov/-/media/Project/Websites/mde/Literacy/Content-Standards/Science_Standards.pdf?rev=92b7230052ff4544872e4ca875f2f3e1

National Centers for Environmental Information. (2024). Climate at a glance regional mapping. Climate at a Glance | Regional Mapping | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Retrieved from: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/regional/mapping/-1/tavg/202309/1/value

NASA Kids. (2024, June 26). What is climate change?. NASA. Retrieved from: https://climatekids.nasa.gov/climate-change-meaning/

Teacher Page

State of Michigan Science Standards for 3rd Grade:

3-ESS2-1 Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.

3-ESS2-2 Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world.

I can statement:

I can use graphs and tables to represent climate data about typical weather changes throughout the different seasons.
I can describe the climates of different regions through collecting research.

For this WebQuest students will be exploring 4 different online resources learning all about climate. Before starting this WebQuest students will have previously used Youtube, BKIDS, and the NASA website for similar research so they will be familiar with operating the sites. Students will not have much experience using The NOAA site so prior to the quest I will model the website, its functions, and any tricky vocab on the site. Students will work in groups of three for this WebQuest. This WebQuest will be completed over several lessons/instructional periods due to the lengthy and involved tasks it requires of students.

Outside sources utilized in the WebQuest: https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/climate/352972

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/regional/mapping/-1/tavg/202309/1/value

https://climatekids.nasa.gov/climate-change-meaning/