Everglades Explorers! Learning About a Special Place

Introduction

Introduction

The Everglades is a big, wet, grassy place in Florida where many plants and animals live. In this WebQuest, you will be Everglades Explorers and find out what makes this place special and why we should take care of it.

Sample 2nd grade Florida ELA focus:

  • Students will listen to or read simple informational texts about the Everglades and tell the topic and some details.

Student-friendly objectives:​

  • I can name the Everglades as a real place in Florida.​

  • I can tell about some plants and animals that live in the Everglades.

  • I can make a simple poster or slide to show what I learned.​

Guiding questions:

  • What is the Everglades?

  • What plants and animals live there?

  • How can we help take care of the Everglades?

Task

You will work with a small group to learn about the Everglades.

Then your group will:

  • Make a simple poster that shows the Everglades,

  • Draw or add pictures of at least three Everglades plants or animals,

  • Tell one way we can help keep the Everglades safe.

You will share your poster or slides with the class and tell about your favorite Everglades plant or animal.

Process

  1. Meet your group and choose jobs

    • Reader/Listener: Listens carefully when the teacher reads or shows videos.

    • Picture Finder: Helps find or draw plants and animals.

    • Writer/Sticker: Helps write labels or glue pictures.

    • Speaker: Helps tell the class about the poster (everyone can say one sentence).

  2. Learn about the Everglades together

    • The teacher shows a short picture book, simple article, or kid-friendly video about the Everglades.

    • After listening, students turn and talk: “What did you see? What animals did you notice?”

  3. Explore pictures and simple websites

    • The teacher shows photos of Everglades animals (like alligators, birds, manatees) and plants on the board or tablet.

    • Students name what they see and repeat the animal or plant names.

  4. Plan your poster or slides

    • In groups, decide:

      • How will you show the Everglades? (blue for water, green for grass, etc.)

      • Which 3–4 plants or animals will you draw or print out?

    • Teacher provides sentence frames such as:

      • “This is the Everglades.”

      • “I see a ______.”

      • “We can help by ______.”

  5. Make your project

    • Draw or glue pictures on your poster or add them to your slides.

    • Add simple labels like “water,” “grass,” “alligator,” “bird.”

    • Practice what each person will say to the class (one short sentence each).

  6. Share with the class

    • Groups show their posters/slides.

    • Each student says one thing they learned about the Everglades.

Evaluation
Area 3 – Great Job 2 – Getting There 1 – Needs Help
Everglades facts Shows the Everglades and names it as a real place in Florida. ​ Shows a place but needs a little help naming it. Not clear what place is shown.
Plants and animals Shows and names 3 or more Everglades plants/animals.  Shows 2 plants/animals. Shows 0–1 or not Everglades animals.
Working together Everyone helped and took a turn. Most students helped. One person did almost everything.
Sharing and speaking Students share one clear idea about what they learned. Students share with a little help. Students cannot share without lots of help.
Conclusion

You learned that the Everglades is a real, special place in Florida where many plants and animals live. You also learned that you can help by caring about nature and not hurting the animals’ homes.

Enrichment (extra activity):

  • Everglades ABCs: Choose one Everglades plant or animal and write its name big on paper (for example, “A is for Alligator”). Draw a picture of it and share it with the class.