Our Big Backyard Webquest

www.desmoines.k12.nm.us/faculty/webquest

Introduction

Your e-mail pen pal class has just written you that they have convinced their school to allow them to join your class for a field trip. You have written to them many times throughout the year and made northeastern New Mexico sound like a fun place. You know they will only be here for one day, and you want to make the best use of your time together. In order to do this, you will prepare a brochure for each of the following sites: Capulin Volcano National Monument, Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge, Sugarite Canyon State Park , and Clayton Lake State Park. The students will decide which site to visit based on the most attractive brochure.

The Task

This is a team effort. You will be divided up into teams and assigned a park to investigate. Each team will be made up of specialists on plants, animals, and geology. There will also be a graphic designer to find pictures and organize the information. You will make a brochure for your park which needs to include pictures and information about the plants, animals, and geology.

Resources

Plant Links	Geology Links	Animal Links
Plants of the Southwest Texas Wildflowers Digital Desert Library Wildflower Coloring Books	Volcano World Virtual Field Trips National Geographic Lycos Volcano Search USGC	Rattlesnakes Roadrunner Desert Animals/ Birds/Fish/Repitiles/ Amphibians
Plant Books	Geology Books	Animal Books
Peterson, A Field Guide to Rocky Mt. Wildflowers Kennedy, Paul E., American Wild Flowers Coloring Book Arnberger, Leslie, P., Flowers of the Southwest Mts.	Calderazzo, John. 101 Questions about Volcanoes Usborne, Understanding & Collecting Rocks and Fossils Deery, Ruth. Earthquakes & Volcanoes Chronic, Halka. Pages of Stone; Geology of W. Nat. Parks and Monuments, 3: The desert Southwest.	Peterson, Roger Tory., A Field Guide to Western Birds A field Guide to Animal Tracks Peterson Field Guide Coloring Books; BIRDS NM Dept of Game and Fish, Wildlife of NM Aquatic Wildlife of NM MacCarter, Jane S., NM Wildlife viewing Guide Findley, James S., The Natural History of NM Mammals Skramstad, Jill, Wildlife Southwest.

The Process

To accomplish this task:

Teams of four (4) students will be assigned to each park.

Once roles have been chosen, each student will be responsible for research that pertains to his/her role.

	Visit the links.
	Draw pictures and record sources in a journal.
	Decide on the four most common/favorite species and geologic features you would expect to find.
	Use the books in the library.
	Be able to explain how to identify the species and geologic-features.

Attend the Fun Fair.

The class will go on field trips to each park. Remember to stay in your role to gather information.

	Take Pictures.
	Interview Park Ranger.

Compile Information into a brochure for your Park.

Learning Advice

Keep a journal of information and sketches of each of the animals, plants, and geologic features. You can print worksheets to use to keep track of information for your brochure. Also record the sources (where you find the information - either books or links) just in case you need to go back to get more information.

Look at lots of brochures to get ideas for your brochure design.

Use Microsoft Publisher to make the brochure. Follow the page wizard instructions.

Evaluation

In addition to submiting the brochure, each student will keep a journal with pictures of the species they researched and list their sources of information. Conclude with a written comparision of the parks' different features.

As of May 22, 1998, there will be a link here to examples of finished brochures.

Conclusion

This webquest should help you and your guests identify and appreciate the beauty and variety of the plant life, wildlife and geological features in Northeastern New Mexico. It will also make you a more knowledgeable guide.

created by

	Jaynee Burchard	Phyllis Shannon
	Debbie Purvines	Kim Atwater
	Lisa Camp	Karen Kibbe

Last updated May 8, 1998. Top of Page Based on a template from The Webquest Page.