Life in Antarctica Webquest

Welcome: Congratulations! You are taking a trip to Antarctica! As an environmental scientist you have been awarded a grant to go to Antarctica as part of a research team. You will be traveling by ship to this fascinating continent. Your project is due on Friday Week 8.

Year 6 English and HSIE

Introduction Your class has been chosen by the St. Rose Environmental Studies Committee to take part in an important expedition. This is a once in a life time opportunity that could secure the future for Antarctica.

Your mission, if you accept, is to travel by boat to Antarctica to research the living things that interact with this environment. You are to report back with your research on the animal, plant and human life to assist the St Rose committee make important decisions about future directions. You need to collect evidence for your e-portfolio to prove that you have met the terms of your grant. Please include all webquest and homework tasks in your e-portfolio. Further questions can be directed to your teacher.

Your acceptance of this mission will require your full dedication and a determination to survive in this challenging environment!

Organisation In accepting this mission you will be required to: Start an e-portfolio in Student Work on ‘O’ drive. In a folder called

Antarctica, create an e-portfolio in your name. Read and respond to each task, taking care with the quality of the content

and the level of detail and creativity in your responses. Save your work with the task number as the title in your e-portfolio. Your

completed tasks can be kept as a memory of your expedition. This report must be completed by the due date, Friday week 8.

You will share your work with your parents during Three-way interviews.

Tasks Before you leave for Antarctica you will want to know more about this unique continent.

Firstly watch – Antarctica Ice Secondly view images of Antarctica through Google maps

Thirdly read the evaluation rubric, in the Antarctica folder, for the

marking guidelines. Save a copy to your e-portfolio.

Evaluation Antarctica Evaluation Rubric

Beginning 1 Developing 2 Very Good 3 Exemplary 4 Score

Demonstrates an understanding of the interconnectedness between Australia and Global environments and how individuals and groups can act in an ecologically responsible manner

Shows minimal Understanding of concepts and issues.

Shows sound understanding of concepts and issues.

Shows a very well developed understanding of concepts and issues.

Shows the highest level of understanding of concepts and issues

%25

Produces a wide range of well structures and well presented literary and factual texts for a wide variety of purposes and audiences using increasingly challenging topics, ideas, issues and written language features

Written structure and presentation of findings is basic and/or shows minimal adaptation for audience.

Written structure and presentation of findings is sound and/or shows adaptation for audience.

Written structure and presentation of findings is very good and/or shows excellent adaptation for audience.

Written structure and presentation of findings is above expectations and/or shows exceptional adaptation for audience.

%25

Evaluates, selects and uses a range of equipment, computer based technology, materials and other resources to meet the requirements and constraints of investigation and design tasks

Student has had difficulty navigating a Webquest

Student has shown basic IT skills in navigating a Webquest

Student has shown very good IT skills in navigating a Webquest

Student has shown advanced IT skills in navigating a Webquest

%25

Work Skills

Class time was used poorly and/or incomplete or late work.

Class time was used adequately and all work was submitted on time

Class time was well used, all work submitted on time and completed.

Class time was used extremely well, all work submitted early or on time.

%25

Total Score: %100

Tasks TASK 1 ~ Letter of acceptance

Congratulations for being awarded the grant and accepted into the mission!! Your first task is to write a letter of acceptance to the St Rose Environmental Studies Committee. In your letter you must include at least 3 reasons why you will be the best person for the expedition. You have been chosen out of millions of students so you clearly have wonderful skills to write about! You must show that you are dedicated, so start writing your formal acceptance letter! Save your letter in your e-portfolio mission folder. Open up a word document to compose your letter. Now that you have accepted the mission you will want to know more about your trip. You will be travelling by ship to the bottom of the world. Take a look!

TASK 2 ~ Cool facts Select 3 areas to research

Describe the location and size of Antarctica. Why is it important to know about Gondwana? Describe the climate of the continent. What is a wind chill factor? What is the closest country to Antarctica? What is an ice flow? What is an ice shelf? How are icebergs formed and how do they keep changing?

TASK 2 ~ Cool facts

These responses should be typed into a Word document and saved in your e-portfolio (bonus marks for NOT copying and pasting).

Alternately, make notes and record your answers using an app on the ipad, then export and save your answers as mp3 files.

Save your work under the name of ‘Cool Facts’. Use the links found on the next slide or from the information book box in

the classroom.

Cool facts links

http://webct.education.tas.gov.au/antarcexperB/thecircle.htm Username: sample Password: sample http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/go/Gondwana http://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/Ferns/Sci-Media/Animations-and-

Interactives/Gondwana-animation http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/antarctic-images/antarctic-

quicktime-vrs http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/environment http://classroom.antarctica.gov.au/ this is a useful link for all tasks

TASK 3 ~ Packing for the trip!

Your next task is to pack your bag for the expedition. Research the conditions in Antarctica Read the article about Antarctic clothing. Dress the scientist at Discovering Antarctica, so he can work in the cold. Remember you are traveling by boat so you may only take a certain amount of luggage. Your limit is 20 kg. You must think carefully about what you will need and how much it will weigh. You will also need to include equipment for the trip. Shop for the items at snowsled

TASK 3 ~ Packing for the trip! Food supplies must also be included in your packing.

Lots of food would spoil in these conditions. Remember, if you go without something it will be difficult to buy it later.

Open ‘Packing for the trip' in the folder to record the items you choose to take with you. Remember to keep track of how many kilograms you are packing.

Now that you have packed, board your vessel for the journey to the south. Watch the arrival. of your ship.

TASK 4~ Design a campsite!

For this task you must design a campsite in Tux Paint. The site must take the following things into consideration: weather (strong enough to withstand the wind and blizzards) size (how much space will you need to accommodate all?) layout (what is the best way to arrange each hut? Consider types of areas

such as bedrooms, study, leisure area, food preparation) danger (how are you going to minimize the danger from wildlife, weather ?) Carry out your research using Classroom Antarctica as a starting point. Open up Tux Paint ... Save your labelled design to add to your mission folder!

TASK 5 ~ Animal Research. This is the part of the expedition where you must trek out to research three animals. You must find out each animals:

scientific name average weight average length their colouring (i.e. penguin - white, black) what their main food source is three interesting facts that you learn from your research

Follow the link to Antarctic Connection to help you with your research. Open a word document and create a table to list each animals details to record your findings. Remember to save this ‘Animal Research' to your folder.

TASK 6~ Powerpoint. Now that you have information about the Animals of Antarctica you must choose one from your research and design an informational Powerpoint presentation about your chosen animal. The presentation must be informative and include at least one picture. Be as creative as possible. Open Powerpoint from your start menu. Once finished save to your mission folder.

TASK 7~ Macquarie Station!

Today you are venturing to Macquarie Island ! Your task is to research the climate on the island. Record today's temperature and the highest and lowest temperatures ever recorded at the station. By following the link to Macquarie Island station web cam, you will also be able to view what the station looks like right now. Open the Weather Statistics excel document and record your findings. Remember to save it to your folder.

TASK 8~ Human Impact You have been asked to give a presentation to the other student’s at St. Rose on the impact of humans in Antarctica. Consider how Antarctica has changed since humans first discovered it. Are there positive aspects to human impact or only negative? Start by brainstorming positive and negative aspects. Google human impact on Antarctica for kids.

Pick a person who may have an interest in the continent (eg Tourist to Antarctica, Scientist, Environmentalist) and prepare your presentation from their point of view. Background reading will help you to see what they do and how these issues might impact on them personally. What suggestions does your person have for the future? Once you have conducted this research, you can prepare your presentation. Choose any format you would like for your presentation. Save to your e-portfolio.

TASK 9~ Antarctic Treaty

You are the President of a new country. You want to know how you go about claiming your part of Antarctica. There are few places on Earth where there has never been war, where the environment is fully protected, and where scientific research has priority.

Research the reasons for the Antarctic Treaty. Read the treaty in the Antarctica folder. Who, what, when, where and how questions need to be asked and answered. It is your choice of how you present this.

Save to your e-portfolio

TASK 10~ Journal Entry

Congratulations this is your last task! Now that your expedition has come to an end you should have many great experiences to write about. All great explorers keep a journal, now its your turn to write a journal entry while you travel home aboard ship. Follow the link to read some real Antarctic journal entries before you open up word to write your own. This will be a great entry to complete your mission folder. I hope you enjoyed you expedition!

Conclusion Congratulations on returning home safely! The St Rose Environmental Studies Committee would like to thank you for the dedication you had for the mission to Antarctica. The expedition you took part in has helped the committee to understand more about the living conditions animals, plants and humans need to survive.

Fast Finishers If you are an early finisher, choose one of the tasks below to carry on with for the remainder of our unit. Task - Serenity : Antarctica is a land of silence and desolation...yet it is a place of infinite beauty... Click here for a captioned slide show. After viewing the slide show, create a picture of Antarctica using the format of your choice. Add to your e-portfolio.

Fast Finishers Task - Terrestial Sky: Many optical phenomena can be seen in the Antarctic sky. Follow the links to learn about some of them. (a) aurora australis (southern lights) (b) halos (c) parhelia (sun dogs) (d) ice mirages Draw a picture of 3 of these phenomena and write a paragraph, in your own words, describing each. Add to your folder.

Fast Finishers Task - Penguin Text: Visit the Adelie Penguins Write a story (type of text of your choice) that involves a penguin. Add to your folder.

Fast Finishers Task - Explorers : Choose one of the important Antarctic Explorers listed and write an interview for a new YouTube upload, using facts you have researched. Robert Scott Ernest Shackelton Ronald Amundsen Douglas Mawson Richard E Byrd

Fast Finishers Task – United Nations: Who claims Antarctica? Read about the Antarctic Treaty. Write a letter to the United Nations explaining why Antarctica should be protected.