Arctic Tundra Webquest By: Samantha Neeley

Introduction You have just opened your mailbox and there you find a letter addressed to “The Arctic Research Team.” You’re curious and decide to open the letter, this is what the letter reads:

Dear Arctic Research Team, I need your help! My name is Dr. Sam, I am a scientist. I have spent my whole life devoted to researching the arctic tundra. My team of researchers and I would like to invite you and your team to the Arctic to help up with some research. Your teacher told us that you were the best and smartest when it comes to ecosystems and me and my team are counting on you!

I hope you receive this letter in time I hope you receive this letter in time. I reserved you and your team a ship to board tomorrow at 8:00a.m. and we desperately need you on it! Remember, you are heading to the Arctic, so dress accordingly, it is a bit chilly here.

After you are done with your research, you will report home and write down your findings to another group of scientists. It is your job to study specific animals and surroundings in the arctic tundra. Along the way, you will want to record the ways that humans impact the arctic ecosystem. We will need your plan about how you and your team will help reduce human impact on the arctic. See you on the ice, Dr. Sam Arctic Scientist

You are now a researcher in the arctic tundra You are now a researcher in the arctic tundra! You must hurry if you’re going to board the ship by 8a.m. tomorrow morning! Your whole class will be divided into different research teams (groups of 3-4). You an d your team will work together and individually to help the team of scientist . BUT before you begin to pack your bags you need to know what kind of weather conditions are in the arctic and what you will need in your suitcase. Once you’re on the ship, enjoy the ride to the Tundra. When you arrive on land you will be doing loads of work, so be ready! Task

You’ll research the different animals that you see You’ll research the different animals that you see . Each member of the group will research one specific animal in the arctic and create a photo presentation. DON’T FORGET! You will be reporting back to the group of scientists and showing them your findings on the animals and also what you recorded about how humans action effects the tundra biome. Your team will need to create and action plan to reduce the impact of humans on the arctic tundra. You will create a plan that can be applied in your classroom or at your home. Each member will have a specific role. Task Continued

Process Task #1 1.     Your team will research the weather of the North Pole. Click the "Climate" link under the resources tab to review the arctic weather. Next, click the “Weather” link to view a 10-day forecast of the north pole. 2.     Your team will then read the article “What to pack for the arctic tundra” located under the resources tab. 3.     Together, your team will create a power point and compile a list of 10-20 items that you will need for your trip.  Each student will pick one item and provide a 2-3 sentence explanation of why you would need to pack that particular item.  Once complete, share the power point with your teacher

Process Task #2 1.     Your next task is to research an animal in the arctic tundra. Visit the “Animals” link under the resources tab to view some of the animals of the arctic.  2.   Each team member will chose one animal to research (team members can not do the same animal). Once you have researched your animal each member of the group will create a photo presentation on powerpoint 3.     Your photo presentation will have a minimum of 10 slides. Include information on each slide, along with a photo.

Process Task #3 1.     Your next task is to research how humans are impacting the tundra. Click on the human impact links under resources to find more information. 2.   There will be four different roles to chose from. Work with your team to decide which role each team member will have.  3.    Collectively you will turn in a written summary of the problem, a copy of the slideshow, and the written action plan.

Research Leader - Each student will share research links with this member and they will write 2-3 paragraphs to summarize the problem and how humans are effecting the arctic. Visual Presentation Leader - Will collect images and create a Google Presentation that includes information of the issue. They will work with the research leader to combine visuals and research. Action Plan Leader - This member will create a 3-5 step plan to reduce humans impact on the arctic. This member will need to collaborate with other group members to compose the action plan. Verbal Presentation Leader - will be responsible for pitching the idea to classmates and teachers. The presentation will be 3-5 minutes and will include a brief summary of the issue as well as an action plan. Roles of the Leaders

Evaluation Task #1:

Evaluation Task #2:

Evaluation Task #3:

Resources Use this link to help complete your quest Climate: This page provides information about the climate in the tundra. Click on the link to learn more about permafrost, winter in the arctic, and the cold weather that plagues the tundra. This is step one of task one. http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra_climate.htm

Resources Use this link to help complete your quest Weather: This will provide a ten day forecast of the climate at the North Pole to make students feel like they are really traveling to the Arctic. Search "North Pole" and click on 10-day forecast to see what the weather would be like if you were traveling to the tundra. This is step one under task one. http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/l/North+Pole+AK+USAK0173:1:US

Resources Use this link to help complete your quest What to wear in the Arctic: To help you pack, read this article and pick out the items you would put in your suitcase. The purpose of this article is to help students understand the climate in the arctic. This website is step two in task one. http://traveltips.usatoday.com/pack-arctic-tundra-106463.html

Resources Use these links to help complete your quest Animals of the Tundra: This website provides a list of animals that live in the arctic. This is a kid friendly site that provides a summary of the different animals. It includes characteristics of each animal as well as some questions and answers. This website is step one of task two. http://tundraanimals.net/guide.html http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra_animal_page.htm

Resources Use these links to help complete your quest Human Impact: Open these articles and read about how the tundra is changing and why. Pay close attention! This is step one in task three. http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/polaraction.pdf http://www.c2es.org/science-impacts/basics/kids http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/tundra.html#weather

Conclusion Your trip to the Arctic was a success! Congrats, the team of scientists loved your presentations! Now that you have successfully traveled to the arctic you should have a better idea of what kinds of weather people in the arctic experience and the types of clothing they need to stay warm. While in the arctic you researched one of the many different types of animals that live in the tundra. You learned about how they adapt to the cold and what they eat. Conclusion

  Most importantly after completing this Webquest you have gained more knowledge about how you can save the arctic. Humans have a huge impact on the changing climate that is effecting the arctic. You learned about these problems which is the first step toward fighting them. Conclusion

Traveling with your team to the arctic also taught you how to work with a team to reach a goal. The scientists were very impressed with your efforts and findings, keep checking your mail to see if they will need you to explore another biome! Conclusion

Standards ISTE: 1a., 1b., 5a., 5c. Science GLE’s: Strand 4: Ecology – interactions among organisms and their environments Elements of geographical & analysis 5a reading & constructing maps