A WebQuest about the Arizona Sonoran Desert

Designed by Stephanie Tennille

Introduction	Resources
Task	Evaluation
Activities	Conclusion
Process	Teacher Page

Introduction

The school that you attend wants to build a mini-desert botanical garden filled with plants, animals, reptiles, birds and rocks/minerals that can be found in Arizona. It will become the showplace of the campus. Your principal is going to have a Desert Design Contest. Participants are to submit ideas to the principal of how they would like the desert botanical garden to look. Then a panel of judges which will include teachers, students and parents will pick the best design and it will be used for the actual mini-desert botanical garden. A plaque will be placed in the garden commemorating the members of the team that designed it.

The Task

In order to participate in the contest and design a desert botanical garden, you will have to became a desert expert. To become a desert expert you will:

• Explore and research information about the plants, animals and rocks/minerals of Arizona.
• Use the power of the Internet to research the information about the Sonoran desert.
• Visit the school's media center or public library to gather books and resources about the desert.
• Talk to desert experts in the community, such as, desert landscapers, employees of the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, or employees of the Arizona Sonoran Desert in Tucson.
• Explore software that we have on campus that has information about the desert, such as, Grolier's Encyclopedia.
• Read Byrd Baylor's books about the desert.
• Keep a research log to record all the information you gather.

Culminating Activities

To impress the panel of judges:

• Your class will put together a HyperStudio stack that will include all the information that you have learned about the Arizona desert.
• Your class will create a diorama of a desert botanical garden that includes replicas of desert animals, plants and rocks/minerals.

The Process

• To start the teacher will read two books to the class by Byrd Baylor, The Desert is Theirs and Everybody Needs a Rock to prepare for the study of the desert. After the books have been read, the class will discuss what the stories were about and how they relate to the desert and Byrd Baylor's purpose for writing the books.
• Next the teacher will use the software application Inspiration to web all the information the students know about the Sonoran Desert. Then the class will brainstorm and add to the web all the information they would like to learn about the desert so they can become desert experts.
• After the class decides on the aspects of the desert they would like to research, the class will be divided into small groups of 4-6 students depending on the size of the class. Each group will research one aspect of the desert. (For the purposes of this WebQuest, the group aspects have been chosen but can be changed according to the class' needs.) The different aspects that will be researched are:

• General information on the Sonoran Desert
• Mammals of the Sonoran Desert
• Reptiles/Invertebrates of the Sonoran Desert
• Birds of the Sonoran Desert
• Rocks/Minerals of the Sonoran Desert
• Plants of the Sonoran Desert

 

• The students will access information from books, the Internet and software programs about the aspects of the Sonoran desert they are studying and record their information in a Research Log.
• Once all research has been completed, each group will make a storyboard for their HyperStudio stack on the information they have gathered in their group.
• After the storyboard is completed, each group will design their HyperStudio stack on the computer following these guidelines:

• Navigable buttons, appropriate backgrounds, graphics, and readable, edited text.
• Title slide that contains the name of the slide show.
• Three to five content slides that describe the aspect of the desert that your group studied.
• An author slide that tells a little about the members in your group along with digital photos of each member.
• Bibliography slide that properly lists the resources used.

• Each group will present their HyperStudio Stack to the class for remarks, comments or suggestions for improvements.
• Next each group will design a blueprint for a desert diorama and decide what materials they will need to make the dioramas.
• When the blueprint is completed, the class will collect materials needed to make the dioramas. They could ask for donations from the Art teacher, parents, museums and/or desert botanical gardens.
• When all the materials for the dioramas have been collected, each group can start constructing their dioramas using the blueprints that they have designed.
• After the dioramas have been completed, the groups will show them to the rest of the class for remarks, comments or suggestions for improvements.
• Once all team members complete both projects, the HyperStudio Stack and the diorama, they will be presented to the panel of judges for consideration in the Desert Design Contest.

Internet Resources

General Information about Deserts

• Desert USA contains all kinds of resources about the desert.
• Desert Life in the American Southwest has lots of information about the Sonoran Desert.
• Sonoran Desert contains more information about the Sonoran Desert.
• Desert Botanical Gardens is located in Phoenix, Arizona and is a great resource for information on the desert.
• Boyce Thompson Arboretum is a Arizona State Park that has resources about the plants and wildlife of Arizona.
• Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is located in Tucson, Arizona and is another great resource about the Sonoran Desert.
• Tucson Botanical Gardens is, also, located in Tucson, Arizona and it contains lots of information on the desert.
• Desert Photos has several pictures of the desert.
• The Desert Biome is a virtual tour of the desert. You can learn all about deserts.

Information on Desert Animals/Reptiles/Birds

• Reptiles at Arizona Sonora Desert Museum has pictures and information about reptiles.
• Mammals at Arizona Sonora Desert Museum contains information and pictures of desert mammals.
• Birds at Arizona Sonora Desert Museum has photographs and information on birds in the desert.
• Birds and Animals at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum contains information on wildlife at the arboretum.
• Desert USA is a vast resource on animals of the desert.
• Desert Animals is a site that was done by students and contains information about desert animals.

Information on Desert Plants

• Saguaro Cactus from Saguaro National Park which is located in Tucson, Arizona is all about the Saguaro cactus.
• Wildflowers at Boyce Thompson Arboretum shows pictures of desert wildflowers.
• Common Desert Plants lists a variety of desert plants.
• Organ Pipe National Monument contains great photos of desert plants.
• Virtual Tour of the Desert Botanical Gardens is all about a field trip a third grade class took to the the Gardens.
• Desert USA contains lots of information on desert plants.

 

Information on Rocks/Minerals

• Desert USA contains lots of information about rocks and minerals in the desert.
• Virtual Cave Tour is from the Arizona-Sonora Museum and contains great information on minerals in the desert.
• Atlas of Rocks and Minerals has some great photos and information about rocks and minerals.

Evaluation

• Process Rubric

• Product Rubric

• Self-Evaluation Questions for Students

• Was your slide show appealing in appearance?
• Did you have all the required elements?
• Was your slide show easy to understand and/or navigate for the participants?
• Was HyperStudio easy or difficult for your group to use? Explain.
• How well did your group work together? Did everyone in the group contribute equally?

• Was your diorama interesting and appealing?
• Did your group have all the required elements?
• How well did your larger group work together?
• Was the work equally distributed?

Self-Reflection

• How did this experience change your opinion of the desert? Be specific.
• Why is it important to respect and preserve the desert?
• How can our class use this information to save the desert?
• What did you learn from completing this WebQuest?
• What would you change in this WebQuest to improve it?

  

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have worked very hard to complete this WebQuest. In the process of doing this unit you have learned a lot about the Sonoran Desert but most of all, you worked cooperatively with your peers to complete your Quest. Now you can truly say, "The Desert is Ours"! Good luck in the contest!

 

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