A WebQUEST of Discovery
(Adapted from a WebQuest by Chery Dobbs )
Introduction Task Process
Resources Evaluation
Introduction
Explorers from every era have braved
the unknown to discover new lands. Religious fervor, greed, trade, empire
building, and a thirst for knowledge have all played parts in the motivation of
these explorers and the countries who sponsored them. The world we know today
has been shaped by their adventures. As important as these explorers have been
and continue to be in the world's history, they are largely forgotten outside
the classroom..
In the interest of preserving the
heritage of these brave explorers, TOP CARDS™ has decided to launch a new line
of trading cards to honor them. According to market research, Explorer Trading
Cards™ could possibly be the next collecting mania to sweep the nation. TOP CARDS™
has opened their project up to the fifth graders of the world, inviting them to
participate in a contest to nominate explorers from the 1400's-1600's and
help design this new line of cards. You are now invited to take part in
this contest.
TOP
Task
Congratulations! You have been given
the opportunity to nominate an explorer for the latest series of trading cards
by Top Cards™. Working in pairs, you will search various resources to find
information on an explorer of your choice from the 1400's to 1600's time
period. Once you have gathered your information, you will create a trading card
for that explorer to submit to Top Cards, and a persuasive essay to convince
them of your explorer's worthiness. Only 15 explorers will be chosen for the
first pack of cards to be produced, so be convincing!
TOP
Process
1.
Review the list of explorers provided
below and pick your top 3 choices for a webquest
research project. Write down the names
of your team members and your top 3 choices on a piece of paper and hand them
in to your teacher. Wait to receive
your assignment.
2.
Using at least three websites
listed under Resources, fill out the information on
the Explorer Worksheet.
Use this information to create a trading card on your explorer's voyage. You
may make your own trading card design, or use the one provided on the Card Instructions and Samples page.
3.
As you search through internet and
print sources for information on your explorer, be on the lookout for a picture
or painting of him or her to be used both on the trading card and as an illustration
on your essay page.
4.
Write a persuasive essay about your
explorer's voyage, detailing why your explorer deserves to be included in the
Explorer's Trading Card pack. More information on how to write your persuasive
essay can be found here. Be
sure to include a picture or two that you find in your research.
5.
Create a bibliography of the
resources you used in your research, including websites. Use BibMe to write the citations in MLA format or
use the Grade 5 Citation format here.
Marvel Maine Kids
Page: Britannica School Edition – Articles on explorers written at three
different levels.
Explorers A to Z - Hundreds of links organized alphabetically by explorer
Enchanted Learning: Explorers of the Americas : easy to use, alphabetically, by region, or by time period http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/america.shtml
Discoverers Web – great resource and information is listed many ways including alphabetically http://www.win.tue.nl/~engels/discovery/index.html
Explorer’s Hall of Fame- A Thinkquest emtry, includes some of the explorers on the list, but not all. http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/4034/hall_of_fame.html
CyberSleuthKids:
Explorers on the Web --This is a directory
listing of websites on many, many explorers
Classroom
Clip Art
of historical figures, mostly black and white and slow to load, but interesting
pictures. Free to use if in educational, non-commercial setting http://classroomclipart.com/cgi-bin/kids/imageFolio.cgi?direct=History/Explorers
TOP
The following criteria will be used
to grade your assignment and decide which of the cards and essays will be
submitted to TOP CARDS™. All of the guidelines must be followed carefully for
entrance into the contest.
|
|
4 = Exceeds the
standards |
3 = Meets the standards |
2= Partially meets the standards |
1= Does not meet the standards |
|
Research |
Well researched
using at least four websites.
Completed worksheet and bibliography. Conducted extra research from
other sources. |
Well researched using at least three websites. Completed Explorer Lab Worksheet. Bibliography completed. |
Partially
researched. Incomplete Explorer |
Poorly researched with factual errors. Incomplete Explorer Lab Worksheet or bibliography not completed. |
|
Teamwork |
Consistently on
task lab beha-vior. Partners worked
together to go beyond basic standards. |
Consistently on
task lab behavior. Always does fair
share of work effort. |
Mostly on task
lab behavior. Sometimes does fair
share of work effort. |
Frequent off
-task lab beha-vior. Does not do fair
share of work effort. |
|
Essay |
Followed all guidelines.
Arguments were convincing and well written. Excep-tionally well
written. |
Followed all
guidelines. Arguments were convincing and well written. |
Missed two or fewer parts of guidelines. Shaky argument or awkward writing. |
No attempt to follow guide-lines. Poorly written with few arguments made. |
|
Card |
Neat and complete
with no errors. Extra graphic design
effort made. |
Neat and complete with no errors. |
Lacking detail; two or fewer errors in information. |
More than two factual errors, no picture, lack-ing neatness. |
John Cabot: This Italian navigator (his real name was
Giovanni Caboto) sailed for England and tried to find a western route to Asia
and Japan. He “discovered” and claimed
Labrador, Newfoundland, and New England for the English.
Sir Francis
Drake: This English adventurer,
pirate, and explorer was sent by Queen Elizabeth I in search of treasure and
lands. He and his crew suffered many
mishaps as they sailed around the world.
Jacques
Cartier: With the help of Native
Americans, this French explorer explored the St. Lawrence and Mississippi
Rivers and claimed large portions of North America for France. He and his crew suffered from scurvy, a
dreaded sea illness, and terrible cold.
Samuel de
Champlain: This explorer started off
as a geographer on a fur-trading ship.
He made many trips to Canada and mapped and explored much of Quebec and
the St. Lawrence River area.
Ferdinand
Magellan: This Portuguese explorer
worked for the Spanish trying to find a western route around the Americas to
Asia. Despite mutinies, terrible
sickness, and battles with island natives, Magellan’s crew managed to be the
first ever to sail around the world, even though Magellan himself did not make
it.
Vasco de
Gama: This brave Portuguese
explorer found a way to sail around Africa to get coveted spices from the East
Indies even though his crew members were often superstitious and afraid to
travel in those waters.
Christopher
Columbus: You’ve certainly heard of
this Italian explorer before, but did you know that he made 4 different trips
to the Americas? Or that once, he was
arrested and sent back to Spain in chains?
Juan Ponce de
Leon: This Spanish explorer set out to find gold, slaves and the famed
“fountain of youth”. Instead, he
discovered Florida, where he was attacked by angry natives.
Amerigo
Vespucci: This skilled Italian
navigator and trader was one of the first to realize that the new lands being
discovered were not part of Asia. He
wrote a pamphlet about his journeys and ended up having a continent named after
him!
Henry Hudson: This navigator sailed for both England and
Holland and had many adventures along the way.
In addition to once landing on the coast of Maine, his ship also became
lodged in ice for months, leading his crew to mutiny and eventually kill its
captain.
Leif
Eriksson: Many believe that more
than 500 years before Columbus reached America, this adventurous Viking from
Greenland discovered the coast of Canada.
* Please consult with your teacher if there is an explorer whom
you’d like to study that is not on this list.