WebQuest

Gila Monsters:
Dragons or Dinosaurs?

A Webquest for 3rd Grade Science and Language Arts

Patricia Coleman
pcoleman@yorkville.k12.il.us

Introduction
You will become a detective as you find out as much as you can about Gila Monsters. Are they related to dragons or are they related to dinosaurs? Where do they live? What do they eat?
As you travel back through time to investigate dinosaurs and dragons, you will find clues that will lead you to the solution.
Spyglass ready? Off you go!

The Task
After reading "Gila Monsters Will Meet You at the Airport", you will do 5 of the following 8 tasks. You must do numbers 1, 2 and 3 but the other tasks may be of your choice.
Research Gila Monsters, Dragons and Dinosaurs.

Decide which of the animals is related to the Gila Monster.

Write a persuasive paper.

Solve the Dinosaur/Dragon wordsearch.

    Create a KidPix picture of a Gila Monster.
    Arrange a debate with another team.
    Write and illustrate a poem.

The Process

1. You will be put in groups of four super sleuths to search for clues and solve this mystery.
2. Using books from the library and the Internet, find clues. Use the Super Spyglass Notebook to help you.
Dragon sites:
geocities
thinkquest
pantheon
Dinosaur sites:
enchanted learning
yahooligans
cbv.ns
3. After finding all of your clues, make a group decision about which animal is related to the Gila Monster.
4. Write a persuasive paper telling why you chose the Dragon or the Dinosaur.
5. Solve the Dragon/Dinosaur Wordsearch.
6. Using Kidpix, create a interesting picture of a Gila Monster.
7. Arrange a debate with another team who has a different position.
8. Using Microsoft Word or Student Writing Center, write and illustrate a poem about a Gila Monster.

Evaluation

	Private Detective	Ace Detective	Super Sleuth
Persuasive Paper 1.C.2a, 11.A.2b 3.A.2a, 3.C.2a 5.C.2a, 5.C.2b	Persuasive paper written with three paragraphs and a conclusion.	Persuasive paper written with an introduction, three descriptive paragraphs and a conclusion.	Persuasive paper written with an introduction, three descriptive paragraphs, a conclusion and 85% accuracy of conventions.
Dragon/ Dinosaur Wordsearch 1.A.2b	Twelve of the twenty words identified.	Fifteen of the twenty words identified.	Twenty of the twenty words identified.
Kidpics Picture of a Gila Monster 25.A.2d 26.A.2e	Picture of a Gila Monster with some authentic detail.	Picture of a Gila Monster with some authentic detail and interesting background.	Picture of a Gila Monster with some authentic detail, interesting background and demonstration of imagination.
Debate 4.B.2a, 4.B.2d 1.C.2c, 11.A.2d 5.A.2b, 12.A.2b	Participation in a debate with one convincing statement.	Participation in the debate with two convincing statements using notes.	Participation in the debate with three or more convincing statements using notes.
Gila Monster Poem 2.A.5c	Poem written with four to six lines.	Poem written with six or more lines with a rhyming pattern.	Poem written with six or more lines with a rhyming pattern and an illustration.

Conclusion
Through the use of library books and the Internet you have used your powers of research and deductive + scientific reasoning to determine if Gila Monsters were related to Dragons or Dinosaurs. You also used your knowledge of persuasion when writing your persuasive paper and participating in the debate. Creativity was called on to create the picture of a Gila Monster and while writing and illustrating your poem. You used great detective work in solving this problem. Congratulations!

Credits and References
   Gila Monsters Will Meet You at The Airport Scholastic Reading Series
    Dragons and Dinosaurs Wordsearch    www.awesomeclipartforkids.com/worksheet
    Mrs. Sylvia Torto, Digital Coach

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Last updated on August 15, 1999. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page