Plenty of Plants Webquest

(modified by the Morris County ETTC, based on the original http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/scessman/wquest.htm by Suzanne Cressman)

Introduction | Task | Resources | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion

Introduction:

You are a curious earthworm! You will be traveling through the soil and on top of the Earth's surface to discover many types of plants and flowers. You will learn about roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and other botanist type words. Prepare your segmented body for an Earth shattering squirm!

 

Task:

You will work with a worm partner to complete your soil travels. Your tasks to be completed are the following:

1. Research the web and use books to find facts about plants, flowers, and soils.

2. Illustrate your favorite type of flower or plant. (Include the four main parts of a plant.)

3. Create a 3-D flower project.

4. Write a story about what adventures you might have as an earthworm.

5. Plant a Marigold!

Resources:

Search the web:

Here are a few helpful sites:

The Great Plant Escape (a series of mysteries to solve)

Parts of Plants (interactive diagram)

Parts of Plants (interactive quiz)

Parts of a Flower

Pollination

What is a flower?

Database of Flora pictures

Closeup photo of bee pollinating a flower

Flower pictures

Floral Encyclopedia

"Herman the Worm"

Worm Information

Venus' Flytrap site

Photosynthesis

Kid Gardening

Books:

"The Tiny Seed" by Eric Carle

"My First Garden" by Tomek Bogacki

"The Reason For a Flower" by Ruth Heller

Movies:

"Once Their Was A Tree" (Reading Rainbow)

Computer resources:

Internet

Word Processing Program

Process:

You are ready to start your journey. You and your worm partner will need to follow the process step by step to be able to compete all tasks assigned. Be careful not to be eaten by a predator or stay in the sun to long!

1. Create a drawing of your favorite plant or flower. Label the stem, leaves, roots, and flower. (For extra credit you may label two additional parts you have discovered.)

2. Make a 3-D flower project: Use a green pipe cleaner for the stem, tissue paper for the flower, twine for the roots, and construction paper for the leaves. Create name tags for all the different parts and the type of flower it is. Attach them to the project.

3. Write a story about the adventures you are having being an earthworm. What kind of problems do earthworms have? Is there anything good about being an earthworm. Make the story fiction or nonfiction. You choose. Each story must have a beginning, middle, and ending. Remember to use capitals, periods, and other grammar skills in your writing.

4. Plant a Marigold: Plant a Marigold seed in a paper cup and care for it throughout this project. (approximately 2 weeks.) Keep a written garden log with botanist observations about your growing Marigold. Your garden log must have at least four entries to be complete. Each entry needs three observations about your plant. Don't forget to include the date on each entry page.

Evaluation:

Your journey underground is almost complete. You have been through a lot of soil and seen a bunch of plants and flowers. Now it is time to see if you learned something about plants. Are you ready?

Please print and complete the student, "What a botanist should know!" evaluation page to complete your journey.

 What a botanist should know!

Conclusion: