A Whale of a Problem - Teacher Notes

Photo: NOAA

Theme: Environment

Grade: 7-9

To the teacher

These short lesson units provided in the lesson index are focused on specific tasks and designed to take between 4-5 hours to complete. The lessons are structured in a WebQuest format.

This lesson was adapted from materials originally designed as a set of three projects in a theme for use in project-based learning mode (referred to below as the "original materials"). The projects in the theme were designed to take between 15-18 hours to complete. Links to the original project materials (localised, otherwise unadapted) are provided here for the teacher who wishes to adapt them and use them for a larger scale project.

The workflow of this WebQuest lesson:

Step	Detail	Grouping	Location
1	Teacher introduces the topic	Class	Classroom
2	Teams meet to identify roles and specific tasks in their roles. Discuss and plan project	Team	Computer Room (scheduled)
3	Researching and writing	Individual	Flexible
4	Ongoing feedback and progress meetings	Team	Flexible
5	Final compilation of presentation / website	Team	Computer Room
6	Conclusion and exhibition of work	Class	Computer Room (scheduled)

Note that only classroom time is scheduled. Computer room time can be scheduled by the teacher for a whole class, but learners could continue work as individuals or teams by their own arrangement. For example, a team could arrange to meet in the computer room after school.

It is not necessary for each learner to have computer access during class time. Learners are placed in groups in which they discuss and plan their project. The focus of these projects is to achieve assessment standards and especially to acquire information skills rather than to focus on ICT skills.

Links to the original materials

A Whale of a Problem

Teacher support

Learner support

Why is it Warmer?

Teacher support

Learner support

Water, Water Everywhere

Teacher support

Learner support