Planet Web Quest    

A WebQuest for Grade 5
(Science/Computers)

Mrs. McGee

Introduction | Task| Process |Evaluation | Conclusion
 

Introduction

You are an astronaut on a mission to another planet in our solar system. You will join a crew to gather information about your destination. When you become experts, you will voyage to this planet. After exploring it, you will create a Power Point slide show to communicate your findings and data.

Task

Your job is to collect data about your planet. Your crew of astronauts will work as a team to collect this scientific information. You will need to show your data sheet to Mission Control before blast off.

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Pre-flight requirements:

  • *Know your destination (planet)
  • *Name your mission and design a patch (badge)

Data Collection:

  • *Namesake (Who is your planet named after?)
  • *Distance from the Sun (How many miles?)
  • *Diameter (What is the distance across is your planet in miles?)
  • *Period of revolution (How long is one year on your planet in Earth years?)
  • *Rotation period (One day on your planet equals how many hours/days on Earth?)
  • *Moons (How many? What are their names?)
  • *Atmosphere (What gases are in the atmosphere?)
  • *Temperature (How hot or cold is it?)
  • *Composition (What is your planet made of?)
  • *Other Interesting facts (Special features. Does it have volcanoes, craters, rings, valleys, etc..?)

Exploration, and communication:

  • Create a Power Point slide how consisting of 3 slides. Each slide will contain the information collected on the corresponding data collection sheet. (Contact Mission Control for specific directions).


Debriefing session:

  • Present your data as a crew to your peers and Mission Control.

Process

  1. *First, Mission Control (your teacher) will assign you to a crew (3 students) and your planet destination.
  2. *Design a patch for your mission. To learn how, click on the following link for directions on Creating a Crew Patch
  3. *Contact Mission control for each of the Data Collection Sheets.
  4. *Decide which data sheet each crew member will be responsible for completing.
  5. *To do your research, click on the name of your planet destination listed at the bottom of this page. 
  6. *Next, click on one of the Web Site links for your planet. Read the information and make your notes under the correct headings. Remember, make only notes.
  7. *When you have finished reading the first Web Site, view another Web site link for your planet. Read the information and decide if there is any new information that should be added. 
  8. *Using the notes you have made on your Data Collection Sheets, create a Power Point show containing 3 slides, 1 for each sheet.
  9. *Be sure to include pictures of your planet on each slide.
  10. *When you are finished Conference with Mission Control
  11. *Finally, your crew will share the information you've collected about your planet at a debriefing session back on Earth at Mission Control. As a crew, first practice how you will present your data. Use a clear, loud voice. Make eye contact with your audience.
  12. *Continue to update your Crew Checklist to ensure you have completed all the steps of your task. 
  13. *Present your Slide Show at the debriefing session with Crews from other missions at Mission Control. 
  14. *Hand in all your work for evaluation.

mercury
MERCURY

venus
VENUS

mars
MARS

jupiter
JUPITER

saturn
SATURN

uranus
URANUS

neptune
NEPTUNE

pluto
PLUTO

creature
Good luck
on your Quest!

 

Evaluation

Your mission patch, data sheets, Slide Show, and presentation about your planet will be evaluated. There is a checklist to help you make sure that you have completed all the necessary steps of the Planet WebQuest.. Check to confirm that you have completed all the steps. Your teacher will also evaluate your WebQuest using this form.

Conclusion

During your WebQuest, you have learned many facts about your planet, yet there is much more to learn about our Solar System. The vastness of space has given us many challenges and questions. 

Does life exist elsewhere? What are some of the latest scientific findings? How can you use the information gathered in your WebQuest to help others? Check out some of the links below to learn more about space. Can you find other web sites that have interesting information about space? 

NASA's Solar System Exploration: Kids

Planets - Zoom Astronomy

Arty the Part-time Astronaut

Windows to the Universe

saturn

Based on a template from The WebQuest Page