The Chesapeake Bay: Our Most Valuable Resource!

by
Susan Healy
and
Nina Ingram

Introduction

North Bend Elementary School is honored to have been selected as a Chesapeake Bay Foundation Bay School for the coming school year.  Located in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, North Bend will be providing students with opportunities to read and learn about the environment and how we as residents have a direct impact on the future well being of the Chesapeake Bay and its boundless wildlife.  Hopefully, many of our students will develop their own Bay projects to preserve a healthy future for one of Maryland’s most valuable resources, our Chesapeake Bay.

This WebQuest is designed for North Bend Elementary School to help students improve reading.   The Resources are authentic links to curriculum.
 

Visit:

The Task
 

Task One     You will individually research a topic that interests you about the Chesapeake Bay.  Choose an article from the Resources section to be informed about our most precious natural resource.  Before reading, use the checklist to be sure you are reading for understanding.

Task Two   Now that you have read to be informed, you will respond to one stance question to show your                  understanding of the article.   Be sure to check the  rubric to see what is necessary to earn a 4.

Task Three   After you become an expert on a particular topic, you will use your creativity to show your understanding of this topic.  You many use Kid Pix to create a slide or slide presentation, or you may utilize Student Writing Center to create a product.  Check the rubric and shoot for a 4!  Your project will be shared with the class.

Resources
 

Chesapeake Bay General Information about the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Information Web Directory Bay Glossary of Commonly Used Terms About the Chesapeake Bay Growth, Sprawl, and the Chesapeake Bay	Butterflies Butterfly Facts Pollution Pollution Factor - What Are We Putting Into the Bay? Reducing and Preventing Pollution You Your Boat and the Bay
Crabs Chesapeake Bay Management of Horseshoe Crabs Life History of Horseshoe Crabs Maryland Blue Crab Lore Methods of Crabbing Crab Glossary A-D Crab Glossary F-J Crab Glossary L-P Crab Glossary R-Z Blue Crab History/Life cycle	Simple Ways to Save the Bay Use Water Responsibly Recycle Used Motor Oil Soil Erosion De-tox Your Home Oysters Oysters - Food, Filters, and Fish Habitat
Estuaries The Importance of Estuaries Forestation How to plant a tree America Forest Global Re-leaf Adkins Arboretum Benefits of Forests	Restoration Projects Protecting and Restoring Fisheries Around the Bay Clagett Farm - Agricultural Practices Juniata River Project - Preserving the Watershed Nanticoke Watershed Initiative - Protecting a Healthy River CBF/Ducks Unlimited Project - Restoring, Protecting  Save Our Streams - Harford County Water Quality Monitoring Project
Habitats Information About Bay Grasses(SAV'S) Aquatic Life in Streams and Rivers Information and Aquatic Life of Shallow Water What is Open Water? Teamwork on Underwater Grasses Grasses in Classes Chesapeake Bay Grasses	Habitat Improvement Maryland Native Plant Society Environmental Concern, Inc. Bayscaping Improving Your Yard BayScape for Wildlife Habitat Create a Backyard Wildlife Habitat Kids Gardening
Funding for Schoolyard Projects Chesapeake Bay Trust School Grants Harvest Factors Harvest Factors - What We Take Out of the Bay	Wetlands Wetlands - An Introduction to an Ecosystem Wetland Types Around the Chesapeake Bay Value of Wetlands Types, Functions, and Values of Wetlands
Cavity Nesting Birds A Bird's World - Home Sweet Home Eastern Bluebird Monitoring Bluebird Boxes Owls Nuthatches Attracting Purples Martins Feeding Birds with Mealworms Chesapeake Audubon Society	Watershed Chesapeake Watershed Map and Definition Wildlife Birds that Inhabit the Chesapeake Bay  Information about Crabs and Shellfish Fish of the Chesapeake Bay Shad:  The Forgotten Fishery

The Process

1.  Go to the Resources Section to find an environmental topic that interests you.

2.  Select the topic and explore the various articles that are provided.

3.  Choose one article that interests you and read it thoroughly.
     As you read, use the Reading to Be Informed Reader's Checklist.

4.  Print the article.

5.  Select one of the following stances to write a response in Student Writing Center.
     Be sure to explain your answer using examples from the text.

  Summarize the information from the article.
 

                                                OR
   Describe the course of action you might take based on this information.
 
 

6.  Organize your thoughts to create a "4" response.  Check the rubrics by clicking on the terrapin or rockfish.

7.  Once you have organized your thoughts, open Student Writing Center "Report" and write your response.  Save the response on the network.  Your teacher will electronically grade your responses.

8.  Think about how you could summarize and organize the information from the article into a creative presentation to share.  Choose one of the following:  a multimedia Kid Pix Slide or Slide Show or a product generated in Student Writing Center.  Be sure to check the Rubric for product expectations. (See a Kid Pix slide example.)

9.  Present your technology product to your classmates.

Evaluation

Completion of this WebQuest will result in two separate scores.  You will receive a score on your written response based on the stance prompt.  You will receive a score based on the clear explanation of the article through a presentation method.  You may review both the stance rubric and the presentation rubric.

Conclusion

North Bend Elementary is fortunate to be a Chesapeake Bay Foundation "Bay School".  There is so much to learn about our environment and how to preserve its beauty.  This WebQuest provided a sampling of articles to gain information and build your knowledge base about our state's most important resource.  As a challenge, think about what action you could take to further investigate an environmental problem!  This may spin off into your own WebQuest or project around school!

 
 

Teacher Notes

The following sites may be helpful:
Global Change-Lessons for Teachers

Chesapeake Bay Virtual Field Trip

Schoolyard Project Ideas

Free Federal Resources for Educational Excellence

The following sources were used to complete this WebQuest:
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Life in the Chesapeake Bay  by Alice Jane and Robert L. Lippson
Carson-Dellosa
Flamingtext.com
 
 

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