Discover the Desert

Introduction	Task	Process	Resources	Evaluation	Conclusion

 

 

Introduction

Attention, Attention! Calling all desert animals. The San Antonio Zoo is looking for desert animals to star in it's new exhibit. They need your help.

Do you know what kind of animals live in the desert?
Do you know how animals survive in the desert?
Do we need desert animals at the zoo?

 

 

 

Task

The zoo keepers are picking only the best animals for the desert exhibit. Imagine YOU are a desert animal. Any desert animal at all. It is up to you to convince the Zoo Keeper they need you in the new exhibit.

 

How will you convince the Zoo Keeper you are the best animal for the exhibit? You will create 2 projects. You must create a PowerPoint and chose one other project.

1. Create a PowerPoint

2. Write a poem

3. Create a diorama

*Research may be completed with an upper grade buddy.

Step 1-
Choose an animal.
Look at these animals to get an idea.

Scorpion	Tarantulas	Elf Owl
Kit Fox	Coyote	Roadrunner
Jackrabbit	Rattlesnake

Get in teams of 4 with others of the same animal.
Make sure this is the animal you want to be.
This is the only animal you will research.

Step 2-
Research your animal with your group.

You will need to know:

• class- (mammal, insect, reptile, or bird) what I am
• diurnal or nocturnal- when I am awake
• covering- what I look like
• home- where I live
  food- what I eat
• enemy- what eats me
• adaptation- how I survive in desert

Print the Desert Animal Form to record information.

Use these links for research:

Desert USA	Enchanted Learning	Desert Biomes
Living Desert	Arthur School	Desert Animals

Find more information from books about desert animals.

 

Step 3
Talk with your group about what you learned about your animal. Share any information that the others may have not found. Explain your thinking.

• How do I survive in the desert as this animal?
• Why are you special or interesting as this animal?

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Step 4
Now that you have finished your research, you will need to make a storyboard for your PowerPoint. Work on this storyboard with the other kids in your group.

To make a storyboard fold a paper into 8 squares. Unfold and label each square and put in information. Draw a picture of the animal in each square.

• Class- class and if animal is diurnal / nocturnal
• Covering- what animal looks like
• Home- where animal lives
• Food- what animal eats
• Enemy- what eats animal
• Adaptation- how animal survives in desert
• Special Fact- anything you found interesting

Share storyboard with your teacher and 2 other friends.

See a sample storyboard.

Use your storyboard to make a PowerPoint. Put the same information from storyboard on your PowerPoint. Your PowerPoint should include:

• Title slide with name of slideshow and your name.
• 7 to 8 slides with information from storyboard.
• Digital photos of animal in slides
• Slide transitions
• Resources of pictures

See a sample PowerPoint

 

Step 5
Create a diorama or write a poem.

Diorama	Poem
sample diorama diorama pictures: animals 1 animal 2 plants Please draw your own if you desert animal is not on any of these pages.	sample poem on PowerPoint sample poem on paper acrostic desert poem form

 

 

Step 6
Once everyone has finished their projects there will be a class presentation. You will present to the Zoo Keeper why you should be the newest animal in the desert exhibit. You will present your PowerPoint and the other project you created.

 

 

 

Resources

These Internet sites list desert animals.

Arthur School

Desert Animals

Desert Biomes

Desert USA

Enchanted Learning

Living Desert

Desert books

Desert Giant: The World of the Saguaro Cactus by Barbara Bash

The Desert is Theirs by Byrd Baylor, Peter Parnall (Illustrator)

Desert Voices by Byrd Baylor, Peter Parnall

Cactus Cafe: A Story of the Sonoran Desert by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld, Paul Mirocha (Illustrator)

Creatures of the Desert World National Geographic Society, by Barbara Gibson, Jennifer Urquhart, Jennifer C. Urquhart (Photographer)

One Day in the Desert by Jean Craighead George, Fred Brenner (Illustrator)

Cactus Hotel by Brenda Z. Guiberson, Megan Lloyd (Illustrator)

Look Who Lives in the Desert by Brooke Bessesen, Marty Cordano (Photographer)

 

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Evaluation

Self-Reflection

• How did this research change the way you think about the desert?
• How does a desert animal’s adaptation help them survive in the desert?
• Did you follow directions?
• Did you cooperate with your group?
• Did you finish all your projects?
• Did you use the resources?
• What was the most important part of this this WebQuest?
• What did your learn from this WebQuest?

Desert Animal Rubrics

• Power Point Rubric
• Diorama Rubric
• Poem Rubric

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Conclusion

Congratulations you have convinced the Zoo Keeper that you are the best animal for the new desert exhibit. You have learned about desert animals and how important adaptations are in the survival of desert animals. Here are some other links to check out.

• San Antonio Zoo
• Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
• Desert Animal Puzzle

 

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