Introduction	Task	Resources	Process
Evaluation	Conclusion	Teacher Notes	Contact Me

Have you ever wondered  why is my garden growing?  You are now going to find out how and why it is growing.  You will also see what you can do to help your garden grow.  So sit back and enjoy your soil experience.
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Task

You have been hired by your local Board of Education.  It is your job to plant a garden in your school yard.  You and your team must test your school soil.  You will also plan a garden to be planted.  Then finally write a persuasive letter to the Head of Maintenance.  You will be presenting your findings to your Head of Maintenance next week.  A good job means you will get to plant your garden.  Good luck and have FUN!

Resources

Student Resources
What on earth is soil?
Where can I learn about soil components?
Take a closer look: What is Soil?
Why is soil so important?
Creating a power point presentation
Nutrients
Where can I found out about growing a garden?

Teacher Resources
The Dirt Merchants
Ask Jeeves for Teachers
Web Quest
Soil Analysis Web Quest
What is MSPAP?
Where has all the top soil gone?
Rubrics
PowerPoint Rubric

The Constructivist Project Design Guide maintained by Columbia University's Institute for Learning Technologies is a treasure trove of ideas for teachers. (This is just an example sentence with an link embedded within it.)

The Process

To accomplish your task you will need to complete the following steps.
1.  Selecting your team
     a.  Your team will consist of 4 players.
      b.  You will work with your team throughout this activity.

2.  The Positions
      a.  Everyone plays a position: recorder, observer, hands -on, and gopher.

3.  What you KNOW
      a.  What does your team know about soil analysis - pick a graphic organizer and
          write it.

4.  What do you WANT to know
      a.  What are the nutrients found in soil.
      b.  What nutrients are found in your school's soil?
      c.  Where would be the best place to plant a garden at your school?

5.  Where to plant
       a.  Now that you have done research pick the best area to plant your garden.

6.  Design Time
       a.  Each player  of  the team will design what they think the garden should look like.
       b.  Write a summary as to why    you designed your garden the way you did.
       c.  Review everyone's information and we will come to a class decision.

7.  Persuasive Letter
       a.  Each player will now  write a persuasive letter  to the Head of Maintenance at your school.
       b.  Your job is to persuade him to plant a garden in the area that was chosen by your class.
       c.  Follow the Writing Process Activities from the prewrite through the final draft.

8.  Presentation
       a.  How did you do?  Now it is time to present your findings to the Head of Maintenance.
            Remember he will look very closely at all of your data.   GOOD LUCK!!
 
 
 

Evaluation

Being able to plant your garden will depend on three things:  your research, your persuasive letter, and your presentation.  The letter
should include a heading, greeting, body, closing, and signature.  Remember to be PERSUASIVE.  As a presenter, you should be well orgaznied and speak clearly.  The Head of Maintenance loves to use rubrics, so review the following rubric so you can be sure to get your garden approved.

Rubric

    3 - Data is correct
         Persuasive letter is persuasive and follows appropriate steps
         Presentation is well organized and clear

    2 - Most of the data is correct
         Persuasive letter includes some of the steps
         Presentation is clear but not organized

    1 - Most of the data is NOT correct
         Persuasive letter is not persuasive
         Presentation is not clear or organized

    0 - Directions were not followed
         No presentation, letter, or data
 
 
 

Conclusion

Were you persuasive?  Was your garden planted?  Is it growing?   If you are able to answer yes to these questions then you were successful in completing this web  quest.  You now know what nutrients are needed to help a garden grow, so happy planting.
 

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