Our National Parks A WebQuest for 8 th Grade Social Studies

1. Our National ParksA WebQuest for 8th Grade Social Studies designed by Erin Starnes

2. a brief INTRODUCTION This morning, the principal at Tripp Fielders Middle School announced that the 8th grade class will be going on a field trip! However, there is a catch…well, two catches. Not only will you visit a U.S. National Park, but the entire grade will have to work together to make a decision on which park to visit. Two weeks from today, all eighth grade students will VOTE on which park to visit.

3. the TASK at hand You will work with your group to determine the historical significance of your National Park, what activities students will be able to be a part of and how will these experiences connect to your learning. During a National Park Fair, this information will be presented as a display to help students choose which park they want to visit before the big VOTE.

4. aPROCESS to follow • Each student will rank the National Parks they are most interested in researching and groups will be determined based on these selections. • Using the websites outlined on the RESOURCES page, provide the following information about your National Park. • Where is the park located? • State(s), time zone, latitude and longitude, number of acres , distance of travel • Why and when was this land identified as a National Park? • Is there any significance behind the name of the National Park? • Explain the geographical features of the park? • Include pictures • What indigenous animals, plants, and other living organisms are located there? • Include pictures • What types of activities are available for visitors? • Interesting fact/historical significance/infamous tales or legends about the park? • If any, what threats are there to the existence of the park? ** All group will need to submit a list of responsible parties for each information topic. • As a group, you will create a display on your National Park. Remember, you are “selling” this National Park as a destination for your class trip. • Two members of each group will be responsible for overseeing the display during the National Park Fair.

5. available RESOURCES Use the following websites to find and access information on your National Park. National Geographic – Travel National Park Service Wikipedia – National Park Service Wikipedia – List of National Parks Wikitravel – United States National Parks National Park Foundation U.S. National Parks Travel Guide National Parks USA National Parks Conservation Association GORP’s United States National Parks Guide Fodor’s Travel – National Parks NPRanger – Guide to the U. S. National Parks Photo Albums of United States National Parks National Geographic Kids – Photos Wikimedia Commons – Maps of the United States National Parks

6. time for your EVALUATION

7. in CONCLUSION Upon completion of this project, the student will have in-depth knowledge of one U.S. National Park. In addition, you will have learned about other Parks during the National Park Fair. The knowledge you will gain includes where the Parks are located, why they are National Parks, any historical significance, geographical Features, indigenous plants and animals found in the Par, and any possible threats to the Park.

8. CREDIT and REFERENCES WebQuest Template: taken from WebQuest.org located at http://webquest.org/index.php Photos of National Parks: taken from National Geographic Kids located at http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/photos/us-national-parks/ Rubric: created on RubiStar located at http://rubistar.4teachers.org/ Curriculum Standards: from the Tennessee Department of Education located at Social Studieslocated at http://www.tn.gov/education/ci/ss/doc/SS_Grade_8.pdf English/Language Artslocated at http://www.tn.gov/education/ci/english/doc/ENG_Grade_8.pdf Student Resources http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/?source=NavTravPark http://www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Park_Service http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_parks_of_the_United_States http://www.nationalparks.org/ http://www.us-parks.com/ http://wikitravel.org/en/United_States_National_Parks#Alaska http://nationalparksusa.com/ http://www.npca.org/parks/?adwords=1 http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/united-states-national-parks-outdoor-pp1-guide-cid62- ctid201.html images: http://www.theusaonline.com/gallery/national-parks/index.htm images: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/photos/us-national-parks/ http://www.fodors.com/trip-ideas/national-parks/ http://www.npranger.com/ images: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Maps_of_United_States_National_Parks

9. LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this WebQuest, the student will be able to navigate websites in order to find information. He or she will have knowledge of National Parks in the U.S., know their significance in U.S. History and use persuasive techniques in the display and presentation.

10. CURRICULUM STANDARDS Tennessee Curriculum Standards 8th Grade Social Studies Geography – Content Standard 3.0 3.01 Understand how to use maps, globes, and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective. 3.02 Know the location of places and geographic features, both physical and human, in Tennessee and in the United States. 3.03 Recognize the interaction between human and physical systems. 3.04 Understand the geographic factors that determined the locations of and patterns of settlements in the United States and Tennessee. History – Content Standard 5.0 5.02 Understand the place of historical events in the context of past, present and future. 8th Grade English/Language Arts Communication – Content Standard 2.0 2.6 Deliver effective oral presentations. 2.7 Participate in work teams and group discussions. Media – Content Standard 7.0 7.3 Apply and adapt the principles of written composition to create coherent media productions.