White Sands National MonumentWeb Quest

E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

Introduction / Task / Process Evaluation / Conclusion / Teacher Page /State and Core Standards

Introduction

White Sands National Monument is unique in respect to geology, geography, biotic and abiotic features. Due to the arid environment many organisms have adapted to limit the need for water. This type of adaptation can be seen in many of the Earth’s desert biomes.

This Web Quest will take you on an investigative journey into White Sand National Monument located in the Chihuahua and into the Kalahari Desert to learn more about these water conserving plants and animals.

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Task

Objective: The students will investigate the biotic adaptions in a desert biome.

Product: I will create a graphic organizer to compare and contrast the adaptations of flora and fauna in the Chihuahua and Kalahari deserts.

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Chihuahua Desert Investigation

Your investigation begins at White Sand National Monument located in the Chihuahua Desert. Use

the following links to discover more about the organisms which have adapted to conserve water

in this arid environment.White Sands National Monument

Kangaroo RatChihuahua Desert Plant Adaptations

Chihuahua Desert Adaptations Home

Kalahari Desert Investigation

Continue your investigation in the Kalahari Desert. Remember the objective is to compare

and contrast a plant and animal from both deserts.

Kalahari Desert Kalahari Flora and Fauna

Meerkats

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Process

While you investigate each of these environments you will identify one plant and one animal from each. You will then use the

animal and plant graphic organizers to compare and contrast the organisms.

You may print off the graphic organizers. Time to proceed with the investigation.

Chihuahua Desert Investigation Kalahari Desert Investigation

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Evaluation (Rubric)Criteria 4 / Exemplary 3 / Proficient 2 / Adequate 1 / Inadequate

Contents My investigation and notes demonstrate I understand all of the adaptations.

My investigation and notes demonstrate I understand most of the adaptations.

My investigation and notes demonstrate I understand little of the adaptations.

My investigation and notes demonstrate I understand none of the adaptations.

Comparisons My comparison and contrast focused 100% on comparison of two organisms.

My comparison and contrast focused 90% on comparison of two organisms.

My comparison and contrast focused 80% on comparison of two organisms.

My comparison and contrast focused 70% on comparison of two organisms.

Legibility & Neatness

My graphic organizer is the neatest I can do.

My graphic organizer can be neater and more legible.

My graphic organizer can be more legible.

My graphic organizer is sloppy.

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Conclusion While deserts are located throughout the world, the adaptations of plants and animals are similar across continents and oceans. Locate on the map the Chihuahua and Kalahari Deserts. While

they are a world apart the plant and animals who call these biomes home have similar adaptations.

Explanation Questions • Does your investigation findings support the statement in the

above conclusion?• Do you believe that relocation of desert plants and/or animals

to a non-native desert would be successful?– Check out what happened at White Sands National Monument with

the introduction of the Oryx.

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Teacher Page• This web quest utilizes graphic organizers to compare

and contrast. This will require the students to think in the idea of point and counterpoint. This will also allow the student to look for specific information in research.

• On the conclusion page you will find some explanation questions that will allow students to explore their comparison with deeper understanding.

• This activity will also allow students to organize information simultaneously for expository writing outline.

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Animal

Chihuahua Kalahari

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Plant

Chihuahua Kalahari

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State and Core StandardsReading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects 6–12

Texas State Objective Grades 6-8TEKS – 6.2 (a) (b) 2.12 (e) (f)TEKS – 7.2 (a) (b) 7.15 (a) (d) 7.10 (all) 7.11 (all) 7.13 (all)TEKS – 8.11 (a) (b) (c)

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In tegra tion of K n ow le dg e and Id ea s

7. Integrate quantitative or technical inform ation expressed in words in a text w ith a version of that inform ation expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).

7. Translate quantitative or technical inform ation expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate inform ation expressed visua lly or m athem atically (e.g., in an equation) into words.

7. Integrate and evaluate m ultip le sources o f inform ation presented in d iverse form ats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multim edia) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

8. D istinguish among facts, reasoned judgm ent 8. Assess the extent to which the reasoning and 8. Eva luate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and

based on research find ings, and speculation in a evidence in a text support the author’s claim conclusions in a science or technica l text, verify ing

text. or a recomm endation for solving a scientific or the data when possible and corroborating or

technica l problem. challenging conclusions w ith other sources of

inform ation.

9. Com pare and contrast the information gained 9. Com pare and contrast findings presented in a text 9. Synthesize inform ation from a range of sources

from experiments, sim ulations, video, or to those from other sources (including their own (e.g., texts, experiments, sim ulations) into a

m ultim edia sources w ith that gained from reading experim ents), noting when the findings support or coherent understanding of a process, phenomenon,

a text on the same topic. contradict previous explanations or accounts. or concept, resolving conflicting inform ation w hen

possib le.

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New Mexico / Core StandardsStudents will understand the properties, structures and processes of living things and the interdependence of living things and their environments.

Students will:• Explain the diverse structures and functions of living things and the complex

relationships between living things and their environments

5th Grade• Identify the components of habitats and ecosystems (producers, consumers,

decomposers, predators)• Understand how food webs depict relationships between different organisms;• Know that changes in the environment can have different effects on different

organisms (e.g., Some organisms move, some survive, some reproduce, some die)• Describe how human activity impacts the environment

6th Grade• Understand how organisms interact with their physical environments to meet their

needs (i.e., Food, water, air) and how the water cycle is essential to most living systems

• Describe how organisms have adapted to various environmental conditionsNext Home

New Mexico / Core Standards

7th Grade• Identify the living and non-living parts of an ecosystem and describe the

relationships among these components• Explain biomes (i.e., Aquatic, desert, rainforest, grasslands, tundra) and describe

the New Mexico biome• Explain how individuals of species that exist together interact with their

environment to create an ecosystem (e.g., Populations, communities, niches, habitats, food webs)

• Explain the conditions and resources needed to sustain life in specific ecosystems;• Describe how the availability of resources and physical factors limit growth (e.g.,

Quantity of light and water, range of temperature, composition of soil) and how the water, carbon and nitrogen cycles contribute to the availability of those resources to support living systems

8th Grade• Explain how a change in the flow of energy can impact an ecosystem (e.g., The

amount of sunlight available for plant growth, global climate change);• Understand how traits are passed from one generation to the next and how species

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