WebQuest Idea

Webquest

"Help, Aquatic Scientists Needed!" a local aquarium has had a terrible accident! Their tanks have broken and released all the animals into the local bay. They need all the help they can get with identifying and grouping the species. Then we need to decide what type of environment they live in so we can bring them back to their original ecosystems as soon as possible. You'll break up into small teams and each take a specific subgroup to work on. After you have located each animal in your group, you will have to figure out what type of ecosystem they thrive in so we can return them home.

I am creating a webquest which has 4th grade students classifying different aquatic animals in groups and bringing them to the correct ecosystem so they can survive. (i.e. fresh/salt water, cold/warm water, mammals/fish/crustaceans things they may see at an aquarium that they would visit....)
I am currently seeking my Med. Elementary Education, and I hope to teach in 3rd-5th grade.
I didn't get my idea from any particular webquest already made, I received my undergraduate degree in Marine Science, so this "area of interest" has always been exciting to me. When I was researching curriculum guidelines and lesson plans for 3rd-5th grade, I just decided that these two ideas (Aquarium/ Species Classifications) would work well together because there is such a wide range of animals at an aquarium.

I would like for the students to get an understanding of how to sort/classify different living things, based on identifiable structures and characteristics, and how these characteristics would help them survive in different habitats/ecosystems. This fits into the NH Frameworks for Science Literacy 3-4 grade expectations.

I would like my students to use computers/provided links to aquariums, state fish and game sites, wikipedia, etc...  for researching the animals and where they live, and fill out tables/charts provided by me to help them organize all their information they gather.

               Life Science 

LS 1 - All living organisms have identifiable structures and characteristics that allow 
for survival (organisms, populations, & species). 
1. CLASSIFICATION 
1) Recognize and identify the various ways in which living things can be grouped. 
2) Sort/classify different living things using similar and different characteristics. Describe why organisms 
belong to each group or cite evidence about how they are alike or not alike. [LS1 (K-4) INQ+POC –1] 

2. LIVING THINGS AND ORGANIZATION 
1) Recognize that living organisms have certain structures and systems that perform specific functions, 
facilitating survival, growth and reproduction. 
2) Identify and describe the function of the plant structures responsible for food production, water transport, 
support, reproduction, growth and protection. 
3) Identify and explain how the physical structures of an organism (plants or animals) allow it to survive in its 
habitat/environment (e.g., roots for water; nose to smell fire). [LS1 (K-4) FAF –4] 
4) Identify the basic needs of plants and animals in order to stay alive (i.e., water, air, food, space). [LS1 (K-
        http://www.education.nh.gov/instruction/assessment/necap