Why did the dinosaur become extinct?

This web quest is designed to engage the students in mastery of cooperative learning, research skills, critical thinking, effective and persuasive writing, and the use of technology.  The requirement to formulate a consensus answer to the question of why the dinosaur became extinct forces the students to refine their understanding and practice of scientific inquiry.  They must formulate a definitive answer to an inquiry and support the answer persuasively, eliminating other hypotheses or answers.  In essence, the task of this web quest is well suited to challenging the students to meet the top tier of Bloom's Taxonomy:  evaluating (creating in the newer version).

The inquiry topic--why the dinosaur became extinct--is one that naturally lends itself to curiosity.  Thus, it is a good topic to engage the students' interest in research and analysis.

This web quest is suitable for any grade in high school.  It should be tailored to require increasing rigor from grade nine to grade twelve.  For example, an eleventh or twelfth grader might be required to answer the inquiry through both a power point and a research paper that would mimic a scientist's journal article.  The research paper would require a deeper, more in-depth level of analysis and writing than the power point.  

The following Florida State Standards frame this web quest:

LA910.3.1.1  The student will prewrite by generating ideas from multiple source (e.g., brainstorming, notes, journals, discussion, research materials or other reliable sources) based upon teacher-directed topics and personal interests.

LA910.4.3.1  The student will write essays that state a position or claim,  present detailed evidence, examples, and reasoning to support effective arguments and emotional appeals, and acknowledge and refute opposing arguments.

LA910.4.3.2  The student will include persuasive techniques.

LA910.5.2.5  The student will research and organize information that integrates appropriate media into presentations for oral communication (e.g., digital presentations, charts, photos, primary sources, webcasts).

LA910.6.2.2  The student will organize, synthesize, analyze, and evaluate the validity and reliability of information from multiple sources (including primary and secondary sources) to draw conclusions using a variety of techniques, and correctly use standardized citations.

SC912.N.1.3  Recognize that the strength or usefulness of a scientific claim is evaluated through scientific argumentation, which depends on critical and logical thinking, and the active consideration of alternative scientific explanations to explain the data presented.

SC912.N.1.4  Identify sources of information and assess their reliability according to the strict standards of scientific investigation.

To implement this web quest you need:

• Prerequisite skills for students:  prior knowledge of internet search engines and hyperlinks


• Time:  1 week (5 science classes of 60 minutes each)


• Technology needs:  2 computers per group of 4 students

References:

http://www.zunal.com/ 

http://www.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Bloom/blooms_taxonomy.htm