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Who Wants to be a Rock Star?
A WebQuest for 2nd Grade

INTRODUCTION
This webquest was designed specifically for second grade students and teachers in the Visalia Unified School District. It is the result of an effort to integrate technology into a unit of study designed to meet both the science content standards and technology standards as outlined by VUSD. Students have the opportunity to role-play and take part in a problem-solving activity culminating in the presentation of information to an audience.

This lesson will provide the students the motivation and the opportunity to learn basic facts about the three main types of rocks and their formation, the rock cycle, soil and its composition, and fossils and their importance to our understanding of our world. The completion of this webquest will also allow students to synthesize information and compile facts into a multimedia (KidPix®) presentation format; information will then be presented in the form of an "audition" to an audience with the hope of being selected to appear on a new television program.

A short (5 minute) introductory video is available for check-out from the Visalia Learning Center; this video captures the conversation of Roger Rocker and the producer of the Kids Science Network as they plan for their new television show "Who Wants to Be a Rock Star?" The video concludes with Roger challenging the students to begin researching and preparing for their auditions so they might be chosen for the show. Teachers may want to show this video to students and thereby set the stage for this webquest.

This is a new webquest that has not yet been used in a classroom; any and all comments/suggestions from classroom teachers are welcomed.

LEARNERS
The lesson is centered around the 2nd grade science standards and incorporates language arts standards as well (reading, writing, speaking). Students should have knowledge of basic internet navigation before beginning this unit. Ideally, students should also have prior knowledge of and practice in the use of Kid Pix 3®.

CURRICULUM STANDARDS
The VUSD second trimester content standards for Science in grade 2 include the investigation of rocks, soils, and fossils (listed below). The webquest is not designed to be an all-inclusive unit of study; as the VUSD benchmark rubrics indicate, additional experiences (i.e. hands-on investigations, collaborative discussions and experiments, direct teaching) would need to be provided in order for all areas to be adequately addressed.
This webquest is also designed to address the VUSD 2nd Grade technology standards. Second grade students will develop the skills to:

Open pull down menus in a program with a mouse
Select commands from pull down menus
Add clipart or photo images to enhance a piece of writing
Save files to a specified location

Although the webquest as written specifies the use of KidPix 3® as the presentation software to be used for the final product, teachers may alter this part of the activity to suit their specific classroom needs and/or resources. The grade 2 technology standards may be addressed with the use of any word processing and/or presentation software. For more information on KidPix 3® (ease of use, availability, cost options) see your tech coach.
Additional outcomes of this unit will include creative production, creative problem-solving, teamwork, collaboration, and compromise.

SECOND GRADE SCIENCE ESSENTIAL STANDARDS

EARTH SCIENCE: EARTH IS MADE OF MATERIALS THAT HAVE DISTINCT PROPERTIES AND PROVIDE RESOURCES FOR HUMAN ACTIVITIES.

Second Trimester

Know how to compare the physical properties of different kinds of rocks and know that rock is composed of different combinations of minerals.
Know smaller rocks come from the breakage and weathering of larger rocks.
Know that soil is made partly from weathered rock and partly from organic materials and that soils differ in their color, texture, capacity to retain water, and ability to support the growth of many kinds of plants.
Know that fossils provide evidence about the plants and animals that lived long ago and that scientists learn about the past history of Earth by studying fossils.

Second Trimester: Benchmarks

FAR BELOW/BELOW BASIC	BASIC	PROFICIENT	ADVANCED
Content Knowledge
Unable to compare the physical properties of different kinds of rocks and know that rock is composed of different combinations of minerals.	Inconsistently compares the physical properties of different kinds of rocks and know that rock is composed of different combination of minerals.	Compares the physical properties of different kinds of rocks and know that rock is composed of different combination of minerals that were brought together during the rock cycle.	Independently investigates and shows understanding of the physical properties of rocks and knowledge that rock is composed of different combination of minerals that were brought together during the rock cycle.
Unable to show understanding that smaller rocks come from the breakage and weathering of larger rocks.	Demonstrates partial understanding that smaller rocks come from the breakage and weathering of larger rocks.	Demonstrates understanding that smaller rocks come from the breakage and weathering of larger rocks.	Independently investigates and presents evidence that smaller rocks come from the breakage and weathering of larger rocks.
Unable to show understanding that soil is made partly from weathered rock and partly from organic materials and that soils differ in their color, texture, capacity to retain water, and ability to support the growth of many kinds of plants.	Demonstrates partial understanding that soil is made partly from weathered rock and partly from organic materials and that soils differ in their color, texture, capacity to retain water, and ability to support the growth of many kinds of plants.	Demonstrates understanding that soil is made partly from weathered rock and partly from organic materials and that soils differ in their color, texture, capacity to retain water, and ability to support the growth of many kinds of plants.	Independently investigates and presents evidence that soil is made partly from weathered rock and partly from organic materials and that soils differ in their color, texture, capacity to retain water, and ability to support the growth of many kinds of plants.
Unable to show understanding that fossils provide evidence about the plants and animals that lived long ago and that scientists learn about the past history of earth by studying fossils.	Shows partial understanding that fossils provide evidence about the plants and animals that lived long ago and that scientists learn about the past history of earth by studying fossils.	Shows understanding that fossils provide evidence about the plants and animals that lived long ago and that scientists learn about the past history of earth by studying fossils.	Independently investigate and presents evidence that fossils provide evidence about the plants and animals that lived long ago and that scientists learn about the past history of earth by studying fossils.
Scientific Process
Below – Unable to show an understanding and apply the scientific process, through observation, predictions, collections, analyzing and collecting data as appropriate.	Basic - Inconsistently able to understand and apply the scientific process, through observation, predictions, collections, analyzing and collecting data as appropriate.	Proficient – Able to understand and apply the scientific process, through observation, predictions, collections, analyzing and collecting data as appropriate.	Advanced –Independently able to understand and apply the scientific process, through observation, predictions, collections, analyzing and collecting data as appropriate.

PROCESS
This unit will involve several class periods over a period of three to four weeks. It is recommended that students work in groups of three for the purpose of accessing resources and gathering information. This work may be done in the classroom following a pre-determined schedule of computer use time, in a lab situation, or a combination of the two. The teacher may want to show the BrainPop videos in a whole-class format, thereby utilizing the pause functions and facilitating discussion, checking for understanding, and emphasizing important facts.
Worksheets are provided for the students to facilitate the gathering of important facts. The students can print the worksheets from the Resources page, or teachers may want to duplicate the worksheets ahead of time. Working in groups of three allows for specific task completion: one student navigates using the mouse/keyboard, one takes the written notes, and the third is in charge of monitoring the reading. Rocks Worksheet; Soils Worksheet; Fossils Worksheet.
All research should be completed prior to students beginning the task of compiling their KidPix slide show presentation. Teachers will want to have the students complete a storyboard on paper before beginning the KidPix work - teachers can then check for content and organization and ensure that computer time is used more effectively by the students.
The final presentation ("audition") is an important part of the process allowing students to role play and present information before an audience. The audience can be made up of other teachers and their classes, administrators, and parents.

RESOURCES
The print resources listed on the resources page are all available from the Visalia Learning Center. The BrainPop videos (linked on the resources page) contain dialogue and information delivered at a fairly rapid rate, therefore whole class viewing is recommended (at least for the first viewing) wherein the teacher can monitor the pace and the comprehension with frequent pauses. This can best be accomplished with the use of an LCD projection unit or computer connected to a TV. Subsequent viewings can be accomplished individually or in small groups. A similar approach can be taken with the United Streaming videos. KidPix 3® should be available on each computer. (As noted above, for more information on KidPix 3®, ease of use, availability, and cost options see your tech coach.) Saving student work to each school's instructional server (using the digital locker system) would greatly facilitate the completion of student projects and simplify the transfer of work from lab to classroom and/or between classroom computers.
If teachers have a rock collection in the classroom and have access to a digital camera, it might be helpful to take digital photos of various types of rocks, soils, and fossils and place in a folder for student use during the making of the multimedia projects. The following are un-labeled images from Google.com that may be helpful:
Rock Images; Soil Images; Fossil Images
Teachers may find it useful to enlist classroom aides and/or parent volunteers to supervise and assist with website navigation and computer issues.

EVALUATION
Two rubrics are included for evaluation purposes. The Cooperation and Group Work Rubric can be used by the teacher as a subjective measure of each student's contribution and effort toward the completed project. Evaluation will be primarily by teacher observation. The Research and Presentation Rubric serves as an objective measure of the students' collective learning. Evaluation will be based on the final product, the KidPix slide show and oral presentation ("audition"). It is recommended that both rubrics be made available to the students at the beginning of the project and that time be spent discussing the elements of each rubric; students will benefit from having a clear vision of the learning target.
Cooperation and Group Work Rubric (printer friendly version)
Research and Presentation Rubric (printer friendly version)

CONCLUSION
When the projects are completed, the students will have a greater understanding of the rocks, soils, and fossils and how each contributes to our world. They will also view the computer as a tool for searching for information and for producing written work (a multimedia project). They will also have gained experience in presenting information to an audience.

NEW in 2005
1) On the Video Resources page: Unfortunately BrainPop.com has become a subscription site only and no longer allows for free watching of 2 movies per day. However the movies referenced here are still every bit as valuable and so the links remain on this site for those teachers/schools that have subscriptions. For teachers/schools with subscriptions, click the video link to be directed to the BrainPop login page; once you log in, the selected movie will load. Keeping your web browser open will ensure that different BrainPop videos can be viewed without another logon. For those without membership, you are encouraged to try the 14-day free trial.

2) Added to this page are links to 3 outstanding video movies from an invaluable subscription site, United Streaming: "Geologist's Notebook: How to Make Mud Pie" (a look at soil composition), "Junior Geologist: Rocks and Minerals", and "Geologist's Notebook: Three Rocks". Visalia teachers, if you logon to United Streaming at the beginning of the day and don't log off, then the links will take you directly to the videos indicated; the videos will then stream. An alternate option would be to download the video for viewing later. For teachers and schools without a United Streaming subscription, you are encouraged to try the 30-day free trial.

3) Also added to the Web Resources page are 3 interactive sites from classzone.com. These sites are recommended for use with direct teacher involvement as the language is advanced and the interactivity begs discussion along the way. The visual images are powerful - you and your students are sure to enjoy and learn from these sites.

NEW in 2007-08

1) Our school district has adopted Macmillan/McGraw-Hill science curriculum; the MMH web resources include flash video and interactive web sites that address the 2nd grade Earth Science standards and compliment this webquest. These resources are included on the Video resources page.

2) Two additional web sites have been added in the "advanced reading" section of the Web Resources page - these pages are from www.fossil-facts-and-finds.com; although only 2 of the pages are directly linked here, teachers are encouraged to investigate and use this site and its wealth of information for additional resources (activities, hand-outs, lesson plans).

Rock on!