Standards
The lessons in the web quest are aligned with technology, literacy, social studies, world languages and mathematics standards.
Technology Standards
National Education Technology Standards Grades 3 - 5 http://cnets.iste.org/currstands/cstands-netss.html
Performance Indicators:
5. Use technology tools (e.g. multimedia authoring, presentation, Web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (3, 4)
7. Use telecommunications and online resources (e.g., e-mail, online disucssoins, Web environments) to participate in collaborative problem-solving activities for the purpose of developing solutions or products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (4, 5)
10. Evaluate the accuracy, relevance, appropriateness, comprehensiveness, and bias of electronic information sources. (6)
English Language Arts Standards
National Council of Teachers of English -http://www.ncte.org/about/over/standards/110846.htm
1. Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
Social Studies Standards - Early Grades
National Council for the Social Studies - http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/
Performance Expectations
I. Culture
a. explore and describe similarities and differences in the ways groups, societies, and cultures address similar human needs and concerns;
b. give examples of how experiences may be interpreted differently by people from diverse cultural perspectives and frames of reference;
II. Time, Continuity, and Change
a. demonstrate an understanding that different people may describe the same event or situation in diverse ways, citing reasons for the differences in views;
c. compare and contrast different stories or accounts about past events, people, places, or situations, identifying how they contribute to our understanding of the past;
e. demonstrate an understanding that people in different times and places view the world differently;
f. use knowledge of facts and concepts drawn from history, along with elements of historical inquiry, to inform decision making about and action-taking on public issues.
III. People, Places, and Environments
c. use appropriate resources, data sources, and geographic tools such as atlases, data bases, grid systems, charts, graphs, and maps to generate, manipulate, and interpret information;
IV. Individual Development and Identity
h. work independently and cooperatively to accomplish goals.
V. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
e. identify and describe examples of tension between an individual's beliefs and government policies and laws;
f. give examples of the role of institutions in furthering both continuity and change;
g. show how groups and institutions work to meet individual needs and promote the common good, and identify examples of where they fail to do so.
VI. Power, Authority, and Governance
a. examine the rights and responsibilities of the individual in relation to his or her social group, such as family, peer group, and school class;
f. identify and describe factors that contribute to cooperation and cause disputes within and among groups and nations;
h. recognize and give examples of the tensions between the wants and needs of individuals and groups, and concepts such as fairness, equity, and justice.
VII. Production, Distribution, and Consumption
b. distinguish between needs and wants;
IX. Global Connection
b. give examples of conflict, cooperation, and interdependence among individuals, groups, and nations;
d. explore causes, consequences, and possible solutions to persistent, contemporary, and emerging global issues, such as pollution and endangered species;
e. examine the relationships and tensions between personal wants and needs and various global concerns, such as use of imported oil, land use, and environmental protection;
f. investigate concerns, issues, standards, and conflicts related to universal human rights, such as the treatment of children, religious groups, and effects of war.
X. Civic Ideals and Practices
a. identify key ideals of the United States' democratic republican form of government, such as individual human dignity, liberty, justice, equality, and the rule of law, and discuss their application in specific situations;
b. identify examples of rights and responsibilities of citizens;
c. locate, access, organize, and apply information about an issue of public concern from multiple points of view;
d. identify and practice selected forms of civic discussion and participation consistent with the ideals of citizens in a democratic republic;
e. explain actions citizens can take to influence public policy decisions;
i. describe how public policies are used to address issues of public concern;
j. recognize and interpret how the "common good" can be strengthened through various forms of citizen action.
World Languages Standards National Standards for Foreign Language Education - http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3392 Communication in Languages Other than English Standard 1.2 Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics Connections: Connect with Other Disciplines and Acquire Information Standard 3.1 Students reinforce and futher their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language Standard 3.2 Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foriegn language and its cultures Communities: Participate in Multilingual Communities at Home & Around the World Standard 5.1 Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting
Mathematics Curricular Focal Points and Connections Grade 5
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics - http://www.nctm.org/standards/focalpoints.aspxid=334&ekmensel=c580fa7b_10_52_334_7
Data Analysis: Students apply their understanding of whole numbers, fractions, and decimals as they construct and analyze double-bar and line graphs and use ordered pairs on coordinate grids.
Number and Operations: Building on their work in grade 4, students extend their understanding of place value to numbers through millions and millionths in various\ contexts. They apply what they know about multiplication of whole numbers to larger numbers