Your teacher has divided you into several Expert Teams.  Each Team has a special garden topic to investigate.  Follow the directions below to begin your Expert Team work.  When you've finished, your Team will report to the class on what you've learned.  To see what you will be graded on, go to the Evaluation portion of this WebQuest.
 

All Expert Teams should do Activities 1, 2, and 3.

1. Talk About Our Garden's Theme
Let's talk about the theme of our garden (If you'd like to look up the meaning of "theme" in an online dictionary, click on the word).  A theme will make our school garden special and different from other gardens. 

As we said earlier, our garden will be a relaxing and educational place for everyone.  One word that describes a quiet, peaceful place is sanctuary (Click on the word, look it up, and read definition Number 4).

Our school garden will also be a place for learning.  If our theme was Learning Sanctuary, what kind of a place would our garden be?  Talk about it with your group for a minute...we'll discuss it again later as a class.

2. Take A Look At What We'll Be Doing
Many other schools have planted gardens, too. See a slide show about another classroom's school garden!

3. Review What We Know About Plants
Work on a HyperStudio activity.
Work carefully as a group, because you will receive a grade for the number of correct answers you choose.
 

Now Go to the Activity for your Expert Team
Remember, your Expert Team will report to the class on what you learn.  Each member of your Expert Team must take part in the presentation.

• Soil Expert Team
  Your job is to become experts on soil and how it helps plants grow.  Click on the tree to go to a soil activity.  Do Mystery #1 and #2.
  Your assignment: successfully complete the activity.  Create a presentation poster showing what you've learned.  Your poster should show how soil helps plants grow.

• Weather Expert Team
  Your job is to become experts on the weather.  Click on the cloud to do an observation activity.  Then click on the music note to hear a song about weather words.  Be sure to read all the lyrics of the song. 
  Your assignment: create a presentation poster showing six of the words you learned.  Describe how each weather word affects plants.

• Location Expert Team
  Your job is to become experts on the location for our garden.  Print out a worksheet.  Take it and the supplies you need outside to the location for our garden. 
  Your assignment: successfully complete the worksheet.  Make a presentation poster showing what you've learned.

• Budget Expert Team
  Your job is to become experts on our garden budget.  Click on the hand to print out a worksheet.  Get ready to practice your math!
  Your assignment: successfully complete the worksheet.  Make a presentation poster showing what you've learned. 

• Tools Expert Team
  Your job is to become experts on the tools we need to plant and take care of our garden.  Click on the yellow sign to print out a worksheet.  Then click on the book to go to an online dictionary and look up the definitions.  Experiment with the tools your teacher gives you.
  Your assignment: successfully complete the worksheet.  Practice using the tools correctly.  Make a presentation poster showing what you've learned.  During your presentation, show the class how to use the tools.
  

Designing Our Learning Sanctuary

Congratulations!  You've successfully completed the Expert Team tasks and shared what you've learned with the class.  Now we're all Garden Experts!

We're ready to design our Learning Sanctuary.  Read the following sentences to help get you started.

General Guidelines
Your teacher will help the class create the final plan for our garden.
The purpose of our Learning Sanctuary is to create a place where we all can learn and relax.
Our garden must fit within the space allowed.
We can only spend the amount of money available.
People of all ages and physical abilities must be able to enjoy our garden.
Your teacher will help the class choose the plants to put in the garden.

Important Questions to Keep in Mind
What plants will we use?
When will we begin planting?
What are the different steps in planting a garden? What will we do first?
What do we need to do to take care of our garden?
What would you like to do to help plant our Learning Sanctuary?