ATLANTIS - LibrarySparks...Atlantis that legendary ancient island society described by Plato which,...

WebquestIntroduction

Welcome, Global Geographic Society board members, to this quarterly meeting! As you know, we are here to select a worthy project to support with a generous grant for ongoing research. Our job is to support work that promises to extend knowledge of our world’s past and contribute to peace and prosperity in the present and future.

This quarter we will focus on a mystery that has fascinated people for many centuries. Atlantis—that legendary ancient island society described by Plato which, before its sudden, disastrous end, was described as highly advanced in technology, engineering, and commerce. Atlanteans supposedly grew bountiful crops; built amazing palaces, temples, tunnels, and bridges; traded with many parts of the world; and had a rich intellectual and cultural life. They enjoyed a mild climate and lived in peace for generations, until leaders became greedy and began to use their military might to attack other nations. Recent discoveries have brought new interest to the search for the ruins of Atlantis. Those ruins, if found, could teach us much about our history, world geography, and technologies that might enlighten us even today! But was Atlantis real? If so, where was it located? How was it destroyed? Are there ruins to be found that will help us learn what Atlanteans knew and how they lived? Did survivors of the disaster carry seeds of knowledge to other parts of the world? Three projects, searching for ruins in different locations, have applied for grants to continue their work. In this time of economic stress and tight budgets, we must be very sure that we commit the Society’s funds wisely. So your challenging task is to decide which—if any—of the projects to fund.

Task

You will start by watching a video and completing initial online research about Atlantis. Use the Web links to find the information you need. Once you’ve done your initial research, you will meet with fellow board members to share ideas and form groups to look carefully at one of the project applicants. Your project group will research further, then prepare and present your case. The board will vote for the most worthy project, or perhaps decide that none of the applicants deserves this grant. To conclude, you will write a short essay explaining your opinion about Atlantis and why you voted as you did.

ATLANTIS FOUND?Grades

4–5

November 2011 Web Resources • LibrarySparks • 1

by | Diane Findlay

Process

1. As a class, read the Introduction above and watch the video about the story of Atlantis at: http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/28708-discovery-atlantis-lost-city-of-atlantis-video.htm.

2. Gather your supplies—paper and pencil for taking notes—and claim a computer workstation.

3 Complete the Part I online worksheets on pages 4–6. Be sure to read the text in each prompt and between web links so you know exactly what you’re looking for on each site. Not all websites you’ll visit are written for kids, so you might need a dictionary. Print your worksheet when you’re done. Hint: Use the navigational tool on page 3 to click between worksheets.

4. Reconvene as a whole class. Now it’s time to look at the specific grant applicants.

• Applicant #1 is titled “Atlantis at Crete” and seeks funding to continue trying to prove that Atlantis was based on the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete.

• Applicant #2 is “Atlantis as Ireland” and wants to continue searching for evidence that Plato’s story originated in and around Ireland.

• Applicant #3 is “Atlantis in Southern Spain” and seeks to build on recent discoveries in the region around the Doña Ana Mud Flats in Spain.

5. Form groups based on your best guess about which project shows most promise of producing useful results. If you don’t want to guess, join a group with fewer students so the groups end up being nearly equal in size. Share thoughts and work in pairs or small groups to conduct additional online research, using the Application Grant Criteria worksheet on page 7, and the appropriate grant application (select one from page 8, 9, or 10, depending on the area that your group wishes to focus on). Print your two Part II worksheets (Application Grant Criteria worksheet and Applicant worksheet) when you’re done.

6. Based on your work with Part II, you may change groups once more, according to what you wish to recommend to the board. Work with your group to prepare your presentation for the Board and assign roles. Each group member will give part of the presentation. Your presentations should take no more than ten minutes, and summarize the arguments and evidence that support your applicant’s project. They will also express questions and concerns, and end with an overall group recommendation about whether or not to fund the project.

7. Give group presentations and have the entire Board vote for one of four possible actions: a project to fund one of the three applications, OR the option to fund none of them, suggesting a belief that Atlantis never existed or isn’t likely to be found.

8. Following all presentations, you will write a two-page opinion essay explaining your opinions about Atlantis and why you voted as you did. Be sure to include facts and examples in your essay, and to show that your opinion is based on facts and logical thinking.

9. Submit your finished work—your completed worksheets and essay—to the Board Chairperson (your teacher).

Webquest

2 • LibrarySparks • November 2011 Web Resources

Part

1 W

orks

heet

s

Click on the steps in the process map below to access directions and research worksheets.

1. Background and overview

3. If Atlantis did exist, what are the

main theories and likely locations?

Conclusion & Evaluation

2. Fact or Fiction?

Application Grant Criteria

3. Atlantis in

Southern Spain

2. Atlantis

as Ireland

1. Atlantis at Crete


Part 1

Webquest Quick GuideWebquest Quick GuidePa

rt 2

Wor

kshe

ets

Part 2

Name _____________________________________________________________________________

A. Review and round out what you learned from the video about the story of Atlantis by reading this

article, ending at the map and “Location…” section: www.unmuseum.org/atlantis.htm.

B. Summarize basic information supplied by Plato by filling in this chart, using information from

these websites. The first response has been completed for you.

• http://academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Atlantis (1st paragraph)

• www.digonsite.com/drdig/other/24.html (2nd paragraph of “Dr. Dig

Responds)

• www.pantheon.org/articles/a/atlantis.html (last two paragraphs)

• http://unxplained-factor.com/atlantis.htm (“Reason to Doubt” section,

paragraphs 3-6)

• www.mapforum.com/11/11atlant.htm (3rd paragraph. Note: “Asia Minor”

refers to the Anatolian peninsula in Turkey.)

• www.celticnetwork.com/culture/celtic-spirit/atlantis-ireland.html (3rd paragraph)


Quick GuidePa

rt 1

Part

1

click here for theQuick Guide

1. Background and overview

What?Ancient, advanced island city,

built in alternating rings of land and water, “swallowed by the sea”

Where?

When How Big?

Name _____________________________________________________________________________

A. Read these articles or sections of articles with opinions and arguments

about the basis for the Atlantis story:

• www.activemind.com/Mysterious/Topics/Atlantis/index.html

(1st paragraph)

• http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/archaeology/atlantis

• http://unxplained-factor.com/atlantis.htm (“Recent Discoveries” section, paragraphs 1 and 2

through the reference to pyramid builders)

• www.ancientsuns.com/ancient-earth/atlantis.php

B. Organize the arguments and evidence presented above about the basis for the Atlantis story using

this T-chart.

Did Atlantis Exist?

Yes, the story is based on a real place.

Argument or Evidence (list here)No, Atlantis never existed.

Argument or Evidence (list here)


Part

1

Part

1

Quick Guide click here for the

2. Fact or Fiction?

Quick Guide


Name _____________________________________________________________________________

A. Read the article at www.activemind.com/Mysterious/Topics/Atlantis/theories.html. The projects

we’ll consider for grant funding assume Atlantis is based on real places and actual events, so they

fall into either the second or the third explanation.

B. Watch this video: http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/solving-history-with-olly-steeds-the-atlantis-

mystery.html. What question does Olly Steeds leave you with? What do you think the answer

is? Does hearing about the disastrous earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March of 2011, and

seeing video of its destructive power on TV and the Internet, convince you that such a thing could

happen? Why or why not? Respond on these lines.

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Now print your completed Part 1 worksheets and continue your task with Process Step 4.

Part

1

Part

1

Quick Guide click here for theQuick Guide

3. If Atlantis did exist, what are the main theories

and likely locations?


Name _____________________________________________________________________________

Now it’s time to focus on one of the grant applicants. Work with your project group

to analyze the evidence and evaluate whether your project shows enough promise of

producing useful results to deserve grant money. As you research, keep in mind the

logical and geographical considerations included on the checklist below. Start with the

websites listed; try your own keyword searches to learn more if you have extra

time. Research and fill in the checklist for your group’s project and location only!

My Project/Location:

“X” if applies

Criteria Comments

Location that fits Plato’s story

Location with resources, conditions for rich development

Evidence of ruins that fit Plato’s description

Evidence of appropriate timing

Evidence of disaster to explain destruction

Evidence that survivors influenced other locations


Now continue to the appropriate applicant worksheet on page 8, 9, or 10.

Part

2

Part

2


Applicant Grant Criteria


Name _____________________________________________________________________________

Applicant #1 is titled “Atlantis at Crete” and seeks funding to continue trying to prove that

Atlantis was based on the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete. Start with these sites. If you

have extra time, use keyword searches (“Atlantis” with location, project head or scientist, etc.) to learn

more.

•Gotothemapyou’llfindathttp://mapsof.net/gibraltar, which shows the location of the Straits of

Gibralter(Plato’sPillarsofHercules),betweensouthernSpainandnorthernMorocco.Adjustthe

centerandzoominappropriatelytoshowbothGibralterandthesiteofyourproject.Printthemap

and mark your project’s location on it.

•www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/features/sinking-atlantis/the-fall-of-the-minoans/61

•http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/solving-history-with-olly-steeds-the-ruins-of-atlantis.html

Notes: ___________________________________________________________________________

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Part

2

Part

2


Applicant 1: Atlantis at Crete


Name _____________________________________________________________________________

Applicant #2 is “Atlantis as Ireland” and wants to continue searching for evidence that Plato’s

story originated in and around Ireland. Start with these sites. If you have extra time, use keyword

(“Atlantis” with location, project head or scientist, etc.) searches to learn more.




and mark your project’s location on it.

•http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/08/0819_040819_atlantis.html

•www.mythicalireland.com/ancientsites/tara/tara-atlantis.php (Read down to the “Folklore...” section)

•www.celticnetwork.com/culture/celtic-spirit/atlantis-ireland.html

Notes: ___________________________________________________________________________

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Part

2

Part

2


Applicant 2: Atlantis as Ireland


Name _____________________________________________________________________________

Applicant #3 is “Atlantis in Southern Spain” and seeks to build on recent discoveries in the

region around Cadiz. Start with these sites. If you have extra time, use keyword searches (“Atlantis”

with location, project head or scientist, etc.) to learn more.




andmarkyourproject’slocationonit.

•www.itechwhiz.com/2011/03/lost-city-of-atlantis-swamped-by.html

•http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/national-geographic-channel/specials-1/quakes-

tsunamis/ngc-where-was-atlantis.html

•http://planetgreen.discovery.com/travel-outdoors/japan-size-tsunami-buried-atlantis-spain.html

Notes: ___________________________________________________________________________

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Part

2

Part

2


Applicant 3: Atlantis in Southern Spain

ConclusionGood work, board members! I think we’ve made a wise decision that respects the need to use grant funds wisely, and we’ve had the fun of learning “the latest” in the fascinating search for the elusive Atlantis.

Here are some books and films you might enjoy about Atlantis and the search to solve ancient mysteries.

Fiction

• The Atlantis Complex (Artemus Fowl) by Eoin Colfer. Hyperion Books, 2010.

• Journey to Atlantis by Philip Roy. Ronsdale Press, 2009.

• Kid vs. Squid by Greg van Eekhout. Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books 2010.

• Looking for Atlantis by Colin Thompson. State Street Press, 2008. (Out of print but widely available)

• The Princesses of Atlantis by Lisa Williams Kline. Cricket Books, 2002.

• Secrets of the Deep (Ripley RBI, No. 4) by Kay Wilkins. Ripley Publishing, 2010.

• The Unsinkable Walker Bean by Aaron Renier. First Second, 2010.

Nonfiction

• Atlantis (The Mystery Library) by Don Nardo. Lucent Books, 2003.

• Atlantis (Unsolved Mysteries) by Ann Lewis. Rosen Publishing Group, 2001.

• Legends or Lies? by Gary Blackwood. Benchmark Books, 2009.

• Lost Worlds by John Howe.

• Strange Places (Amazing Mysteries) by Anne Rooney. W. B. Saunders, 2011.

• That’s Weird! Awesome Science Mysteries by Kendall Haven. Fulcrum Publishing, 2001.

Nonprint

• Atlantis: The Lost Civilization (Ancient Mysteries) hosted by James Lipton. A&E Home Video (Documentary DVD), 2006.

• Atlantis: The Lost Empire directed by Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale. Walt Disney Video (Feature film DVD), 2002.

Webquest


Atlantis Found? Webquest Evaluation

Your performance on this webquest will be evaluated based on your online research and worksheet, group work, and opinion essay. A maximum of 35 points is possible, including 3 discretionary points for overall outstanding effort.

Online Research and Worksheet Rubric

Beginning1

Developing2

Accomplished3

Excellent4

Following directions

Needed much help beyond written directions

Needed some help beyond written directions

Needed little help beyond written directions

Needed no help beyond written directions

Webquest worksheets

Not neat or complete; notes not appropriate to prompts

Mostly neat and complete; notes mostly appropriate to prompts

Neat and complete; notes appropriate to prompts

Rarely shares useful ideas, shows little positive attitude or courtesy

Group Work Rubric

Beginning1

Developing2

Accomplished3

Excellent4

Following directions

Group needed much help beyond written directions

Group needed some help beyond written directions

Group needed little help beyond written directions

Group needed no help beyond written directions

Individual participation in group

Little participation; no obvious contribution to presentation

Some participation; some obvious contribution to presentation

Good participation; obvious contribution to presentation

Excellent participation; obvious, meaningful contribution to presentation

Presentation Failed to clearly and accurately represent strengths and weaknesses of position; poor analysis, evaluation, and logic

Adequately represented strengths and weaknesses of position; fair analysis, evaluation, and logic

Clearly and accurately represented strengths and weaknesses of position; good analysis, evaluation, and logic

Very clearly and accurately represented strengths and weaknesses of position; skilled analysis evaluation, and logic

Personal Opinion Essay

Beginning1

Developing2

Accomplished3

Excellent4

Form Not neat; many errors in spelling, grammar, paragraph format

Fairly neat; some errors in spelling, grammar, paragraph format

Neat; few errors in spelling, grammar, paragraph format

Very neat; almost no errors in spelling, grammar, paragraph format

Content Little evidence of critical thinking; not fact based or convincing

Some critical thinking; somewhat fact based and convincing

Good critical thinking; fact based and convincing

Excellent critical thinking; fact based and very convincing

Interest and effort

Shows little effort or interest

Shows adequate effort and interest

Shows good effort and interest

Shows excellent effort and interest

12 • LibrarySparks • November 2011 Web Resources

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