In this WebQuest, students will conduct internet research to learn more about Virginia's rocks and fossils. They also will write a school newspaper or magazine article about Virginia's geologic past. Their project will include making a geologic time scale or a geologic map of Virginia to include in their article.
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As students conduct their research, they will answer
a set of questions that have been provided. Each Web
site has some of the answers, but several of the questions
may require information from two or more of the Web
sites.
As students compile information to answer the questions,
they also will gather the information needed to write
their article. The article will include general information
about Virginia’s rock and fossil discoveries,
as well as the geologic time period that the rocks
are dated to. Each student will include a geologic
time scale or geologic map to help them illustrate
their findings.
Objectives
- Classify Virginia’s rocks according to geologic
time period.
- Research fossils that have been discovered in
Virginia and what geologic time period they are
associated with.
- Write a newspaper or magazine article related
to Virginia's geologic past.
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Two class periods to research and write article
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As students progress through the list of Web sites,
you may help them focus on what they need to know
to answer the questions. Several of the Web sites
have links to other Web sites with relevant information.
If time allows, you may want to allow students to
further explore subjects related to Virginia’s
rocks and fossils. Always supervise students
carefully as they search the internet.
Students will then continue with their internet research
to gather information that they will use to write
a newspaper or magazine article that discusses Virginia’s
geologic past. They should specifically discuss the
rocks and fossils found in Virginia and indicate in
which geologic period they were formed. You may want
to encourage students to divide their article by geographic
province. They also need to construct a geologic time
scale or geologic map to help illustrate the key points
of their article.
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Students will use the Internet links provided to find out about the geology of Virginia.
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Have students review the rubric
to determine how they will be scored on this WebQuest.
You may assign 10 points
to each of the five questions for a total of 50 possible
points. Possible answers to the questions are given
below. You may rate the answer to each question
by the following scale: Excellent: 9-10 points; Very
Good: 7-8 points; Good: 5-6 points; Satisfactory:
3-4 points; Poor: 1-2 points; and Unsatisfactory:
0 points.
Possible Answers
to Questions about Virginia’s Rocks and Fossils
Student answers will vary.
- Igneous rocks form when the rock solidifies from
magma. Students should include how sedimentary and
metamorphic rocks form in their answers as well.
- The answer can be found on the Web site titled
"Virginia Geology and Fossils."
- One of the answers is the Mississippian period.
The other answer can be found on the Web site titled
"Virginia Geology and Fossils."
- Students should indicate the species name. It
is commonly referred to as a scallop. It dates back
to the Miocene Epoch.
- Students should discuss the process of relative
dating.
At the end of this WebQuest, students will have gathered enough
information to answer the questions about Virginia's
rocks and fossils. They also will be able to accurately
discuss Virginia's geologic past in a magazine or
newspaper article. Completion of this WebQuest will
help students prepare for the Virginia Standards of
Learning test for Earth Science standard ES.10d.
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