Unit 1 WebQuest Project
Lions, Tigers, and Bears
Are you ready to join a team of animal experts?
As part of your application to be the zoo's new coordinator, you must
complete several challenging tasks. You'll make decisions about what
animals to purchase for the zoo based on financial information provided
to you. You'll gather specific data about the animals you choose, including
their weight and expected lifespan. Finally, you'll present your findings
to the hiring committee. So pack up your gear and don't forget your
algebra tool kit. This adventure is going to be wild!
As you begin to go through the hiring process,
we have briefly described each challenge that lies before you. The Process
section has a detailed description of each challenge. Also, the Guidance
section has some helpful hints, and the Resource
section has useful Web sites for you to use. So what are you waiting
for? Let’s get started!
First, read a letter from the zoo Animals Inc. The letter is found in
the Process section. Then, create a spreadsheet
according to the request of the zoo.
Zoo Challenge 2:
Next, research the average weight, lifespan, and gestation and/or incubation
period of each animal in your newly created zoo.
Zoo Challenge 3:
Last, create a presentation that explains why you chose each particular
animal for the new zoo. You will give this presentation to your classmates,
the board members of Animals Inc.
Below is a detailed description of each
Zoo Challenge 1:
For your first challenge, Animals Inc. wants you to choose the animals
you think should be in their zoo. First, you need to read the letter
Animals Inc. sent to you. Within this letter, you will find all of the
information you will need to construct your zoo.
we would like to thank you for applying for the Zoo Coordinator position
at Animals Inc. As part of your application process, we have created
a challenge that we want you to tackle. Below is a description of the
Animals Inc. has $1,000,000 to purchase animals
for their new zoo. The animals you are allowed to purchase and their
prices are listed below. You must be within $1,000 of the $1,000,000,
and you must purchase at least 10 different animals. When purchasing
an animal keep in mind the following:
- the gender of the animal (do you want all males, all females, or
an even balance?);
- the number of each type of animal you would like to purchase; and
- your reasoning for purchasing that animal.
| Bearded Dragon
|| Snapping Turtle
Once you have chosen your animals, create a spreadsheet
of your purchases.
Next, write an expression for each type of animal
purchased that represents the total amount of dollars spent purchasing
Good luck, be creative, but most of all, have fun!
With Sincere Gratitude,
Animals Inc. Hiring Staff
Zoo Challenge 2:
Once you have chosen the animals you want to purchase for your zoo,
you will need to:
- Use the Internet to research the average weight, the average lifespan,
and the average gestation and/or incubation period for each chosen
- Create one chart that displays all of your collected data. Your
chart should include the following:
- the name of each animal;
- the average weight of each animal;
- the average lifespan of each animal; and
- the average gestation and/or incubation period of each animal.
- Create a graph for the average weight, the average life span, and
the average gestation and/or incubation period. You will have a total
of 3 graphs. You must have a box-and-whisker plot and a bar graph.
Choose a different graph for the remaining set of data.
Upon completing your research, answer the following
- What is the mean, median, and mode of the amount spent to purchase
- What is the mean, median, and mode for the average weight of the
- What is the mean, median, and mode for the average lifespan of the
- What is the mean, median, and mode for the average gestation period?
Zoo Challenge 3:
Now it is time to put all of your information together and create a
presentation. Your presentation should include:
- a listing of the animals you chose and an explanation of why you
- a picture of each animal you chose in your presentation; and
- your spreadsheet, calculations, and graphs.
In addition, you should make use of the following
vocabulary words in your presentation: range, scale, mean, median, upper
quartile, lower quartile, upper extreme, lower extreme, interquartile
range, x-axis, and y-axis.
Keep in mind that you will be reporting your results
to the Animals Inc. board (your peers and teacher), so be organized
and creative! Remember that the Guidance section
has helpful hints, and the Resource section
has useful websites
If you are having difficulties with a particular
challenge, you have come to the right place! Below are some helpful hints
for each challenge from the staff at Animals Inc.
Your spreadsheet should include the following:
- each type of animal purchased;
- the total amount spent on each category of purchased animals; and
- the total amount spent.
Remember, when writing expressions, you need a defined
variable, numbers, and at least one operation. For example, an expression
for the total amount spent on zebras might be $15,000z, where z = total
number of zebras purchased.
Zoo Challenge 2:
- An animal’s gestation period is the amount of time the animal
carries the infant in the womb. If an animal hatches from an egg, the
animal’s incubation period is the amount of time the animal spends
in the egg before hatching.
- In addition to using a box-and-whisker plot and a bar graph, you
can use any of the following types of graphs: stem-and-leaf plot, histogram,
frequency table, or line plot. Chapter 2 gives examples of each type
- The mean is the arithmetic average of a set of data. See
- The median is the middle number in a set of data when the
data is in numerical order. See Lesson 2-4.
- The mode is the number(s) that appears most often. See Lesson
Zoo Challenge 3:
Some of the presentations that you could create are:
- a PowerPoint® presentation,
- a poster,
- a video,
- a newspaper/magazine article, or
- a professional portfolio.
Listed below are some helpful Web sites.
Remember, you are not limited to these Web sites. Instead, they are
simply a starting point in your research.
Kids Go Wild
Sedgwick County Zoo
Congratulations! After looking through each applicant's presentation, we are delighted to say that we want you to be one of our new Zoo Coordinators. Without a doubt, your ability to graph data, find the mean, median, and mode of data, and solve real life problems is outstanding, and we are excited to see what other mathematical talents you have buried within you! We hope you have enjoyed this experience, and we are excited to have you on the new Animals Inc. team!