Process

The Process

This WebQuest is a team effort - you need each other to solve the mystery of the dying coral reefs and to put the blame on the proper party. You will work together in a group of three to complete each of the four phases. By the end of this WebQuest you should have a plausible explanation for this terrible situation. However, your responsibilities as experts will not end with a general explanation.

If the coral reef destruction occurred due to an unnatural factor, you will need to come up with a solution to stop this killing of coral reefs. The three of you are, after all, the best of the best, that's why you were assigned to this case. A report from such a highly esteemed team could result in dramatic change.

We need to solve this mystery as soon as we can. We have a grave situation on our hands and millions of lives (of marine organisms) are depending on the three of you! In order to crack this case, there are four phases your team will need to go through:

Phase 1

Background Research

A background-information page has been prepared and should be visited and completed by each member of your three person group. The Coral Reef Rescue Squad Organization is desperately seeking help in the mission to save the coral reefs. Each one of you has been recruited and hired by the Coral Reef Rescue Squad Organization for a different reason. However, in order to do your job well you must build up a strong understanding of the current coral reef situation by conducting some background research.

Here's a clue, to start you off: There is more than one cause of coral reef death, but up to this point we have always been able to identify and catch the culprit. We know this is something different because the coral reefs turn white (as if they lost their color) before they die and their death is rather slow. Keep these bits of information in mind as you begin your investigation, they may prove extremely important in the end.

Background-information page

Phase 2

Experts Come Alive

The three of you are a team of experts, each one of you specializing in a different field. As a team, you need to decide who will play each role. Keep in mind that all three areas of expertise are necessary to crack this case!

Expert on Coral Reefs: You know anything and everything about coral reefs (after doing some research, of course). It is your responsibility to gather any information you feel

is relevant to solve this mystery and share it with the rest of your team.

Expert on Algae: You live, sleep, eat, and breathe algae. You love it. This love and a lot of research have made you this team's algae expert. Algae is an important organism to consider in this study because it is found in every ocean that coral reefs are found in and can almost always be found in actual coral reefs. You have been asked to look specifically at zooxanthellae, a very important algae associated with corals and coral reefs. You must continue your algal research now, looking primarily at this relationship between algae and coral reefs.

Expert on Symbiotic Relationships: You have a deep understanding of what it means to work as a team. You have dedicated your life to understanding how and why symbiotic relationships occur, and now is your time to shine. Do a little more researching and then bring your information to the table - the team can't do this without you!

If you haven't already done so, click on the name of the expert you have become and begin your individual research. Each individual group member needs to research the Web sites under his/her category and take notes on what he/she thinks may help to find out who is killing the coral reefs. Remember, your teammates and the world are depending on you! Everything that you contribute to your research will help your group to solve the mystery of the coral reefs.

Phase 3

Bring it Back Together

OK team, time is up. Now you all need to share and combine what you learned on the Internet. With the notes you took and the knowledge you gained, inform your teammates about your area of study. It is very important that each team member pay close attention to the findings of the others. It will be helpful for you to know at what points the information begins to overlap in order to make the most out of your joint effort.

1. Starting with the Coral Reef Expert, go one-by-one around the group, each expert explaining their findings, uninterrupted, to the group. While the Expert is speaking, the other team members are listening carefully and taking notes.

2. Discuss. No one person is an expert on everything, so ask questions and share information that you have you have gathered. The information that you come up with in this discussion session will be the information you use to fill out the police report. You are building a case against a destructive force, consider how many coral reefs have died already! If this case is not as strong as it can be, the culprit may get away and the killing will go on. These are the questions the Organization wants you to answer individually:

Who is the most likely culprit?

How has the culprit caused the death of these coral reefs?

What are the secondary effects of dying coral reefs?

Can anything be done to stop the killing? If so, what?

3. Compare your answers, and as a group make a list of answers that you all agree on. If anyone does not agree for ANY reason, go back and discuss again. As experts your internal sense of right and wrong is more acute than the average individual, so if something doesn't "feel" right, there is a good chance it isn't right. Take another look, as a team, and when you're confident in your overall group findings, move onto Phase 4.

Phase 4

And the Culprit Is...

Working together, your team will now have to fill out the police report. This is a time when everyone needs to be paying very close attention to detail - one mistake and the culprit could walk free. This is the part of the mystery that your group evaluation will be graded on. While you are an expert in your field you will need to share your expertise with your teammates in order to write a full and complete group police report.

Police report