Can you survive in the wilderness? What skills should you have to stay alive? Would you like to win a chance at a true four day survival experience in the Mojave Desert? This is your big chance. Your goal is to find out the information that will be necessary to survive. The best researchers in the 4th and 5th grades will win the contest. The prize is an all expense paid (not including food or accommodations) trip for four to the Mojave Desert. It will last four days and three nights!! Do you and your teammates have what it takes to SURVIVE?? In each group there will be a Native American historian, Eco-Expert, Meteorologist, and Map Expert. Form your groups and start your research. May the best team win!!!

The Task

Before leaving on the trip your team will research survival strategies and the Mojave Desert. You will have four jobs to choose from: Eco-Expert, Meteorologist, Tour Guide, Historian. Which job would you like? Your team will research, develop the project, and make a group presentation based on your findings. Short job descriptions: Eco-Expert: Should be an expert on the animals, plants, and climate of the desert terrain. Meteorologist: As the weather expert should have knowledge of the severe weather possible in the Mojave Desert. Tour Guide: As the guide for the expedition, should be knowledgeable about maps and compasses. Historian: Should be able to provide information about Native Americans in Southern Nevada.

You are a very important part of your team. You will have to research different animals, plants, and the climate in order to understand where you will go. Your knowledge of these topics is imperative to your survival. Follow the steps below to become an Eco-Expert.

1.

Print the Eco- Expert Worksheet. Use this as your guide to help you organize the information you gather.

3.4.

Your plane has crashed in a desert biome known as the Mojave Desert. You are going to have to know about the climate in order to survive. Use the following websites to find information about the desert climate: Desert Biome , Planet Oz Kids , Blue Planet Biomes

2.

You will learn about ECOSYSTEMS and BIOMES. Go to Geography 4 Kids . Read the information and fill in your worksheet.

Find out some information about the animals and plants that you may see: Digital Desert Animals , Blue Planet Biomes Windows to the Universe , Digital Desert Plants , Desert #3 , Planet Oz Kids

Meteorologist2What kind of weather conditions should you prepare and pack for? Head over to Mojave Weather Data and record your findings on your worksheet.

Expert on weather patterns1Become Wise About Weather and use this worksheet as your guide!

3

What makes the Mojave Desert a desert?

4

How might a Drought affect your chance of survival?

5

Make sure you know some common Weather Lingo before you go on a trip!

6Use what you know about Clouds to predict the forecast.

Tour GuideStart

It is your responsibility to guide your group in the right direction. Compass and map skills will help ensure your safe trip. Complete the research worksheet. The resources below will help you.

Research Worksheet

End

Your knowledge on the first inhabitants of the Mohave Desert will greatly help the chances of your teams survival. With your expertise your team will have an understanding of the early inhabitants of America and the desert they live in. 2Learn more about the Mohave Indians by clicking the canoeing Native Americans Answer the questions on the given worksheet

1

Print the Historian Expert worksheet. Use this as your guide to help you organize the information you gather.

3

To complete the map visit VIEW THESE

4

5

The uses of native plants to the Mojave Desert allowed the Native American to survive here. Find out how these plants were used HERE. CRESOTE, MESQUITE, PINYON PINE

Learn about the Native languages and different tribes of the Mohave Indians

Conclusion

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!You and your team have proven that you are indeed ready for this survival trip. Job well done on winning the prize of a lifetime, a four day trip to the Mojave Desert!!!! Now that you have won the prize how will you apply your newfound expertise of surviving the desert?

Resourceshttp://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/mojave_desert.htm http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/drought/kids_whatisadrought.htm http://drought.unl.edu/kids/impacts/affects.htm http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-clouds.htm http://www.geography4kids.com/files/land_ecosystem.html

http://ths.sps.lane.edu/biomes/desert3/desert3.html#climatehttp://www.planetozkids.com/Ace_Detectives/ghostmine/casenotes/mojave-desert-more-information.html http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/mojave_desert.htm http://digital-desert.com/wildlife/ http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/desert_eco.html&edu=mid http://mojavedesert.net/mojave-indians/ http://mojavedesert.net/plant-use/ http://mojavedesert.net/languages/ http://digital-desert.com/regions/ http://mojavedesert.net/description.html

EvaluationCompletion 4 Student gave accurate and thoughtful answers to all questions. All questions were attempted and sufficient effort was made to answer them. 3 Student gave accurate and thoughtful answers to most questions. All questions were attempted and sufficient effort was made to answer them.

How will you be graded?2 Student gave accurate and thoughtful answers to some questions. Some questions were not attempted or insufficient effort was made to answer them. 1

All questions were not answered completely.

______

Process: Teamwork

The team worked well It is evident that a mutual effort The team had problems together, but could have and cohesive unit created the working together. Little utilized each other's skills to final product. collaboration occurred. a better degree.

The final product is not the result of a collaborative effort. The group showed no evidence of collaboration.

______

Grammar, Format , and Spelling

The final body of work had The final body of work was free The final body of work had The final body of work had 3 errors related to grammar, of grammar, spelling, and 4-6 grammar, spelling, major grammar, spelling, spelling, and formatting formatting errors. and formatting errors. and formatting errors. errors.

______

Working With Web Sources

Students always actively examined documents and made sufficient effort in understanding or interpreting their significance.

Students usually actively examined documents or mostly made sufficient effort in understanding or interpreting their significance.

Students sometimes actively examined documents or sometimes made sufficient effort in understanding or interpreting their significance.

Students rarely actively examined documents or did not make sufficient effort in understanding or interpreting their significance.

_______

Before you turn in your completed group Survival Guide, print the Student Self-Evaluation & Checklist. Re-check your work and make sure it is your best!