WebQuest: Troubled Waters – Save the Great Barrier Reef

The Quest:

It is the not too distant future. You are one of the top marine biologists in the world and you have been called to Australia for an urgent international meeting of scientists and environmentalists. The Great Barrier Reef is in trouble. It is losing its brilliant colors. You have to find out why. You also have to find out how to stop it. Once you’ve figured the problem out, you have to explain it to the public. It is up to you to make clear how important the Great Barrier Reef is, so everyone will want to protect it.

Your Tasks:

1. Watch the Great Barrier Reef Video. It contains information all about the Reef that will help you with your mission.  
2. Now that you are familiar with the Reef, it’s time to take an online tour of it. Visit Great Barrier Reef Pictures to see what it looks like when it is healthy.
3. Let’s contrast that healthy reef with an unhealthy one. Visit ReefBase where you will see a photo gallery of coral reefs around the world that have lost their color. This problem is bigger than we thought! 
4. Read this online article about Coral Bleaching. It may hold the key to the Great Barrier Reef’s future problem. 
5. Finally visit, 25 Ways to Prevent Coral Bleaching.
6. Now that you have gathered all of your facts, it is time to prepare your report to inform the public. Write a short paper that explains:

• Why the Great Barrier Reef is important
• Why a coral reef loses its color
• What can be done to stop this problem

Conclusion:

Your report is a huge success. It inspired both a book and a documentary feature. An international fund has been set up, in your name, to help protect the world’s coral reefs. It just goes to show, one person CAN make a difference!

Extras for Educators:

Troubled Waters is a great webquest for middle school students. The lesson combines social studies with natural science as children assume the role of marine biologists to learn about the Great Barrier Reef and how to best preserve it.  There is a great deal of additional information online concerning coral reefs and their importance. Discovery Education has produced a Coral Reef Lesson Plan for Middle School Students. It contains informative links, suggested reading, discussion questions, and vocabulary words. National Geographic offers a Middle School Lesson Plan About Coral Bleaching.  This lesson plan places an emphasis on geography and biology. Students are encouraged to debate whether human contact should be restricted around vulnerable coral reefs.