Based on the ever-popular MysteryQuest developed by Berrien County RESA in Michigan, this project is designed for 3rd and 4th grade students studying animals. Through video conference technology, students are able to meet other students in from MAGPI member schools while learning about the habitats, habits and structure of various animals. Prior to the video conference each classroom will create a presentation with clues about a mystery animal. The other classrooms, using the Internet, textbooks, prior knowledge and other resources, try to discover the identity of the mystery animal.

Program Outline:

• Welcome and Introductions (10 Minutes)
  Each site will have 1 minute to introduce their school. Introductions should be creative and should include: the school’s name, where the school is located, class information and interesting fact about your school or community.
• Classroom Presentations (25 Minutes)
  Each school will have 3-4 minutes to present their clues. Please see “CREATING YOUR PRESENTATION”
• The Quest (25 Minutes)
  All sites will mute. Students can use all resources at their disposal (except an adult’s prior knowledge!) to determine the mystery animals.
• Question & Answer Session (10 Minutes)
  This section will be tightly moderated. Each team will be allowed to ask each classroom one question. Each school should come up with a question for all the other classrooms. The questions should be 'eliminating' questions. In other words if the students believe the animal is this or that, they pose a question that eliminates one. The questions should be "yes or no" questions only! In addition, do not ask, "Is your animal an alligator?" as this type of question gives it away for the rest of the schools.
• Re-Evaluation (5 Minutes)
  Schools will have 5 minutes to re-evaluate their answers based on the Q&A Session.
• Guess! (5 Minutes)
  All schools will reveal their guesses.
• Big Reveal! (5 Minutes)
  All schools will reveal their mystery animal!

Pre-Videoconference Activities:

• Select Your Mystery Animal: Select your mystery animal and email your selection to Heather Weisse Walsh at hweisse@magpi.net and she can check for duplicates. Your selection is due 2 weeks prior to your videoconference program.
• Create your Presentation!
  Your class will have 3-4 minutes to present clues about your mystery animal. Your presentation should include the following clues:
  • Is your animal a mammal, a reptile, an insect, bird or fish?
  • Where in the world does your animal live?
  • What kind of habitat does your animal live in?
  • What does your animal’s house look like?
  • What does your animal look like? (Use descriptive words - - don’t show a picture!)
  • What color is your animal?
  • How big is your animal?
  • How much does your animal weigh?
  • What does your animal eat?
  • How does your animal protect itself from its enemies?
  • What is so interesting about your animal?

• Divide Students into Teams!
  Divide your students into five teams. Each team will be responsible for discovering one mystery location presented by the other classrooms. The students will have 25 minutes after the completion of all presentations to match the classrooms with their corresponding mystery animals using the Internet, encyclopedias, etc. Each student should have a copy of the NOTE TAKING HANDOUT [PDF].

• Familiarize Students with the Agenda:
  Go over the agenda with students so that they understand the process for the day. If possible, take along a poster of the agenda to post in your distance learning room to help students keep on track during the day. Files of the agenda with the different start times are available on the agenda page online.

• PRACTICE!
  Have students practice the presentation. Time the presentation to make sure it is 4 minutes or less. Emphasize speaking slowly, loudly and clearly. The biggest issue with this project is audio. Remind students that everyone else is listening carefully to their presentation to take notes. The goal is to have the other students clearly hear the clues and be able to record the information. Communicating the clues understandably is crucial! If students are reading clues, have them read from note cards instead of paper. Rustling paper during a video conference can make it impossible to hear the clue.

• Get Ready for the BIG REVEAL!
  Prepare a visual (maybe a costume?) to reveal the answer to your presentation. If possible write down the name of the animal to show on the document camera or with a big poster so that other schools can easily tell whether or not they got it correct. Be creative here!

Post-Videoconference Activities:

• Reflect: Have students write a written reflection about the program or conduct a classroom dialogue with students. Some questions to consider: what did they like about the project? What new facts did they learn? What did they learn about research? What surprised them about the other schools’ presentations?

National Educational Standards:

Participation in this program meets science education content standards as outlined by the Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education:

• Students will understand characteristics of organisms; life cycles of organisms; and organisms and environments