Introduction

You have just gone to live with your uncle for the summer. He lives in a large house and much of it is not used. One day you begin to explore the house and are shocked at what you find! There is a greenhouse that has not been used in years! You can tell that someone used to take care of it but now all the plants are dead. You tell your uncle and he says that you can be in charge of bringing it back to life! In this WebQuest, based on the book and movie The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, you will research different types of flowers and plants and find out what you would like to plant in your very own Secret Garden!

In this WebQuest you will want to research different plants and flowers. You will need to pay attention to the climate that the plant grows best in, how much the plant costs and the color of the plant. You will have $25 (fake money!) to spend on your garden. You will need to complete the chart below in which you will fill in information based on your choices. You will also complete a worksheet. A link to the online worksheet is provided.

The Process

1. Form groups of four.
2. Visit one or more of the websites below and research at least 4 plants to put in your garden (one for each person):

www.botany.com
www.selectseeds.com/
www.hardyplants.com/statelist.htm

3. Once you have found a plant or flower that you would like to have in your Secret Garden answer these questions about it:

a. What is the name of your plant or flower?
b. What type of climate does your plant or flower need to survive?
c. What color is your plant or flower (primarily)?
d. How much does your plant or flower cost?
e. Why did you choose this plant or flower?
f. What websites did you visit to find out about your plant or flower(s)?

To research cost, you might want to visit these websites:

www.burpee.com
www.outsidepride.com
www.gurneys.com

4. Once you have researched these items, fill in the table found here.
5. Next you will want to sketch your Secret Garden. You can do it by hand or on a computer program such as Microsoft Paint or Appleworks Painting/Drawing.
6. For extra credit, you can complete the worksheet found at:

www.cnps.org/kidstuff/kidstuff.htm

7. Print out your table, sketch and worksheet (if you completed it for extra credit) and turn in to the teacher.

Below you will find the assessment rubric. An assessment rubric is a tool used by teachers to determine how well you have completed the task.

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Score
Did the student research at least one flower or plant?	The student did not research a plant or flower.	The student researched at least one flower or plant but did not find all of the information required.	The student researched at least one flower or plant and found all of the information required.
Did the student sketch his/her own Secret Garden?	The student refused to use a computer program to sketch and turned in a pencil sketch of their Secret Garden.	The student used a computer program but did not recognizably sketch their Secret Garden.	The student used a computer program to sketch their Secret Garden.
Did the student work well in his/her group?	The student did not get along well with group and often refused to participate	The student worked well in the group but had troubles staying on task and got distracted easily.	The student worked very well in the group and stayed on task.
Did the student use at least one website to learn about his/her plant or flower?	The student did not use the web to find out about the plant or flower of their choice.	The student only used one website to learn about the plant or flower of their choice.	The student used more that one resource on the web to find out about the plant and flower(s) of their choice.

Now that you and your group have completed this Webquest, you should know a little bit more about a few flowers. Maybe you can go home and encourage your parents to start a family flower garden and with all the knowledge you have, you might be able to answer some of the questions they have. Also, please feel free to visit any of the websites listed above that you might not have used for your project. Here are a few more websites that you can visit just for fun! In these sites you will be able to decorate your computer at home with pictures of flowers as well as email flower pictures to your friends!

Teachers! Click on the link above to get more information about this WebQuest!