The Tractor Shed

A Web Quest for 3rd Grade Whole Language


Introduction | Tasks | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Teacher Advice


 Introduction:

The tractor shed is where farmers spend many rainy winter days, tweaking and making adjustments to their tractors and equipment. Visit the McDaniel's tractor shed to see photos of antique tractors, then choose your favorite and paint it. Read about Johnny Tractor and his friends, then till on over to create a tractor tale of your own. For fun, sow farming terms in a crossword puzzle. Enjoy your day in the shed.

 The Tasks:

To become familiar with tractors, we will be" hooking up" to several different activities:

 The Process:

Plow through some fun sites to introduce you to various types of tractors. Be sure to keep plowing straight through each row in order to lay out  your field correctly.
1. Do you know what a Massey Ferguson looks like? What is an Allis Chalmers? Find out! Turn back in time in this Photo Album of tractors. See how far farming equipment has progressed in the past one hundred years.

2. Time and weather take a toll on the paint job of a tractor. Choose your favorite tractor and paint it your color of choice. Try to restore it to it's original color at the Paint Shop.

3. Idle through the pasture to the John Deere Kids page, by reading a story about Johnny Tractor and Friends. Does he do what you thought a tractor really did?

4. Did you like Johnny Tractor's adventures? Create your own Tractor Tales by inserting your favorite tractor, color, and friends. Then till it up and do it again!

5. In the spring, sowing is an important task for farmers. Test your sowing skills as you Sow Words in this crossword puzzle.

6. Crank up your tractor for these activities by viewing  Fun Farming power point presentation.

 The Evaluation:

Students will be evaluated according to the task completed. Student's will be graded on an individual basis.
 
 
Beginning

1

 Developing

2

 Accomplished

3

 Exemplary

4

 Score
Develop an appreciation of antique tractors.
Recognize antique tractors.
Recognize and name one antique tractor.
Recognize and name three antique tractors.
Recognize and name five antique tractors.
  
Choose and paint your favorite tractor.
Able to identify all colors.
Able to identify all colors and three tractors.
Able to identify all colors and four tractors.
Able to identify all colors and all tractors.
  
Read Johnny Tractor and Friends story.
Able to listen to the story.
Can read story with help.
Can read story independently.
Able to read story independently and comprehend it.
  
Create your own tractor tale.
Insert parts of the story with adults help.
Insert parts of the story with minimal help.
Insert parts of the story independently.
Able to insert parts of the story and modify and revise them.
  
Complete a farming crossword puzzle.
Cannot solve any descriptions.
Able to solve five descriptions.
Able to solve eight descriptions.
Able to solve all seventeen descriptions.

 Conclusion:

In this webquest you should have developed an appreciation of antique tractors. By successfully completing these tasks you will now have a new knowledge base of tractors and some of their attributes. I hope you enjoyed your day in the shed. Ya'll come back now, hear!

 Credits & References:

I would like to thank my partners, Amy Bobbitt and Shirley Wallace for their honest opinions. I would especially like to thank Stan  Holland for his unending computer knowledge and patience.

 Teacher Advice:

This lesson is designed as whole language activity for a third grade classroom setting. It could be used as a stand alone lesson or in conjunction with a farming unit.

Teacher or some adult assistance may be necessary during reading activities. The teacher may need to group students according to computer abilities in order to complete the activities.

One teacher could successfully complete this lesson. However, a Social Studies teacher could give insights as to the development of the tractor throughout history.

Dictionaries are optional during the Sowing Words activity.

According to the rubric, students will be graded on an individual basis. However, the webquest could easily be used in cooperative learning during the following activites: Johnny Tractor and Friends, Tractor Tale, and Sowing Words.

Varied critical thinking skills are included in this webquest. During the Paint Shop activity students must use decision making skills in selecting their tractor and paint color. Here, they also have an opportunity to revise and modify their previous selections. In the Tractor Tales activity, students have the opportunity to create, modify, and revise a story. While reading Johnny Tractor and Friends students can use predicting and visualizing skills.

The following is a small bibliography of children's literature that could be used with this lesson:

On The Farm  Eugene Booth
Click Clack, Moo Cows That Type  Doreen Cronin
Ten Big Farms  Dahlov Zorach Ipcar
The Farm  Solveig Paulsen Russell
Farm Machines  Nicolas Wykeham
Farmer Duck  Martin Waddell
Harris and Me  Gary Paulsen
The Barn  Avi
 
 

Created by Brandy L. McDaniel for EDU 506 @ FHU School of Education by Dr. Bruce Lewis  on December 4, 2001. Updated on February 11, 2002, due to Photo Gallery's move.