Mr. Al E. Gator has developed the "swamp sickness" and has lost his memory.  He can no longer remember that he is an alligator, where he lives, what he likes to eat or anything about his wetland life.  Your job, as an "investiGATOR" is to aid Mr. Gator in regaining his memory by researching and reporting important facts on the American alligator. Get busy researching!  See ya' later, alligator!
 

After researching all possible facts on the American alligator, the investiGATOR will be able to:

• complete a KWL chart as a whole class and individually
• construct a "Gator Facts" slideshow using KID PIX
• compare and contrast the alligator and his cousin (the crocodile) by completing a Venn diagram
• listen to crocodile/alligator sound files and interpret and translate those sounds into the English language 
• construct a shoebox diorama of an alligator habitat using a shoebox and various other materials

With teacher guidance, you and your fellow "investiGATORs" will research alligator facts and information from various Internet websites.  Some activities will be completed on  your own and for some, you will be assigned a partner.

STEP 1  Your teacher will help you and your classmates create a "KWL" chart on what you know about alligators, what you want to learn about alligators, and after completing the webquest, what you have learned about alligators.  The classroom "KWL" chart will be posted on the bulletin board.  Each student will keep his/her individual "KWL" chart in portfolios.

STEP 2  Click on the alligator to see a "close-up" picture of a real alligator.   Using paper your teacher will give to you, draw the alligator pictured on this page.  Draw your alligator using your pencil.  Then, choose a drawing tool from the art table (crayons, markers, watercolor paints, colored pencils) to complete your illustration.  You may choose a name for your alligator. File this picture in your portfolio (you may need it to show Mr. Al E. Gator what he looks like).

STEP 3 
Since you do not want Mr. Al E. Gator to believe he is a crocodile instead of an alligator,  listen to  your teacher read a story to you about how alligators and crocodiles are alike and different.  For additional facts, click on the alligators below to learn more about alligators and crocodiles.

STEP 5  Click on the gator below to visit the website "Crocodile Talk".  Find a crocodile sound to listen to.  On a piece of paper, write what you think the crocodile would be saying if  he were speaking that sound in English.  Illustrate your paper and file in your portfolio.

STEP 6  Mr. Al E. Gator has great gator dreams of living at the North Pole (with Santa Claus), it is your job as an "investiGATOR" to provide Mr. Gator with information on the habitat of alligators.  You must use the knowledge you have gained so far to convince Mr. Gator that he needs a wetland habitat in order to survive. Construct a 3-D representation of an alligator habitat.   Create a shoebox diorama using the supplies located in the art center (shoebox, paint, construction paper, modeling clay, markers, plastic alligators, greenery).  Follow the steps listed below to create your alligator habitat.  (You can click on this alligator to see a picture of a wetland habitat.)

• Paint the outside and inside of a shoebox with tempera paint.
• Fill the inside of the shoebox with cut out objects to help create a wetland habitat.  You can layer the objects to create a 3-D effect.
• Write a description of what is in  your diorama.
• Place your diorama and story on the bookshelf.

STEP 8  Thanks to your hard work as an alligator investiGATOR, Mr. Gator now remembers all the facts concerning the alligator and his habitat.  Just in case Mr. Al E. Gator once again develops the swamp sickness, you must create a slide show using Kid Pix.  In your slide show, you must include/do the following:

• The first slide must contain the title of your slide show and your name.
• The next three slides must each contain an alligator fact and illustration to match the fact.
• Save the slide show to your own disk.
• Print a copy for your portfolio.

Check off each activity as you complete it. 
 

Did you....	YES	NO
Complete the KWL chart?
Illustrate the alligator using the drawing tools from the art table?
Complete the Venn diagram comparing alligators and crocodiles?
Listen to the crocodile sounds and write what you heard?
Construct a shoebox diorama of an alligator habitat?
Create an alligator facts slide show in Kid Pix?

As an alligator investiGATOR you have discovered helpful facts on the American alligator to help cure Mr. Gator's swamp sickness.  Keep all of these facts in mind in case you ever come across another sick alligator.

Clip Art Images provided by ClipartXtras.

GATOR RESOURCES:
Never Kiss an Alligtor by Colleen Stanley Bare
All About Alligtors by Jim Arnosky
Zoobooks (Alligators and Crocodiles)
Alligators and Crocodiles Erik D. Stoops and Debbie Lynne Stone