Fibonacci WebQuest

by Elizabeth Ross Hubbell

This WebQuest is for 4th - 9th graders and simulates a historian traveling the world in search of early evidence for the Fibonacci Sequence, the Golden Rectangle, and the Golden Spiral. The student keeps track of information in the provided Historian's Journal, creates two didactic materials to better understand the concepts, and writes an article to submit to a fictional historical magazine or journal. The entire unit could take two weeks to one month, depending on classtime alloted and the ability of the students.

Though the terminology typically found in WebQuests is not spelled out in this Quest, the correlations go as follows:

The Introduction is given on the Home Page, as well as the Task which is to travel the world in search of proof that the ancients had knowledge of the Fibonacci sequence, beginning on the Airplane and ending in Cairo.

The Process is the inquiry that happens in the various activities as the student "travels."

The Evaluation is to write an article for a history magazine and create two didactic materials.

Audience

• Math or Geometry students in grades 4– 9
• Staff Development for math/science
• Pre-service teacher training
  

Environment

• 10 – 20 students
• LCD projector, large screen, printer, and computer needed
• various paints, a paint brush, a fine-point Sharpie® and one pinecone per student
• art foam, string, scissors, and ruler for each student
• art foam can be found at any craft supply store such as Hobby Lobby or Michael's
• pinecones can also be found at craft supply stores or at www.pinecones.com
  

Teacher's Role

The teacher needs to be available to provide support for searching for dates of the Parthenon, the Mona Lisa, and the Pyramids of Egypt. The teacher may also be needed for support, especially during drawing or creation of materials.

Objectives

1. COLORADO MATH CONTENT STANDARD 2: Students use algebraic methods to explore, model, and describe patterns and functions involving numbers, shapes, data, and graphs in problem-solving situations and communicate the reasoning used in solving these problems.
2. COLORADO MATH CONTENT STANDARD 4: Students use geometric concepts, properties, and relationships in problem-solving situations and communicate the reasoning used in solving these problems.
3. COLORADO SCIENCE CONTENT STANDARD 6: Students understand that science involves a particular way of knowing and understand common connections among scientific disciplines.
4. Students will be able to find examples of mathematical patterns in nature.
5. Students will write a paragraph telling of the history of the Fibonacci sequence and its use in art, architecture, and nature.

ISTE NETS addressed (http://cnets.iste.org):
Students 5
Teachers II
Administrators II

Assessment
Student knowledge will be assessed by the journals entries, didactic materials that are created, and a written article for a history magazine. The products will be assessed by a rubric, which should be presented to the students prior to beginning the WebQuest.