Day 6: Use Your Database

The Great Coaster Quest Challenge

  1. Divide into four-member Coaster Quest Teams, and then select a Coaster database that was created by one of your team members. This will be the database your team will use in competition. Important: Evaluate each team member’s database carefully before you make a selection. Check each database for accuracy, reliability, and completeness. Ask your teacher to guide you in this evaluation. Is the information correct? Did the student finish the database? Can you rely on it during competition? Let’s hope so!
  2. Write five Coaster Challenge Questions that can be answered by anyone in your class using any of the student-made databases. The other Coaster Quest Teams will try to answer your questions during competition. Craft the questions carefully. They should challenge the other teams to use multiple search strategies to locate, organize, analyze, and present their answers. Record each question on an index card—one question per card.
  3. Create a name for your team. Write your team name on each of the five question cards. (index cards) Your teacher must approve the questions before competition begins.
  4. The Day of the Challenge: Throw into a container all question cards generated by the teams. Mix them up well. Each team must gather around the team database, and then draw out five question cards. Return any question that was written by your own team. Your Coaster Quest Challenge is to work together as a team to correctly answer the questions before time is called. (Your teacher will determine the amount of time available for competition.) Record your answer and team name directly on the question card (index card). All question cards will be collected for scoring when time is called.
  5. Using a data projector, your teacher will display a student-made database, and together the class will answer and score all questions. Your teacher will make the final scoring decision – correct or incorrect. A scorekeeper will record one point for each team’s correct answer. The team with the most points wins the Great Coaster Quest Challenge Award.pdf!

Now that you are able to create a database from scratch, think about creating a personal database of information that interests you. Are you crazy about movies? Create a database of all your favorite flicks. Do you enjoy talking on the phone and writing letters to your friends and family? Make a database of their phone numbers and addresses! For example, Kyle spends his free time riding four-wheelers, so he started a collection of information on all his favorite models. Lauren has a huge collection of Barbie dolls from her childhood and started a database that looks like this.

 

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