What is a webquest?
Bernie Dodge, the original designer, describes
a webquest as
"an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information
used by learners is drawn from the Web. WebQuests are designed to use
learners' time well, to focus on using information rather than looking
for it, and to support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis
and evaluation."
A webquest typically includes the following elements: An Introduction,
a presentation of the Task, a list of Resources, a step-by-step description
of the Process, a form or rubric for Evaluation, and a Conclusion that
summarizes what students have learned.
WebQuests were designed to bring together the most effective
instructional practices into one integrated student activity which emphasizes
critical thinking, constructivism, cooperative learning, authentic assessment,
and technology integration.
Webquest Collections
- Bernie
Dodge's The Webquest Page from San Diego University...the
creator of this wonderful idea. Learn all about webquests or go right
to the database
of Webquest projects. From here, you can even complete A Webquest About
Webquests for Grades
3-4 or Middle
School.
- San
Diego City Schools Webquests created by classroom
teachers as part of Triton and Patterns Professional Development Projects.
Over 700 curriculum units using the webquest model are divided into
projects by features, grade level and themes. You can link directly
to the webquests for Grades
6-8.
- Cyberguides from SCORE for Grades
6-8 are supplementary, standards-based, web-delivered units of instruction
centered on core works of literature. Many have a similar Webquest format.
Examples include Lincoln:
A Photobiography, Catherine
Called Birdy, Summer
of the Monkeys, and The
Giver.
- Creating
Webquests and Virtual Museums from Tech Teachers,
Inc.
- Sample
Webquests by Subject K-12 is indexed and annotated by a classroom
teacher and categorized into many themes for language arts, science
and social studies.
- Index
of webquests for each content area from Alleghany County, Maryland
- Webquests
from NCWiseOwl developed by teachers in North
Carolina for middle school students.
- TechTreker's Collection of Webquests categorized by subject area
- Teacher-designed
Webquests from Elmbrook, Wisconsin for Grades
4 and 5
- AEA267
Teacher Webquests are designed by teachers
as a means of sharing curriculum, networking with other teachers, and
demonstrating to parents and community members how the Internet can
be a resource to enhance student learning.
- Designing
Webquests walks classroom teachers through the steps of creating
a webquest. Find here, conveniently in one place, the basic tools for
constructing a web quest, including links to backgrounds, buttons, and
tons of clip art, all free for the downloading.
Examples of Specific Webquests
for Students in Grades 7-8
- Anthem,
A Utopian Society, based on the novel by Ann
Rand, challenges eighth graders to work with your group of brothers
and sisters to create the Utopian Society that Prometheus and Gaea might
have envisioned.
- Bay
Quest, An Internet Webquest on Chesapeake Bay Water Quality is an
impressive unit that integrates science, reading comprehension and writing
skills. Students take the roles of scientists, government liasons, fisherpeople,
and coastal residents to provide a comprehensive portfolio of information
on the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay for the client, Concerned
Coastal Citizens.
- Edgar
Allen Poe: Father of Horror tasks teams of
eighth grade students to research Poe's life and works to help the local
theatre consortium decide which of the six they will include in a Poe
Festival.
- Snapshot
in Time asks students to research and select
pictures and documents that best represent the culture of today's youth.
- Exploring
Biography, A Webquest for Middle School English Learners
simply but very effectively guides and supports students through the
process of reading and writing biographies. It is designed as a reading
lesson for English Learners at the advanced and bridging levels.
Hundreds of innovative teachers are
busily creating new Webquests every day and loading them up onto the Internet.
In order to find the latest and greatest regarding your special topic, you'll
be much better off using a good search engine to find one yourself. Follow
the directions below to quickly locate a webquest related to your classroom
themes and curriculum topics.
| Directions
for Locating a Webquest |
- Begin with a good search engine for teachers like
Google or
Dogpile
- Click in the empty white search box (not the address
bar at the top of the screen). In Northern Light, it's inside the yellow
box near the blue Search button; in Dogpile, it's near the top next
to the Fetch button.)
- Type your topic with a plus sign (+) directly in
front of it.
e.g. +bears or +whales
The plus sign forces the computer to look for this term.
- If your topic is a phrase (more than one word),
use quotation marks around the phrase and put a plus sign in front of
it.
e.g. +"Ancient Egypt"
The quotes force the computer to only search for the entire phrase,
not just one of the words in the phrase.
- Type a space and then type +webquest.
e.g. +bears +Webquest
e.g. +"Ancient Egypt" +webquest
- Click on the search button next to the search box.
In Northern Light, it's a blue button that says "Search";
in Dogpile, it's a grey button that says "Fetch".
- Your search results should include a few or many
Webquests about that topic. If there's a webquest
about it, you'll be able to find it if you follow these steps. If there's
none available, you may just be inspired to create one yourself. If
that's the case, look no further than this resource on Internet
Webquests to get you started.
This page last updated February, 2005.
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