A WebQuest for preservice students.
Designed by

Joyce Morris, Ed.D.
jmorris@zoo.uvm.edu
 
 

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Teacher Page

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Background Information

A WebQuest is an inquiry oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web. Web Quests are designed to use learners' time well, to focus on gathering and interpreting information rather than looking for it, and to support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation.

WebQuests were developed by Bernie Dodge at San Diego State University.  His site at  http://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquest.html  contains a matrix of subject and age grouped WebQuests as well as supporting information about webquests.

Critical Attributes of WebQuests

Web Quests of either short or long duration are deliberately designed to make the best use of a learner's time. There is questionable educational benefit in having learners surfing the net without a clear task in mind, and most schools must ration student connect time severely. To achieve that efficiency and clarity of purpose, Web Quests should contain at least the following parts:

1. An introduction that sets the stage and provides some background information.
2. A task that is doable and interesting.
3. A set of information sources needed to complete the task. Many (though not necessarily all) of the resources are embedded in the Web Quest document itself as anchors pointing to information on the World Wide Web. Information sources might include web documents, experts available via e-mail or real-time conferencing, searchable databases on the net, and books and other documents physically available in the learner's setting. Because pointers to resources are included, the learner is not left to wander through webspace completely adrift.
4. A description of the process the learners should go through in accomplishing the task. The process should be broken out into clearly described steps.
5. Some guidance on how to organize the information acquired. This can take the form of guiding questions, or directions to complete organizational frameworks such as timelines, concept maps, or cause-and-effect diagrams.
6. A conclusion that brings closure to the quest, reminds the learners about what they've learned, and perhaps encourages them to extend the experience into other domains.
(the  information above has been copied or adapted from http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec596/about_webquests.html, by Bernie Dodge, San Diego State  University.

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Some other good examples of webquests can also be found at:

• WebQuests created by teachers from the Burlington School District in Vermont http://www.bsdvt.org/webquest/
• Created by students at UVM in Elementary Education during the Inquiry Block http://www.uvm.edu/~inquiryb
• Shrocks Guide of WebQuests http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/webquest/webquest.html
• WebQuests written by Memphis K-12 teachers http://www.memphis-schools.k12.tn.us/admin/tlapages/web_que.htm
• Saskatoon East School District in Canada.  http://sesd.sk.ca/teacherresource/webquest/webquest.htm

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It is Fall 2002 and you have just been chosen to participate in the selection of a new and most prestigious award in children's literature, the Mekkelsen Author Award. As an  elementary school teacher with a master's degree in children's literature , you have expertise in this particular area. It is very important to select the best authors because book clubs, schools, and the general public depend on your recommendations when selecting reading material for their children. 

You have been appointed to work with a group of  teachers that teach in the same grade as you.   Your task is to  select 4 authors that write children's books  that are most appropriate for your grade, and submit these, along with a rationale for each of your selections, to professor Mekkelsen for consideration. You are not submitting a list of 4 books, but authors, because they are the one's who receive the award. You should compare their writing styles, structure, and genre and also list  the names of books you would recommend for classroom use written by the author. (see below for specific criteria to use). 

• First form your groups based upon the grade you are working with in your field placement. 
• Brainstorm authors and refer to some of the links in the online resources below,  to identify possible authors.  Read critiques about their books and look to see if they have won any major book awards.
• Examine some of the actual stories themselves from your Instructor's library.
• In making your final selection, consider the following criteria:
• awards won
• genre
• absence of gender bias in stories
• multiculturally inclusive 
• developmentally appropriate
• age appropriate
• reading level
• do illustrations support text
• quality of illustrations
• strong story structure
• what the critics have said
• other books the author has written
• You will prepare a presentation about the four authors you have selected and an explanation identifying why these particular four authors were chosen by your group.  Show at least one of their books and some phrases that characterize their style of writing.
• Finally, after you have finished your authorquest, you are going to create one for a school child, and then use the webquest with him/her to assess your webquest questions and activities. You may wish to download a webquest template to help you get started. 
• Each person in your group is to create a webquest suitable for a child in the grade of their field placement using one of the selected authors that received the Mekkelsen Author's Award. Create a 10 question webquest for your students. You may focus on the author or a story. To see some examples check out:

• Science Webquests from the Inquiry Block
• Burlington Vermont Web Quests
• Bernie Dodge Webquest Page
• K-1 example (Where's my Teddy?)
• 1-2 example (Be a Web Site Sleuth)
• 2-3 example (In Search of Stellaluna's Family)
• 3-4 example (Stranded, The Island of the Blue Dolphins)
• 4-5 example (Author Study Web Quest)
• Middle school examples
• Author Cards
• Award Winning Novel Study
• Edgar Allen Poe, Father of Horror
• Literary Fan Club
• The Logan Files

Online Resources

• Children's Literature Page
• Hall Kids Authors.com - Children Literature 
• www.fireandwater.com | authors 
• BookJackets.com 
• Yahooligans- Read Across America 
• KidsBookshelf - Bringing children and books together 
• Yahooligans! - School Bell:Language Arts:Authors 
• Kino's Storytime Books by Title:
• Accelerated ReadTest List Report
• Directory to Kino's Storytime

Madame Mekkelsen will use the following criteria when assessing your selection

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Presentation Identification of criteria used to select  authors	no consistent criteria used	few criteria used although consistently used	some criteria used and consistently used	all criteria used in a consistent way awards won absence of gender bias multiculturally inclusive  developmentally appropriate age appropriate reading level do illustrations support text quality of illustrations strong story structure other books the author has written what the critics have said
Degree and depth of research to back decisions	little research evident	some research present but it is  narrowly represented and  little credibility	Some documentation of resources with good array of resources	Documentation of Resources  that support selection of authors Variety of resources  Quality resources used
Ability to offer specific examples of author's style from their stories	No examples offered and those do not demonstrate author's style	Few examples offered and those do not demonstrate author's style	Some examples offered and that  demonstrate author's style, some do not	Examples offered and they accurately demonstrate author's style
Organization of Presentation	No or little preparation evident.	Organization could be better. Not everyone participated. Selection process not clear.	Well organized but selection process could be clearer. Everyone Participated	Very well Organized. Everyone Participated Easy to follow selection process
Student Webquest
Quality of Questions	Questions are poor, off target and of little variation	Some questions are good, some poor with little variation	Questions are satisfactory and some variation is present	Questions are excellent, some requiring problem solving, some description, some answer factual information.
Suitability of sites included/Information and grade appropriate	Information on sites is not age/level appropriate	Information on most  sites is not age/level appropriate	Information on sites are mostly age/level appropriate	information on all sites is  age/level appropriate
Spelling, grammar and visual organization	Numerous grammatical and spelling errors in webquest and visually  poor.	Some grammatical and spelling errors in webquest and visually satisfactory.	Few grammatical or spelling errors in webquest and visually pleasing	No grammatical or spelling errors in webquest and visually  appealing
Relevant to Author Study.	Webquest is not about a children's author	Webquest is about an author but questions don't  help children learn more about the author's style	Webquest asks some  questions about Author and increases children's awareness of their other books and style.	Webquest asks some  questions about Author and increases children's awareness of their other books and style.
Feedback from K-12 students	Not included	Little feedback	Some Feedback but questions asked were not included	Students questions included, More than one student asked to complete the webquest
Rubric for assessing student's success	Not included	Not relevant to questions asked	Relevant but incomplete	Relevant to questions asked and assesses student learning.
Self reflection about assignment	Not included	Not reflective	Some reflection	Thoughtful reflection

Put a couple of sentences here that summarize what your K-12 students will have accomplished or learned by completing this activity or lesson. You might also include some rhetorical questions or additional links to encourage them to extend their thinking into other content beyond this lesson.

• Bernie Dodge at SanDiego State University and all the educators who created and shared their webquests, thank you for your work.