A WebQuest is a discovery project for children that requires the use of Internet resources. A WebQuest can be a project for an individual or a cooperative learning group. The final product (known as the “Report”) of a WebQuest can take a variety of forms and is not necessarily a traditional written report.

Although WebQuests in general can have a variety of organizational structures, the WebQuest you develop for our class must follow the guidelines presented in the WebQuest chapter of Teaching Children Science (Abruscato).

General Directions:

1. Create the WebQuest.
2. Field test the WebQuest with one child and revise it. Note: If you are working with very young children sit with the child, read it and otherwise assist the child with the Internet search. For the purposes of the field testing the child does not have to complete the Report. We just want you to discover whether your WebQuest is inviting, well organized and will lead the child to resources that would potentially help him or her complete the Report.
3. Post the WebQuest on the Treasure Chest page by the due date assigned in class.
4. Try three WebQuests created by your peers and listed on the WebQuest Treasure Chest page. We will identify which ones you should try so that each member of our class has a WebQuest reviewed by at least three people.
5. Use the “mailto” link to share feedback with the developer. In your e-mail identify the strengths and weaknesses that you observe. You, of course, do not have to complete the Report portion of the WebQuests you review.
6. Prepare a 250-500 word analyis of your work that represents a frank analysis of your WebQuest. Note its strengths and weaknesses integrate the feedback you received through your personal field testing with a child as well as the feedback you gathered from the received e-mails.  At the end of your documentation identify the WebQuests prepared by peers that you personally reviewed and for which you provided e-mail feedback.
7. On the class day before our final class together submit a print-out of your WebQuest as well as the documentation to J. Abruscato. It will be graded check plus, check or check minus and then given to your UVM school supervisor who will integrate the grade into your final grade for the school practicum. Your supervisor will return the report to you with your other course documentation.

1. Read Chapter 8 "Science WebQuests" in Teaching Children Science, 5th edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2000 ISBN# 0-205-28410-8. (Abruscato).

2. Prepare a two or three page WebQuest that will take a child or group of children on an Internet exploration leading to the production of a "Report" by the child. Note very well that the "report" may take many forms including charts, graphs, poetry, a play, a labeled drawing, or a traditional written report. This product will not appear on the Internet as it is the child's response to the WebQuest and is prepared for the teacher.

3. Prepare a WebQuest that intellectually stimulating, and visually appealing and appropriate for the age/grade level for the child or children.

General Organization

1. The WebQuest that you will design and place on the Internet has two major components and should not occupy more than 2 or 3 pages that can be readily viewed on a computer screen. It will of course need to be written in HTML (hypertext programming language) or written and designed using a word processor that will convert it to HTML for you.
2. On the first line of the WebQuest note its title, general topic, and suggested grade level.
3. Follow #2 above with the WebQuest organized in this manner:
   

   I. Your Challenge (This part gets the student focused on the work to be done)
   

   A. Introduction (A paragraph for the student that motivates the student to do the WebQuest)
   B. The Challenge (A specific statement or group of statements that tell the student what they are expected to produce in their "Report." It is the statement that focuses the student on the task to be accomplished.)
   

   II. The Journey (This part guides the student to specifc places on the Internet that will enable him or her to complete the Challenge.)
   

   A. To get more information visit these sites. (List the names for the sites and the URLs.)
   B. To get even more information, use these key words with search engines. (List at least three words or terms that students could place in search engines.) A "mailto" link so teachers and others can provide you with feedback about the design of the WebQuest.

4. At the end of the the WebQuest include a "mailto" link so others can provide you with feedback about the design of yourWebQuest