Tasks with an Interesting Story
Some tasks are just more interesting than others. Compare these WebQuests. What are the learning goals of each?
Which would your students rather try? How does the level of thinking compare?
Stuart Little and Simple Machines VS Simple Machines WebQuest
Raft Rescue VS The Scientific Method
Which would your students rather try? How does the level of thinking compare?
Stuart Little and Simple Machines VS Simple Machines WebQuest
Raft Rescue VS The Scientific Method
Tasks that Appeal to your Students
Can you develop a task around a topic your students find timely and interesting?
Rock the Vote
Listening to this I Believe
Rock the Vote
Listening to this I Believe
Tasks that are Truly Authentic
Design a garden for a space at the school. Grow School Greens
Convince your school board to implement BYOD (bring your own technology device).
Debate the changes to school lunch. Make recommendations to the cafeteria personal for foods that will meet the criteria and appeal to teens.
Create a plan for your school to help students become heart healthy.
Convince your school board to implement BYOD (bring your own technology device).
Debate the changes to school lunch. Make recommendations to the cafeteria personal for foods that will meet the criteria and appeal to teens.
Create a plan for your school to help students become heart healthy.
Beware the Bogus Task
Can this situation really happen? Might such a task be misleading to students? What might be a better task for the same content?
The Solar System
The Solar System
The WebQuest that lasts forever....
A WebQuest doesn't have to be long to be effective. Is your WebQuest of a reasonable length for your curriculum?
What is that WebQuest really about?
Not all WebQuest are "about" what they appear. What learning goals might be met with the following WebQuest?
King Tut: Was it Murder?
Compare this WebQuest to the following Smarter Balance Assessment released item. This assessment is being developed to assess the
Common Core Standards. In what ways might the King Tut WebQuest help students prepare for a test question like this one? Examine the rubric for the test item. Would it be useful when completing this WebQuest?
Language Arts Grade 8 Released Items --- Scroll to page 19.
King Tut: Was it Murder?
Compare this WebQuest to the following Smarter Balance Assessment released item. This assessment is being developed to assess the
Common Core Standards. In what ways might the King Tut WebQuest help students prepare for a test question like this one? Examine the rubric for the test item. Would it be useful when completing this WebQuest?
Language Arts Grade 8 Released Items --- Scroll to page 19.
WebQuest Task Ideas from Common Core Released Items
In fact the Smarter Balance Assessment Released Items might serve as a inspiration for a great WebQuest task. This is true not just
for Math and Language Arts, but for Social Studies and Science as well. How might a WebQuest in these subject areas help students reach Common
Core Standards?
Language Arts Grade 8 Fan Fiction --- Scroll to page 23. This assessment asks students to write a piece of fanfiction - a story written by a fan of an original work that contains the characters and/or settings of the original work.
Language Arts Grade 7 Historical Fiction ---Scroll to page 24. Students write a piece of historical fiction. What common core standards are addressed in this item?
Mathematics Grade 7 - City Centers --- Scroll to page 29. How might this idea be converted to a WebQuest task?
Mathematics Grade 7 - Bedroom Remodeling --- Scroll to page 43. How similar is this released items to the following WebQuests?
Trading Spaces or Trading Places
for Math and Language Arts, but for Social Studies and Science as well. How might a WebQuest in these subject areas help students reach Common
Core Standards?
Language Arts Grade 8 Fan Fiction --- Scroll to page 23. This assessment asks students to write a piece of fanfiction - a story written by a fan of an original work that contains the characters and/or settings of the original work.
Language Arts Grade 7 Historical Fiction ---Scroll to page 24. Students write a piece of historical fiction. What common core standards are addressed in this item?
Mathematics Grade 7 - City Centers --- Scroll to page 29. How might this idea be converted to a WebQuest task?
Mathematics Grade 7 - Bedroom Remodeling --- Scroll to page 43. How similar is this released items to the following WebQuests?
Trading Spaces or Trading Places
Process Points to Ponder
WebQuests Involve Collaboration
A good WebQuest asks students to participate in meaningful cooperative learning. The eMINTS WebQuest Rubric descriptor states:
Students work in groups or pairs, with interdependency and individual accountability required for task completion.
Cooperative Learning Resources
Students work in groups or pairs, with interdependency and individual accountability required for task completion.
Cooperative Learning Resources
WebQuests and the Web
WebQuests take advantage of the timeliness and interactivity of the web. Good web resources are provided to students, limiting their need for
web searches. Resources should provide a variety of levels of information to provide for diverse student needs. The following descriptors from the eMINTS WebQuest Rubric describe the use of web resources:
eThemes
WebQuest Seed Sites
web searches. Resources should provide a variety of levels of information to provide for diverse student needs. The following descriptors from the eMINTS WebQuest Rubric describe the use of web resources:
- Five or more resources are identified (including specific offline resources) that aid students with the specified task.
- Resources are well organized to aid student research: resources are annotated and/or listed separately by student role or task and type of information.
- Process sections take into account diverse students’ needs (linguistic, cultural, etc.) and provide optional resources to access, processes to engage in, and products to create.
eThemes
WebQuest Seed Sites
Scaffolding for Success
Students may needs some assistance along the way in order to successfully complete a WebQuest task. Scaffolds can be provided to help students with the skills required. Reception Scaffolds help students gather and organize information. Examples might include help for students when interviewing someone, a timeline students can use to record events, note-taking guides, or organizational charts. Transformation Scaffolds help students understand and process the information from their research. Examples might include charts to help students evaluate and guide decision-making, Venn diagrams, or cause and effect maps. Production Scaffolds aid students as they create a product. Examples include presentation templates, story maps, multimedia story boards. The trick to good scaffolding to help students just enough, but still leave the higher level thinking in place.
Graphic Organizers
Reception Scaffolds
Transformation Scaffolds
Production Scaffolds
Graphic Organizers
Reception Scaffolds
Transformation Scaffolds
Production Scaffolds
WebQuests and Online Tools
Online tools can prove invaluable in the WebQuest Process in order to help students:
- Organize Information
- Organize group members and responsibilities with action plans, calendars, checklists
- Collaborate on research or create a common product
- Process information with concept mapping tools
- Product creation
Image from Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/istargazer/848218756/sizes/m/in/photostream/