Dive Into WebQuests: Reading, Writing, and Web 2.0
Engage learners in motivating, standards-based activities that promote deep thinking and creative communications. When you combine quality Internet resources and effective technology tools with the power of Web 2.0 applications, learning comes alive for students. WebQuests are an inquiry-based approach to addressing standards that place emphasis on motivating assignments, authentic assessments, and developing independent readers and writers. In this workshop, you'll learn to locate, evaluate, adapt, use, create, and co-produce your own WebQuests.
Get Started
Activity 1: Complete the "Making the Most of Technology" worksheet. What are other English and Language Arts teachers doing with technology? Explore the following pages. Pick three things you think are cool ideas.
- Ms. Hogue's Online English Resources
- Mrs. Bennett's Briefcase
- Mrs. Schulze
- Mr. Turtola
- Links to English Teacher Pages
- Links to Teacher Pages (Web English Teacher)
Activity 2: Complete the "Explore Thematic Resources" worksheet. Explore examples of materials gathered for an Utopian Society unit. Use the following websites to locate quality, online resources.
- Thinkfinity Resources
- Online Resources for English and Language Arts from Get FIT
- Web English Teacher by Carla Beard
- Internet Public Library: Literature
- Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators: Language Arts
- Awesome Library : Language Arts
- Literature Lessons from Outta Ray
- Read Write Think Lessons from IRA, NCTE
- EdSitement: Literature and Language Arts
- Scholastic - Language Arts Grades 6-8 or 9-12
- PBS Teachers - Reading and Language Arts
- New York Times Lessons: Language Arts, Journalism
- LessonLocator-Indiana (goes to Thinkfinity)
- LearnNC - search by topic and grade level
- Utah Education Network - English Teachers
- Wisconsin - search by topic and grade level
- Georgia - Choose Standards & Resources, then topic
Go to ReadWriteThink Interactives. Use an interactive. Use ALT-PRINT SCREEN to take a screen shot. Paste it into a Moodle posting, word processing, or presenation document. Add bubbles.
Activity 3: Complete the "Ladders of Your Own" worksheet. Wikipedia can often lead you to quality external links. Check out the List of writers.
Explore and Evaluate WebQuests
Activity 4: Explore WebQuest.org to see the "home" of WebQuests. Go to the Find WebQuests page and search the database or use the Curriculum x Grade Level Matrix.
Activity 5: Complete the WebQuest about WebQuests.
Activity 6: Complete the "Explore WebQuests" worksheet. Evaluate literature-based and communication skills WebQuests.
Learn more at Internet Expeditions: WebQuest Definition and Foundations and WebQuest Evaluation and Use.
Adapt WebQuests
Activity 7: Complete the "Adapt WebQuests" worksheet. Use the "Adapt Activities" handout for ideas to transform the assignments to a higher level. Choose one of the following topics. Explore multiple WebQuests on the same topic. Which elements do you think are most effective?
- Topic: The Giver - The Perfect Society, The Giver, WebQuest for The Giver, A WebQuest on Lois Lowry and The Giver, Give Jonas a New Home.
- Topic: Holocaust: Middle School - Remembering the Holocaust, The Holocaust, The Holocaust: Bullies, Victims and Allies a Web Based Learning Experience High School - Holocaust, Holocaust WebQuest, Remember the Holocaust, Remember the Holocaust.
- Topic: Renaissance - Renaissance 1, Renaissance 2, Renaissance 3, Renaissance 4, Renaissance 5, Renaissance 6
Learn more at Internet Expeditions: WebQuest Adaptation.
Create WebQuests
Activity 8: Examine the "WebQuest Template" and "Literature-based WebQuest" worksheet at the back of your handout packet. Complete the "WebQuest Starters" worksheet. Create an engaging introduction for your WebQuest.
Use the BOOK option in Moodle to create a Moodle-based WebQuest. Add the following topics: Introduction, Task, Process, Evaluation, and Conclusion.
Create a Wiki for your WebQuest and ask students to create wiki pages as part of their final project. Check out a couple works-in-progress: English Biz and Banned Books.
Activity 9: Complete the "WebQuest Topic" worksheet. Look at your topic with "new eyes."
Activity 10: Complete the "WebQuest Tasks" worksheet. Identify an interesting, doable task.
- Go to WebQuest Taskonomy and WebQuest Design Patterns for help identifying a task.
- Go to Literature-Rich Connections to explore possibilities for characters, plot, setting, and other ways to enhance your literaturebased WebQuest.
- Go to Connections to Literature Topics to examine genres and themes to focus your WebQuest.
Activity 11: Complete the "WebQuest Resources" worksheet.
- Go to Process and Products to location resources such as information skills, concept maps, interactives, e-scrapbooking projects, blogs, wikis, audio, and video.
- Go to Electronic Books and Online Reading: Middle Grades and Young Adults .
Activity 12: Complete the "WebQuest Processes" worksheet.
- Go to Process Guides: Student Guides for ideas that are useful in helping young people with the process.
- Use the Process Checklist to be sure your process is effective.
Activity 13: Complete the "Co-produce WebQuests " worksheet. Brainstorm opportunities for collaboration.
Activity 14: Examine the "Facets of Understanding" handouts. Examine your product. How can you increase understandings?
Learn more at Internet Expeditions: WebQuest Creation and WebQuest Co-Production
WebQuest Materials
If you want to go through the workshop materials systematically, use the following links:
- Internet Expeditions: Exploring, Using, Adapting, and Creating WebQuests
- Literature Ladders: WebQuests
- Get FIT: English and Language Arts