WebQuests for Elementary Students

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WebQuests forElementary Students

• Melanie Natal Lewis
• Bonne École Elementary Slidell, LA
• LACUE December 2003

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What is a WebQuest?
A WebQuest is an inquiry-orientated activity in
which some or all of the information that
learners interact with comes from resources on
the Internet. Bernie Dodge San Diego State Unive
rsity
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The Fathers of WebQuests
Bernie Dodge and Tom Marsh have been working
since early 1995 to develop the WebQuest as one
strategy for effectively integrating the Web into
classroom instruction.
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Why WebQuests?

• Critical Thinking
• Cooperative Learning
• Authentic Assessment
• Technology Integration

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Student Motivation

• A central question that needs answering
• The students confront the real world
• The students work cooperatively with each other

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Problems

• No computers
• One Computer with Net Access
• One Computer no Net Access
• Few Computers

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Critical Attributes

• Introduction
• Task
• Information Sources
• Process
• Guidance
• Conclusion

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Types of WebQuests

• Short Term WebQuests
• Longer Term WebQuests

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Long Term WebQuest

• Thinking skills that are utilized
• Comparing
• Classifying
• Inducing
• Deducting
• Abstraction

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Characteristics of a Good WebQuest

• Must have a hook
• Material that is age and ability appropriate
• Can be collaborative
• Highly visual
• Easy to use
• Closely relates to other class materials
• Should have some sort of built-in evaluation
  mechanism.

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Why bother with WebQuests?

• Makes learning fun for students
• Students work at their own pace
• Great for classes with various learning
  abilities
  
• Offer dynamic approach to teaching research
  skills
  
• Students become creative researchers

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Go/No Go Questions

• Topic worth the time and effort?
• Level of potential learning worth the effort?
• Are YOU excited about the activity?
• Does the web offer quality sites?
• Is it busy work?
• Should it be a Scavenger Hunt instead?

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Melanies Website

• www.bookladymel.com