As I have looked through several existing WebQuests I have come to realize that is takes a large amount of time and detail to design a good computer-based instructional object. There is also the realization that you need a large number of updated computers that will easily run the websites you have chosen. Many of the WebQuests I have seen list basic computer navigating skills as one of the lesson's objectives, but many students need pre-existing knowledge of internet navigation to be able to effectively steer their way through a WebQuest within the time constraints of the lesson. I have located a few that I have found interesting when considering content, but only one has really appealed to me on the whole. The WebQuest can be viewed at: http://schoolweb.missouri.edu/nixa.k12.mo.us/sullivan/GovernmentQuest/index.html
This activity is a Social Studies activity meant to introduce students to the 3 Branches of Government and the National Monuments that currently reside on the National Mall in Washington DC. When thinking in terms of this particular WebQuest there are several considerations that must be taken into account for students to be able to perform these tasks independently. The designer, Marcia Sullivan did a really good job coming up with objectives that are easily followed and accomplished by 3rd-5th grade students. Her Process Page has seven clearly laid out steps with simple activities to accompany them. When giving her students websites to research she does not overwhelm them with a huge list of potential sources. At the most she lists 4 websites to research and all of them are kids friendly. Many of the other WebQuests I viewed listed large numbers of websites, many of which were not user friendly for 3rd-5th grade students. This Government Quest included many different instructional strategies. Kids are initially put into cooperative groups and then were asked to choose specific roles within those groups. They are also given “activity pages” to help them organize their information and build on their prior knowledge as well as the knowledge they are acquiring along the quest. They are also given an assessment before they finish the last phase of their project. Mrs. Sullivan even inserts some Math into her Social Studies lesson, by having her students build a one inch scale model of the monument they design. To reiterate, this instructor included cooperative learning, scaffolding, coherent content, thoughtful discourse, practice and application activities, and goal-oriented assessment strategies. This is a really fun activity and seems to be easily carried out by an age appropriate audience like 8-11 year olds. For students to accomplish this WebQuest on their own, the teacher needs to be there for the first 4 tasks for support. The 5th and 6th tasks require her to have the ingredients for the model building materials. Then the final task requires her to assess her student’s overall performance. This WebQuest’s genius is in its simplicity! Here is one WebQuest that has a similar focus as the Government Quest above but is not organized as well or as user friendly: http://infosys.pls.uni.edu/nielsen/nielsen/wdcintro.html Here is a WebQuest that has a Social Studies Focus but might be a bit difficult for 3rd and 4th Graders. There is a lot of potential research sources that haven't been well reviewed in my opinion: http://www.lesdwebquests.org/conindex.html
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If you are a teacher and you have never taken advantage of the Smithsonian Institute's Website you are missing out! Not only do they have information on just about anything you can imagine, but they have teacher resources as well. If you are like me and you don't have your own classroom yet the site also has parent and student resources. It is a truly amazing resource for anyone. My favorite city in the United States is Washington D.C. and I love to visit the Smithsonian in person, but until I am able to visit again the website is a great substitute:)
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