Your Own Title

(This web quest template will help you to create effective, engaging activities using theInternet in you classroom. It offers a simple "replace the sample text" format to make creating your own web quest as simple as possible.

Modify the appropriate version of this file in Word (WQtemplate.doc) or in Netscape Composer (WQtemplate.htm) and replace/expand existing text with your own content.

For instance, replace the title placeholder above and then replace this paragraph with a brief description of your web quest. You could complete the following sentence, but feel free to write whatever you prefer.)

This web quest will assist students in (subject) in grades (X-Y) to learn ______.

(The words below are links that have been created for you already. They represent the most basic components of a web quest. Scroll down the page and you will come to the respective sections, which you can then modify. You will also find that these same links are repeated at each section to make navigation in the page easy. Do not change or remove the links here or elsewhere in the template unless you are very sure of what you are doing. Delete this paragraph completely before you call your project complete.)

Introduction

(Replace this text with an appropriate introduction to your web quest.

The following are some general guidelines. Replace all this text with your own.

Introduce the learner to:

What is this WebQuest about in general?
What will users learn?
Provide a scenario or context for the WebQuest, to give it more meaning.
Introduce the role(s) the learner(s) may assume, if appropriate.)

Task

(Replace this text with your own description of the TASK the learner is to engage in.

Ask yourself: What is the engaging task that this WebQuest presents?

Be sure that it is: doable, interesting, and authentic.
It should reflect meaningful learning that is related to specific state and/or district standards.
Include the specific state and district standards that this lesson addresses or provide a separate section for standards, if you prefer.)

Resources

(One of the key attributes of a good web quest is that it provides the learner with access to quality resources. You can list your resources in any way that you like. A table like this is often an easy way to organize your resources. Cells may contain links (underlined) or headers (solid black), as illustrated.
This table provides a compact list of the most critical or even all resources for the WebQuest. Most, if not all, links will also be used at the specific point where the learner may need to access them. Think of this as a reference list.) If you don’t know how to work with Tables in Word, ask for help.

Engaged Learning / Using the Internet / Samples
ENGAGED LEARNING ESSAY
(downloadable version) / FINDING INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET:
A TUTORIAL / Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators
INDICATORS OF ENGAGED LEARNING / INTERNET 101 / MIDDLE SCHOOL WEBQUEST EXAMPLE MATRIX

(Another approach is to use a bullet list like the one below. Enter the desired text line by line, then select it with your mouse, and click the bullet list icon. Select sublevel content and use the Indent icon (or Ctrl-M) to change the level.)

· Engaged Learning

· ENGAGED LEARNING ESSAY

· INDICATORS OF ENGAGED LEARNING

· Using the Internet

· FINDING INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET: A TUTORIAL

· INTERNET 101

· Samples

· Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators

· MIDDLE SCHOOL WEBQUEST EXAMPLE MATRIX

Process

(It is common to provide three or more specific activities in a web quest.
Provide all the necessary directions and links for each one. [The links below do work because they are part of an existing WebQuest.])

Starting with Activity 1, work your way through the three activities, following all instructions and guidelines.

ACTIVITY 1 (describe here, if desired)

ACTIVITY 2

ACTIVITY 3

ACTIVITY 1
LEARNING ACTION 1:
BUILD KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS / ACTIVITY 2
LOCATING
EDUCATIONAL WEBSITES / ACTIVITY 3
STUDENT ROLES IN
ENGAGED LEARNING

Evaluation

(The Evaluation section summarizes the assignments that the learners will be required to do in the WebQuest. These activities provide guidance on how to organize the information acquired; they are the means by which the learners' work will be evaluated. Here is a sample from one WebQuest that I have used.)

The table below contains an overview of the various assignments required in each activity. Ask for help on including the email link if you like that idea. This is just a sample; you would replace everything with your own content.

ACTIVITY 1: / Send your answers to the guiding questions about one of the WebQuest lessons you chose to Dr. Lockard by email. Use as your subject line "KnowQuest Activity 1"
ACTIVITY 2: / Choose four educational websites to examine, reflect on how you could use
them in your classroom (be sure to think about 2 from the role of educator, 2 as learner), then email your reflections (including the URL for each site) to Dr. Lockard. To identify the activity in your email, please use the subject line "KnowQuest 2A"
Using three search engines, find at least three different educational websites. Email your search terms (what you looked for), a list of 3 URLs and your assessment of the best one you could find to Dr. Lockard. Use the subject line "KnowQuest 2B"
ACTIVITY 3: / Reflect on the WebQuest and educational website you chose in the previous 2 activities, using the guiding questions in Activity 3. Email Dr. Lockard your response to the questions using the subject line "KnowQuest 3"

Conclusion

(The conclusion brings closure to the quest, reminds the learners of what they've achieved, and perhaps encourages them to extend the experience into other domains. The following is from the same WebQuest as the previous evaluation section.)

You should now have a much better idea of Learning Action 1: Building knowledge and skills, and also of how to use the Internet to help your students become explorers and cognitive apprentices.
As you proceed through the remaining WebQuests, you will learn more about the other Engaged Learning Actions, as well as about other types of technologies to help to engage your students.

(It’s typical to have a final section like this to indicate when the page was last maintained and who is responsible for it. Replace my email link with your own, please!)

Last updated May 2002 (JL)

Questions or Problems? Contact Jim Lockard