WebQuest Examples
Information gathered by Eleanor Savko
Updated 2/2010
Elementary WebQuests
BLACK HISTORY PAST TO
PRESENT:
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/BHM/bh_hunt_quiz.html
This interactive web hunt
addresses some powerful questions to students, using online resources from
prominent African Americans to search back in time for the history of Black
America and the issues concerning all Americans today.
CITY LIFE OR DESERT LIFE?
Gr. 3-4
http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/kimbrough/desert/
Grades 3 and 4 students--or
rather, grade 3 and 4 alien representatives :) must research life, work, and
play for the human species in both a big city (San Diego) and the desert (Anza
Borrega Desert) and by comparison and contrast of their findings, decided which
would
provide a better alien
habitat.
BROWN BAG ELECTRICITY: Gr. 1-5
http://www.col-ed.org/cur/sci/sci72.txt
Students in grades 1-5 will
explore electricity with hands-on experiments and activities, and a simple set
of materials (prepared beforehand). They will comprehend and be able to
illustrate how an electric circuit operates, how to construct simple and
parallel circuits, and how to make an electric motor work.
MATTER AND THE SCIENTIFIC
PROCESS: Early Primary
http://www.angelfire.com/tx4/lessons/matter2.html
Early elementary students
can explore the scientific method and conduct various experiments on the states
of matter in this solid :) scientific process webquest.
IRELAND WEBQUEST:
http://www.education.umd.edu/Depts/EDCI/edci385/webquests3/Webquest1/webquest1.html
Just in time for Saint
Patty's day, you say? Aye, and a wee bit of traveling ye'll be doing, as you
visit Galway, Cork, Dublin, or County Kerry. Students will create a travel
journal,
recording places of
interest, food, entertainment, weather, and the people they meet. I think it's
joining you I'll be...
CINDERELLA,
CINDERELLA, CINDERELLA:
http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/brooklyn/cinderella/
Everyone knows
this most favorite of fairy tales, right?
Are your students
really sure? Here they will examine
many different
versions on the theme, and then use their
creative writing
skills to exchange synonyms, create a
diamante poems,
and then write their very own version
of Cinderella.
LET'S GO ON A BEAR HUNT Gr. 1
http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/balboa/bearhunt/
Where, where, where, can we find bears? Grade one students will explore bears in
the wild and bears in stories (try Goldilocks and the Three Bears--
perfect for this
exercise) to learn about bears in their
natural habitats, and also to create a story map.
THE PILGRIM LIFE ADVENTURE WEBQUEST:
http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/kimbrough/pilgrimlife/
Students in
grades 2 to 4 will use Venn Diagrams and journals
to collect about
the Pilgrim experience and then compare it
to their own
lives. The culminating activity will be the
creation and production
of a student play.
UNITED STATES
SYMBOLS WEBQUEST:
THE DONNER PARTY ONLINE
WEBQUEST: Gr. 4-8
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/donner/index.html
Whereas the Oregon Trail
webquest above can be accomplished by Upper Elementary students, send your
Middle School (and even High School with some added challenges) students to
this webquest for a more challenging, role-playing webquest. Excellent and abundant resources support
this project, where students will create a multimedia scrapbook as part of
their task. Roles stu-
dents must choose from
include historian, journalist, photographer, provisioner, and scientist. Includes a page for downloading templates.
IN SEARCH OF STELLALUNA'S
FAMILY:
http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/chavez/batquest/batquest.html
A bat
quest! Stellaluna is a terrific introduction to a unit
on bats, and this site has your students partnering up to investigate web
resources based upon different excerpts
from the book. Easy to
follow along and complete.
AUSTRALIAN ANIMALS: Gr. 3-5
http://cte.jhu.edu/techacademy/fellows/MENTZER/webquest/austan.htm
Moving up to the grades 3-5
level, this webquest utilizes book as well as web resources to research three
Australian animals. The project
culminates in a Kid Pix presentation to the class.
A QUEST FOR RESPECT WITH THE GROUCHY LADYBUG: Gr. 1-2
http://www.yorkville.k12.il.us/webquests/webqfrey/webqsfrey.html
Geared specifically to
primary level (grades one and two in particular), this webquest provides an
altogether excellent exercise, to be used in conjunction with Eric Carle's,
"The Grouchy Ladybug". Your
students will learn to chart sequence of the ladybug's day; they will explore
and discover the meaning of respect, and they will visit Eric Carle's site, as
well as learn a bit more about ladybugs in their natural world. Assessment rubrics and completion
certificate are included with this webquest--one that I highly recommend for
the early elementary classroom.
Life on
Plymouth Plantation--Gr.5; Have you ever wondered what life was like
375 years ago in America? What did the men, women, and children first see and
experience when they landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620? These brave people left
their homes in England to escape religious persecution by immigrating to
America!
What
if you and your family felt the need to fly to Jupiter and attempt to start a
new life? Your family members would have no idea where they were going, what
type of climate they would find, what they were going to eat, or if there were
any hostile creatures living there already. Wouldn't that be scary? This was a
scary but adventurous time in American history.
Were
the Pilgrims the first people to inhabit America? Actually, the Native American
Indian tribes had already lived in what came to be called America for hundreds
of years before the first European settlers immigrated in 1620.
ROCKS & MINERALS
DETECTIVES: Gr. 4-5
http://cte.jhu.edu/techacademy/fellows/brannon/webquest/kmbindex.html
Collaborating in groups,
students will locate natural minerals and learn about their physical
characteristics, as well as how they are mined and other minerals they are
associated with. Scoring rubrics are
included; the webquest is suitable for upper elementary students.
Gold Rush 5th
grade
Middle School WebQuests
DISCOVERING ROBERT FROST
http://www.viterbo.edu/academic/ug/education/edu250/hllaurent.htm
Designed as a cross between
a webquest and poetry instruction, this lesson plan uses internet resources to
research Frost's life, and then progresses to close inquiry of two of the
poet's more popular
selections. Student worksheet included.
KING
ARTHUR AND THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE
http://edtech.suhsd.k12.ca.us/inprogress/act/wqkingarthur/kingarthurwq.htm
What does it take
to create a Round Table government
for Camelot?
Students will form teams to review poten-
tial candidates
in this webquest, and judge their abil-
ity to advise and
be close to King Arthur. They must
consider morality
issues, military prowess, and polit-
ical acumen. Finally, round off their projects with
a Kid Pix or
powerpoint presentation.
King Tut
http://www.pekin.net/pekin108/wash/webquest/index.html
Searching for China, by Tom March
The United States government
feels very strongly about the need to understand China. To do this effectively,
a special fact-finding team is being assembled that will travel to China to
investigate the country, the people, and the culture. Instead of sending only
diplomats or politicians, the team will comprise* people from very different
backgrounds so that the facts they find present as much truth about China as
possible. It's hoped that instead of bringing back stereotypes and postcards,
the team members will come away with an accurate and informed perspective.
Why should students worry
about stuff that happened back when Eisenhower was President and Elvis was
King? This WebQuest, designed by Tom March for Pacific Bell Education First,
prompts students to think about the nine African-American students who, back in
1957, chose to attend an all-white high school in Little Rock, Arkansas and
thus forced Americans to question segregated schools. Still, the WebQuest isn't
about history, it's about the world we live in and the choices our communities
have made in the past and students will make in the future. The activity can be
used by students collaborating across schools to gain a broader perspective or
even participating in a special Civil Rights videoconference with the Museum of
Television & Radio. Finally, this activity takes the WebQuest strategy one
step farther by using interactive Transformation Builders to facilitate higher
order thinking. Grade Level: Middle School, High School Content Area: History
& Social Studies (United States History, Human Rights) [Dewey #973]
Application type: Activity
CASTLE BUILDER WEBQUEST:
http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/castle_builder/
Students are assigned to
build a Medieval Welsh castle for a wealthy land baron--but first they must
research daily life in the Middle Ages, as well as castle uses
and specifications. They can
present their final design as a poster, 3-D model, or sculpture. (You might
also let them try designing via multi-media software.
High School WebQuests
Industrial Revolution :HS
http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/IndustRev/ In this WebQuest for high school students, the
Industrial Revolution is explored. The scenario: As a newly
elected M.P. (Member of Parliament) in 1832 England, you have been asked to
take your place among other MPs in analyzing the effects of what some people
are referring to as an "Industrial Revolution." As with most
revolutions, it brings benefits to some, and works to the detriment of others.
While your party affiliation (listed on the House roster) may affect your view,
you are also working for the benefit of all England. You are asked to: Write a
gbill, Write a speech, and Participate in debates.
Indexed WebQuests
Edhelper.com 94+ WebQuests can be found at this site. Happy hunting!
WebQuests Be sure to check out this delightful site
with many webquests for all grade levels and curriculum areas.
Comprehensive collection of
WebQuests
Physical
Education WebQuests--Ele. Middle Secondary