Completed Webquest

Your task is to complete the WebQuest below. You should locate more websites for your students and if necessary, refine this WebQuest to suit the age level of your students. Let's get started!

What is a WebQuest? "Student-centered and inquiry-based, a WebQuest challenges students to explore the web for information. They include hyperlinks that are appropriate for students to research as well as suggestions for further research. WebQuests are generally constructed around a scenario of interest to students." WebQuests were first developed in 1995 by Bernie Dodge and Tom March.

"WebQuests use a central question that honestly needs answering. When students are asked to understand, hypothesize or problem-solve an issue that confronts the real world, they face an authentic task, not something that only carries meaning in a school classroom." -Tom March

Our Introduction: Your parents have just informed you that your mother has a new job. As you listen further, you hear that it will be in another country. To top off matters you know very little about this country, its customs, its monetary system, what's cool to visit and that all of you will be leaving in just 30 days? You've got a lot to learn!

Reminder: "The task is the single most important part of a WebQuest It provides a goal and focus for student energies and it makes concrete the curricular intentions of the designer. A well-designed task is doable and engaging, and elicits thinking in learners that goes beyond rote comprehension."

Our task: Select a country you'd like to know more about. Select two partners and decide who will find out about the geography of the land, who will be the tour guide and who will be in charge of customs. Based on what your group finds your goal is to determine:

what ten important items you would take (space is tight)

what customs will be the hardest for you to adjust to as a teenager

what attractions are a must

what mode of transportation will you use to travel? (The longer it takes to get there the less time you have to prepare!)

Reminder: Background information is vitally important. Well-ordered and relevant websites that take students through the background investigation process is a key to success.

Our background information: The links below are divided into two categories. There is one caution. Look at the following site to make sure that you will be able to find the customs of the country you'd like to research. Customs aren't easy to find on the web. Countries and Customs

Travel information

Find out about world countries, current weather, country flag and the national anthem at E-Conflict World Encyclopedia

Customs and facts

Search Yahooligan's page to learn about the customs of many countries.

Reminder: The process is the step-by-step description of how students will accomplish the task.

The Process: The task tells you to work with two other students. However, if you are the only person doing a particular country you may work alone. Be aware that it will take you more time to find out everything you need for the project.

Step 1- Look at the links above and find a country that you'd like to know more about.

Step 2- Make sure you are able to find out about the customs or rules of the country you have chosen. What two customs or rules would be the most difficult for you, as a teenager, to adjust to in this country? Why?

Step 3- Decide what 10 possessions are most important to you. Can you pack them in the allowable luggage limit of 4 suitcases/boxes per person? Each suitcase or box can weigh no more than 80 pounds. Why are they necessary to have with you?

Step 4- Find two attractions you wouldn't miss in the country to which you are moving. Find a graphic of each attraction if you can. Cut and paste them into a word processing document and explain why each is a place you wouldn't want to miss.

Step 5- How will your family get to this new country? It is up to you. As a group make a spreadsheet of various ways to travel and how long it might take your family to arrive. One mode of travel may be faster but you won't be able to take as much.

Step 6- Combine all of the information in the steps above and prepare a Power Point presentation that will be shared with your classmates and finally your parents at our upcoming Open House.

Each student must include the following in their Power Point presentation:

• background information about where you are moving - Background information should include - type of currency used, latitude and longitude, type of government, and any other interesting facts yo may find.
• a map of the country
• the ten items you couldn't leave behind and why
• two attractions you'd have to visit
• the spreadsheet with different ways to travel and an explanation of the one you have chosen and why

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Reminder: The "evaluation" section of a WebQuest provides the students with the measurement tool for their end product. Scoring guides and rubrics are the most common tools for measurement.

NOTE: WIT distinguishes between "assessment" which is used to gauge the quality of a student's work, from "evaluation" which is used to gauge the quality of a curriculum or other product. The "evaluation" section of WebQuests is usually really about assessment, not evaluation. However, we are now interested in evaluating your WebQuest, which is our way of assessing your learning in this module.

The Evaluation: You must evaluate your own project first. Next, select a classmate to evaluate your project. Lastly, I will evaluate your project. Your final score will be a combination of all three evaluations.

A much more detailed rubric can be found here.

Reminder: A summary of their experience. You may include a question upon which your students may reflect.

The Conclusion: Picking up and moving isn't an easy task. Neither is deciding about ten items you would miss the most. If you really had to move to another country would one month be enough time for you to make good decisions?