WebQuests for SMARTEST

2. What’s a WebQuest?
A WebQuest is an inquiry-
oriented online tool for learning,
it is a classroom-based lesson in
which most or all of the
information that students explore
and evaluate comes from the
World Wide Web.

3. Characteristics of a WebQuest:
• can be as short as a single class period or as long as a
month-long unit;
• usually (though not always) involve group work, with
division of labor among students who take on specific
roles or perspectives;
• are built around resources that are preselected by the
teacher.
• Students spend their time USING information, not
LOOKING for it.
• Should be age apropiate

4. Why WebQuests?
• They are an easy way for teachers to begin to
incorporate the Internet into the language classroom.
• Group activities
• They encourage critical thinking skills, including:
comparing, classifying, inducing, deducing, analyzing
errors, constructing support, abstraction, analyzing
perspectives, etc

5. WEBQUES
T
FORMULACreating WebQuests is easier than you might
think! Many sites are available to walk you
through the process. One of the most thorough is
Bernie Dodge's WebQuest Page. According to
Dodge, the six building blocks of a WebQuest
are:

6. INTRODUCTION
The Introduction orients students and captures their interest.
Which, following the formula, it's the tab WE'RE in!
In the Introduction, you have to brainstorm the topic and start with
the deisgn for your webquest.
Topics can be:
• Informative
• Classroom Activities
• Fun games for learning

7. TASKS
Acording to Bernie Dodge, the task is
the single most important part of a
WebQuest. He says it provides a goal
and focus for students.
Characteristics of a taks: Do-able,
Engaging, Elicits active thinking,
Comprehensive.
Dodge created the WebQuest Task
taxonomy, which describes formats
and suggests ways to optimize
WebQuests, he also says that in a
WebQuest you are more likely to
combine elements of one or more of
these tasks:

8. The Process explains strategies students
should use to complete the task.
In this section, you'll include the roles
students will assume and the steps
they'll follow to complete the activity.

9. RESOURCES
Identify the online resources available on
your topic by brainstorming a list of related
words and using the list to search for
relevant sites. As you search, create a hotlist
of current, accurate, and age-appropriate
sites that will engage your students' interest.

10. EVALU-
ATION
Traditional evaluation
techniques are not the best
means for evaluating the results
of WebQuests, since all students
may not learn the same content.
Individual evaluation rubrics
should be developed that follow
curriculum objectives and are
easy for students to understand.
**Check links on the Resources TAB for a Rubric.