Introduction | Grade
Level and Entry Level Behaviors | Implementation
| Evaluation | Additional
Resources | References
The purpose of this Webquest was to design an activity for students at
the high
school level that would engage them in higher level thinking skills.
Not only does
this particular Webquest utilize the creativity and imagination of the
students, but
they are forced to work in groups in order to facilitate cooperative learning.
This
Webquest should force students to utilize and better their computer skills
in
addition to gaining a much deeper understanding of the topic at hand.
This Webquest was created for high school level Spanish students who have
taken
Spanish classes for at least three to five years and are at the intermediate
to
advanced level of their Spanish comprehension level. In order to
be able to even
begin to use the Webquest, students should have a basic understanding of
the
computer skills, including knowledge about accessing the Internet and simple
work
processing skills. It is not necessary that students have prior knowledge
of the
Spanish Civil War, however, that would be most helpful to the project situation.
The implementation of the Webquest can be done at the discretion of the
teacher,
however, it is recommended that this project utilize three to four weeks
of
preparation on the part of the students. Teachers should remember
that this is a
more independently aimed project and that is the reason why is has been
directed
more towards upper level high school students with a solid Spanish background.
Teachers do not have to devote every class meeting to working on the Webquests.
After the initial instructional period in which the teacher should explain
the project,
answer any student questions, and cover other basic information about the
project,
teachers should reserve two class periods a week for students to work on
the
projects. This way the remaining class meeting that week can be devoted
to
curriculum material, yet the students still have those two days a week
to maintain
their work progress, planning, and preparation. Also during those
two class
meetings when students work on their Webquests, the teacher should be
monitoring the progress of each group and asking questions about how much
has
been accomplished thus far. Students should be encouraged, however,
to not only
work on the Webquests during the class periods, but during their free time
as well.
All tat is needed for students to be able to work on their Webquest outside
of class
is a computer with Internet access. The Webquest should be looked
upon as a
great opportunity for which learning can take place, so teachers, if they
choose, can
encourage students to get their parents involved.
The Webquest project will be worth 100 possible total points. Students
will be
graded according to how well they have exhausted the research of their
specific
cultural area (this will be worth 60% of their final grade) and how well
they have
participated in cooperative learning (this will be worth 40%). Periodically
throughout the course of the three to four weeks that students are working
on the
Webquest, the teacher will be monitoring the progress of the students,
individually
and as a group. Though the grade has been divided into two parts,
students will
receive only one final evaluative grade. Students will be graded
according
to the following criteria:
In addition, students will also write a brief description of how the other
group
members contributed. In essence, the students will be privately
grading each
other. This can help the teacher by providing solid feedback as to
how each group
member contributed to the Webquest experience behind the scenes.
Often time, the
teacher does not see how students are contributing outside of class, or
if they are
contributing at all. This will help them to see how the other group
members feel
about one another in terms of contributions to the overall Webquest experience.
The teacher will not use those summaries for actual grading purpose, just
to guide
the evaluation process for each group.
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