Jessica Bennett

11/17/08
EDU 276
Ticket 11: Webquest Scaffold

Huff, Brenda. Teacher Web.com

http://teacherweb.com/TW/TaipeiAmericanSchool/IslandColonizationWebquest/hf2.stm
Grade 5

Brief Summary:
This WebQuest is called Island Colonization. The purpose of this WebQuest is for students to
use the web in order to research whether they should colonize a new island or convince the
government not to colonize. Students doing this WebQuest would get in groups of four or five
and work together to research the American colonies, what colonization is and what the impact
would be on the indigenous people of the island if they colonized it. They will use a Word
document, PowerPoint or video to address their choice outcome. Students will be graded on
whether their work is superior and whether they shared information with other group members.
The teacher will also collect copies of their work, give them self-assessments and evaluate them
while they are working.

1. This WebQuest concerns colonization and government. Students need to decide

whether to colonize a new island or persuade the government not to colonize. The
students would work in groups of 4 or 5 and research the American colonies and the
impact they had on the indigenous people. They would then need to make a persuasive
letter, PowerPoint or video to explain their decision.
Essential Questions for the groups to answer
What is a colony?
Why do people colonize?
What might be the needs of the new colonists, and how will they be met?
What impact might colonization have on native culture?

2. There are certain literacy, research and 21st century skills targeted by this WebQuest.
The students need to work in groups and research information on the American colonies.
They will need to read from the websites the teacher has provided on the WebQuest.
They also will need to use one of the following: a Word document, a PowerPoint
document or a camera to make a video. Students will need to think critically and gain
knowledge and then draw conclusions and make decisions.
3. The Big 6 research model includes describing, restating, drawing, discussing, activities
and games. This WebQuest includes describing because group members will be
defining what a colony, colonize and colonization are (however the teacher does not
define these for the students). They will discuss with their group members what
information they have found and what they think they should do. They will do activities
like the brainstorm guide, the vocabulary and definition sheet and any activities on the
websites provided.
4. This WebQuest conforms to most of the component and expectations outlined by Tom
March and Bernie Dodge. They believe that the point or objective of a WebQuest is to
effectively integrate the web into the classroom instruction. This WebQuest definitely
does this because students need to use websites to find information. These two
WebQuest gurus’ believe “if you are new to the Web, it's necessary for you to surf,
Jes sica
Bennett ©2008 BENNETT
 stumble, search, and lurch your way to finding your own understanding of the Web.” This
WebQuest allows students to do this because the teacher provides websites that she
has found and then she recommends keywords for internet searches so that students
can choose websites on their own. March and Dodge also believe that the traditional
ways of learning should be substituted with web-based ways of learning. For instance
instead of students reading from a textbook they can go to Wikipedia or a similar site to
research and read. This WebQuest also does this by allowing students to use the web.
5. This WebQuest is set up so that it is easy to use. At the very top of the page there are
headings that students can click on to get to the “Home, Introduction, Task, Process,
Conclusion, Websites, Evaluation and Standards.” Students can easily go from page to
page with ease. It is also colorful and interesting to look at which would make students
more apt to used the WebQuest and understand it.
6. This WebQuest could be differentiated because the students work in groups. The
teacher could assign certain students the jobs that she wants to within the group. It
would be important however to make sure that all students are participating and doing
their particular job.
7. The content within this WebQuest could also be learned in the traditional way by reading
textbooks and through whole class discussions.
8. The teacher will know if the students mastered the targeted skills because she will do
self-assessments for the students, teacher evaluation and she will ask the students for
copies of their work. This evaluation and assessment process is pretty accurate because
the teacher evaluates the students in three different ways.
9. There is a rubric for the WebQuest. It is a four point scale that determines whether the
student has collected and shared a great deal of information that relates to the task and
whether they generate an abundance of superior work in the process. I think that the
scale is pretty functional because it determines whether the student has researched
using the WebQuest and whether their work that they turned in is of good quality.
10. The reading level of the WebQuest is supposed to be at a fifth grade level according to
the WebQuest. However, I could test this by putting it in word and calculating the
readability level.
11. If a teacher were going to use this WebQuest they may want to include more of the Big 6
research Model into the WebQuest. For instance they could add a game that is related
to the WebQuest or they could have students draw their own interpretation of the words
colonization or colony in their notes.

Jes sica
Bennett ©2008 BENNETT