Become Educated
Citizens of
An Internet Web Quest on
Created by
Canterbury Street School
Introduction
Picture this: you and a team
of learners are presented with the task of becoming educated citizens of the
state of
Based upon what each of you learned, one thinks the state is small, another
would say they know everything about the state, while two of you might think
that you know about how the government works. What's the truth? When we study
complex topics, we are often like scientists: there's usually a lot more to a
topic that we don't learn about after only a quick exploration. Work takes
time.
This is particularly true when we use the Internet for our research because
many people post their personal opinions or only know a sliver of the whole
story. In the following Web Quest, you will use the power of teamwork and the
abundant resources on the Internet to learn all about
The
Quest
Your task is to become
educated citizens about
The
Process and Resources
In this Web Quest you will
be working together with a group of students in class. Each group will answer
the Task or Question. As a member of the group you will explore web pages from
people all over the world who care about
You'll begin with everyone in your group getting some background before
dividing into roles where people on your team become experts on one part of the
topic.
Phase
1 - Background: Something for Everyone
Use the Internet information
linked below to answer the basic questions of who? what? where? when?
why? and how? Be creative in
exploring the information so that you answer these questions as fully and
insightfully as you can.
·
Massachusetts - This site will help you get all the information
that you will need about
·
Massachusetts
Facts - This site gives the
history, government and symbols of the state of
Phase
2 - Looking Deeper from Different Perspectives
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Individuals or pairs from your larger Web Quest team will explore one of the
roles below.
2. Read through the files linked to your group. If you print out the files,
underline the passages that you feel are the most
important. If you look at the files on the computer, copy sections you feel are
important by dragging the mouse across the passage and copying / pasting it
into a word processor or other writing software.
3. Note: Remember to write down or copy/paste the URL of the file you take the
passage from so you can quickly go back to it if you need to prove your point.
4. Be prepared to focus what you've learned into one main opinion that answers
the Big Question or Task based on what you have learned from the links for your
role.
Historian
Use the Internet information
links given under background to answer these questions specifically related to
Historian:
1. It is your job to find out when
2. Why did it become a state and is it still the same state today?
Cartographer
Use the Internet information
linked below to answer these questions specifically related to Cartographer:
1. Use the links below to examine different maps of the state. Be sure to pay
close attention to the different city maps. How detailed are the maps?
2. Draw a map of
3. Identify what states are around
·
Massachusetts Maps - This site will give you different maps of the state of
Artist
Use the Internet information
links given in background to answer these questions specifically related to
Artist:
1. It is your job to identify important symbols of the
state of
2. Find out what the state bird, song, flag and flower are. Draw each of them
neatly and color them in.
3. Find five different symbols that you do not think any of your classmates
will know about the state symbols. Draw and label each. Be sure to understand
each so that you can explain them to the class.
Political Expert
Use the Internet information
linked below to answer these questions specifically related to:
1. It is your job to find out about the government
system in
2. Decide which position you think would be the most challenging and describe
why?
3. Is there one position you would like to hold in the future? What is it and
why would you like to have that job?
·
Massachusetts Elected Officials - This site will help you to identify all the
positions in government that the state of
Phase
3 - Debating, Discussing, and Reaching Consensus
You have all learned about a
different part of
Phase
4 - Real World Feedback
You and your teammates have
learned a lot by dividing up into different roles. Now's the
time to put your learning into a PowerPoint presentation. Together you
will add all of the important parts of
1. Begin the presentation by remembering what you have been taught on
PowerPoint. Be sure to talk together about all the parts that you must include.
View the rubric that you will be graded on to see
just what you must include. Click on
the word rubric to view it.
2. Give background information that shows you understand the topic. This is
where you can tell when
STATE THE TASK / QUESTION THROUGH A CREATIVE OPENING TO YOUR PRESENTATION.
3. Each person in your group should add to the presentation. The cartographer
might even scan their maps so that their work is included in the presentation.
You may also compare or show the maps that you found on the internet.
5. Have the artist make a worded description as to what each symbol represents
and what it looks like. Either find graphics of the different symbols or make
your own on the computer. Include these in the presentation.
6. The political expert should tell us who is in the state government. What
positions do we have and who is filling them now? How are they filled? Maybe
photos can be added to make it more interesting.
4. Have each person on the team proofread the message. Use correct format and
make sure you have correctly addressed everything in the presentation. Use the
link below to make contact. Send your message and make sure your teacher gets a
copy.
ALWAYS ASK IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND SOMETHING. THE TEACHER WILL BE PRESENT TO
HELP YOU WITH ANY PROBLEMS THAT YOU MAY ENCOUNTER.
Your Contact is: the teacher
So are you an educated
citizen of the state of
You should be proud of yourselves! How can you use what you've learned to see
beyond the black and white of a topic and into the grayer areas? What other
parts of
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Content by Bethany Mawdsley, b.mawdsley@verizon.net |
To view the rubric to which I will be grading the presentation project just click on the word rubric below.
References
Filamentality (n.d)
retrieved
Gif Art. (n.d) Retrieved
Print Master, 2002.