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Six WebQuests Appropriate for Elementary K-3 Selected by Lindsey Griggs Author: Lynn Castiglione 3rd-Grade
Language Arts So You Want to Be a
Writer WebQuest is an engaging adventure that is very appropriate for 3rd
graders. Depending on their reading level, even some second-graders could be
challenged with this. All
components of a WebQuest are featured with links for print outs and a rubric
to go along with the various tasks are easily obtained. I didn’t find any link that wasn’t
working. The site was
aesthetically pleasing to the eye, using colors that made the text easy to
read, yet fun to look at. The
task is to understand how a book is created, so students are to read at least
two Junie B. Jones books, story map them and then as the big challenge,
create a new adventure for Junie B. Jones and illustrate it. Students are to work in pairs;
however, working alone is optional for the new adventure. After the book has been published, it
is to be shared with the class. Author: Kate Smathers 3rd-Grade
Language Arts Charlotte’s Web is a
very comprehensive WebQuest that appears to have been created with no
pitfalls. This project is
conclusive from beginning to end, with every corner covered. There is a rubric for students to
follow, but even the directions within the webquest flow very nicely and will
be easy to follow for 3rd-graders. This would be a nice project to enable 3rd-graders
to become more self-sufficient and to allow for differentiation because of
the choices that are allowed for the reading activities. The activities are thematic, which
will peak most students’ interests in someway. I also noticed that this WebQuest was created with standards
in mind, which are listed. The
links off the home page are very colorful and interesting, but the homepage
is quite boring. That would be
my only negative for this WebQuest.
Author: Michelle
Olshan 3rd-Grade
Science This WebQuest lends
itself to learning how to work cooperatively within a small group of
3-4. As a medical student
working with three other medical students, you are to research and report on
a given human system: digestive, endocrine, nervous etc. All components of a webquest are
visible and clear to understand.
I didn’t find one link that was bad, and there is a rubric for
students to follow. This
webquest would be great to work with Microsoft PowerPoint for groups to share
their information and to be able to insert/scan graphics they create or
diagrams found in books or on the web.
The homepage was visually interesting and the colors were
appropriate. There were a lot of
resources available for each specific human system, so students will not have
any trouble locating the answers to their questions. Authors: Susan Breen,
Pam Peters, and Roberta Taylor 3rd-Grade
Health/Social Studies This WebQuest features
cultural exploration in relation to nutrition and health by researching
Mexican food, and having to prepare a dish, in addition to dissecting the
recipe according to major food groups.
I thought this WebQuest is great for this age group because not only
are third-graders learning about another country, but are learning life
skills with having to create a grocery list of ingredients, and how to work
cooperatively to create a poster to display along with their prepared dish on
the day of the Fiesta.
Aesthetically, the homepage was boring. I think the WebQuest could have been created with more
color to engage the learner and make them want to read on, however,
structurally, the WebQuest has working links and is easy to read and
understand. Author: Arin Pershing 3rd-Grade
Social Studies After reviewing this
WebQuest, I want to have my third-graders do it. The task is to basically become a wax museum and teach
visitors about a country (Russia, China, Tanzania, Australia, and
Brazil). This task requires a
class to be divided into groups of five, and each group member is assigned a
job (Architect, Travel Agent, Native, Teacher, and Historian) and the group
member is to complete that task for his/her group. However, the group is responsible to make sure each person
knows about their country in entirety.
This site is well-created, and has grade-level resources with links
that work. The one downfall is
the looks of the WebQuest. It
isn’t very kid friendly, but that downfall is over taken by the completeness
of the WebQuest, and how the project is created to entice third-graders into
wanting to learn! Author: Shellye
Wardensky 3rd-Grade
Language Arts/Science What’s the Matter is a
basic introductory WebQuest for 3rd-graders to become experts on
the three states of matter: solids, liquids, and gases. The task is to become a “matter
detective” and come up with a plan to put the states of matter back where
they belong. Students are to
complete a science matter journal answering questions by researching solids,
liquids, and gases, create a paragraph with illustrations to show what you
learned, and lastly, devise a plan with a partner to put the states of matter
back to the way they were. This
site is fluid, but overall a very generic WebQuest, with simple features and
basic in format and structure. |