Blog #3

When in doubt, read all the directions...

WebQuest location: http://questgarden.com/110/86/2/101009093715/

Strengths and Weaknesses of:

1. Introduction - Great intro! Gets kids interested and excited about being gold seekers (4th graders in Michigan learn about how/why/contributions of immigrants which includes the Gold Rush in California and Chinese immigrants - great time for this WebQuest. Could split kids into groups and make a WebQuest for each of the major immigrant groups of the US in 1800's, early 1900's.) Also great LA link.

2. A task that is doable and interesting.
Definitely puts interesting into the task and while clear on what to do at the end, (poster or Powerpoint), not clear on what information is to be collected. Seems too open-ended at this point for younger students. Maybe list some suggestions as to what kind of information to be collected (time of travel, obstacles, best routes to take, best things to pack, etc.)

3. Process: Very clear directions, well-spelled out for students after the first week. I like the gold-panning experiment. You could expand this to an outside activity using a small pool, even using pyrite as "gold." Good link to use to make maps. Good Venn diagram idea to compare and contrast routes. Could also compare/contrast things needed for journey.

4. Evaluation: Well laid out rubric. Students will know exactly what is expected and how their work will be graded.

5. Conclusion - closure? reminder? Overall...
Good conclusion - an opportunity for students to review what they have learned in their summary as well as providing another site to which they can go to find more information. I like this WebQuest!

Good use of group work and individual summaries. Students can work together collecting information but write summaries at their own level. Good creativity input by students by creating their own coin, drawing maps (maybe supply a variety of materials/tools), writing summaries (I like the idea of making the journals but not clear what she means by making it "look like" one from the time period...in the writing? Visually? (use brown paper bags crumpled up to look old??)

6. Usable without modification? Definitely. Changes I would make....see above.
Also, I would never end a sentence with a preposition, poor Sister Mary Clarice would roll over in her grave. :)