Teacher's Guide
Overview
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Main Goal:
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Understanding how such domains as science and the humanities relate to the world around us.
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Subject:
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geography, physical science, life science, social studies
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Grade Level:
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K - 6th Grade
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Learning Goal:
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engage students in critical and wholistic thinking
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Using the WebQuest
This WebQuest is a structure that teachers can use as they like. Because it's intended for use with younger students, this might be a "facilitated" WebQuest, where the teacher chooses from the links and shows them to the class (or small groups) and helps generate insights by prompting closer looking through targeted or Socratic questions. Using a Look to Learn Thinking Routine is another good approach. If used with upper primary or middle school students, they may use the WebQuest themselves as is usually done. Please contact me with feedback or questions. I love to hear from teachers and their students.
Author's Comments
The designer's goal in creating this WebQuest was to illustrate how the strategy can be used with younger students. Less emphasis is placed on finding specific information than encouraging students to engage in very sophisticated thinking. The Relationship Wheel in the Group Work section especially demonstrates that a simple visual organizer can scaffold higher order cognition. The goal is for students to begin establishing the schema that will support later assimilation of information in the related domains.
Also, seeing how things work, impact each other, and interrelate builds a network of understanding that memorization of simple facts can't. How do mountains form? Why is it night and winter in another country when it's daytime in the summer in our home? Why do animals look as they do? Why do people in some places live in tents and in others they live in brickhouses? Once these kinds of questions are understood, further knowledge of science, geography, and the humanities can follow.
This WebQuest was selected for inclusion in the
ISTE publication 101 Best Web Sites for Elementary Teachers
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