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Students often have
difficulty writing poems that conform to a set of rules (i.e. haiku,
quatrain, etc.). Different types of poems require specific criteria to
be met. This webquest allows students to independently
research types of poetry and create products that show they have studied
the “resources” section as they create poems
and label them correctly.
After observing teachers and students during Social Studies
lessons, I noticed that students had few opportunities to incorporate creative
writing into their Social Studies curriculum. The external constraints
to this project is to find teachers willing to allow me to come into their
classrooms and introduce this activity. Many teachers are so focused on
following curriculum verbatim that they seldom see how learning standards
can be addressed through alternative activities. Fortunately, the Gifted
and Talented teacher at our school agreed to implement this webquest with
her 4th grade Language Arts class in September 2004.
I have also noticed that when students are searching the Internet for information,
they easily ‘get lost’ and have difficulty finding their way
back to relevant websites. To address the navigation issue with students,
I created this webquest using frames in order to give students a consistent
frame of reference for navigation through each section. By keeping each
section of the webquest viewable at the top of each page, students can
easily navigate through each phase, and go back to check for more information.
The instructional goal of this project is to encourage students to use
the Internet to research the following areas of study:
1) Understand the different types of poetry in order to communicate creatively
and effectively
2) Research facts about one of the 50 States and incorporate these into
a creative writing project
3) Create a final product that includes a presentation of learning (i.e.
Power Point presentation or picture book)
Instructional tools:
- Teachers will need at least two computers for each group of four.
- A mobile iBook cart with 15 laptop computers will also be available to
students and teachers. Students can continue to work on this webquest in
class as needed.
- Internet Explorer, Power Point, and Kid Pix will be available to students,
as well as paper and coloring tools. Students should be familiar with these
software applications prior to participating
in this webquest.
Internet Explorer Skills: If students have no
experience navigating through websites, teachers should model how to use
the BACK
button, how to recognize links
to other sites, and downloading the sample documents included in the webquest.
PowerPoint Skills: While it is not necessary for students
to be 'experts' in PowerPoint, it would be helpful if they had a few mini-lessons
on creating
slides, choosing layouts and designs, inserting text and using the Formatting
Palette, and adding graphics.
Kid Pix Skills: Students should know how to paint
a picture, use the drawing tools on the left and modify the corresponding
choices on the bottom, insert text, and using the stamper tool to insert
graphics.
To learn more about these and
other applications, Atomic
Learning offers online movie tutorials that provide a good overview
of
basic
operations.
In addition to meeting curriculum standards in Social Studies, this
project meets writing and technology standards:
Writing 2a: Writes in a variety of modes such as: short personal narratives,
friendly letter, and brief expository pieces (informational or how-to paragraph)
for the purpose of informing or explaining to a variety of audiences.
Writing 2c: Use appropriate choice of words to communicate clearly.
Technology 3: Productivity tools
*Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity,
and promote creativity.
*Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced
models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.
Technology 5: Technology research tools
*Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from
a variety of sources.
*Students use technology tools to process data and report results.
I chose this project because it allows students to work collaboratively on an online assignment. The nature of this website also caters to individual learning styles. Students delegate tasks, and have the choice of poems they create. Reluctant writers can choose a short poem (i.e. haiku) that shows research was done, while advanced students can choose a more detailed poem (i.e. ballad). Visual learners might be inclined to choose a poem that follows a visual style (i.e. diamante). By allowing students to choose their own topics and poems, they have the opportunity to make decisions based upon their learning needs.
In addition to creating poems, Social Studies curriculum is integrated to provide the ‘inspiration’ for their poems. By studying one of the 50 states, student are learning new information and presenting it in a unique way (poems, PowerPoint, picture book).
The first thing I noticed when students began this webquest
was that it was going to take longer than expected. Originally I expected
the entire project to take 3-5 days, but it quickly became apparent that
a more realistic time allowance is 7-9 days. By giving students time to
do their online research on both states and poetic styles, the quality
of the final product is improved. I spent several days with the GT teacher
while she implemented my webquest with her class.
The second area of confusion that arose during this activity was the process
of saving student work, and gathering individual PowerPoint slides into
a group product. Several times students did not save their work in the
right place, forcing them to input their poems a second time.
Based on the questions that arose from teachers, I decided it was necessary
to include a “teacher page” that provides background information
and suggestions to help introduce this webquest to students. I have addressed
many of the common problems that arose during this trial run, such as a
timeline, how to delegate computers to groups, and saving properly. I hope
that the inclusion of a resource page will serve as a guide for teachers
to successfully use this webquest in the classroom.
This website is an example of how students can use 21st century skills to meet standards in Socials Studies, Language Arts, and Technology. I asked the two teachers who helped facilitate this webquest for summative feedback. Mrs. Taylor is the Gifted/Talented teacher and Mrs. Couture is a 4th grade teacher. The webquest was implemented with Mrs. Couture's high language group, and Mrs. Taylor works with these students throughout the year.
1) What learning outcomes do you think students gained from
this webquest?
Mrs. Taylor: I think the students gained confidence in using the web to
research a topic and find graphics. They learned how to work in a group
delegating
responsibilities
to each group member.
Mrs. Couture:It allowed them an opportunity to work as a team cooperatively and sparked an interest in poetry and research.
2) How did the use of technology change the way students learned
during the webquest?
Mrs.Taylor:Technology makes learning much more
enjoyable to most students. I think they enjoyed learning about other
states .
The
webquest is structured
in a way that the students can refer back to any part at any time.
Mrs. Couture:This was a good exercise in integrating different curriculum with technology.
3) What was the most valuable skill students gained from doing this
webquest?
Mrs. Taylor: Probably the realization that most projects take longer than
expected. I think time management was one key thing learned. Also, the
experience of going through a webquest was valuable in giving the students
experiences in using the web for research and putting the information
gathered
into a final group product. I saw several students become much
better at working
in groups.
Mrs. Couture: Cooperative learning, self-evaluation, and a quick introduction to poetry and research.
4) What suggestions would you give to other teachers who might
want to use this webquest with their students?
Mrs. Taylor: Allow at least 7-10 days to do the project. Explain how to
save everyone's poem to the same folder. Have a finished project
as
an example for
the group to see before they start the project. Make sure the
students in
each group can work together cooperatively.
Mrs. Couture: Have a good example to use for a model and only do this with half a class at a time.
5) Would you consider doing other webquests with your students?
Why or why not?
Mrs. Taylor: I would definitely consider doing other webquests. The
student feedback was very positive and I think they increased
their
research skills
and enjoyment of doing research and putting together a
final product that
they could be proud of. Most importantly, the students
like having choices in
what they could do.
Mrs. Couture: Yes, after CSAPs.
The webquest I created
also includes a "conclusion" section
that asks students to complete an online form as a way to gather summative
evaluations.
This online
form provides valuable feedback from participants, as well as a self-assessment
of this project.
To view comments from students at Sagebrush Elementary, CLICK HERE.
Based on the feedback I received from both teachers and students, I feel that this webquest was a success. The summative feedback I received from teachers was quite informative. I will take their suggestions and include examples of a finished product that students and teachers can use as a guideline for expectations. The PowerPoint presentations students created were terrific, and I told the class that two groups would have their presentations included in my webquest for examples, which really got them excited!
Several students commented that this activity was 'hard' which makes me feel like the activity was a success. By pushing students beyond their comfort zone, they are taking responsibility for their own learning, and these are the types of projects students remember. Students also enjoyed having choices throughout the webquest, and this fosters ownership of the project. When students are given choices, they become more engaged in the learning process. I would agree with most student self-assessments. It is interesting to see how honest students can be when it comes to reflecting on their own learning. I would hope that teachers will read these comments and include student self-assessments in future projects.
To make this webquest easier for teachers to use, I plan to include more details about saving work, and delegating computer time more efficiently. The teacher page now includes suggestions for using one computer for research and one for putting together the PowerPoint slides. This should alleviate some of the confusion I observed when each group member was working on a separate slide show. We ran into difficulty trying to put together four separate student documents into one presentation.
Although the first class to use this webquest were gifted and talented students, I believe this webquest would be appropriate for students of all abilities. Teachers should be able to choose students of varying abilities to work together in order to foster a collaborative environment. High achieving students can serve as 'teachers' to the other members of the group. Teachers should observe how students are conducting research, and provide guidance and suggestions to those that are having difficulty taking notes or writing their poems.
Finally, I think this activity was something very different from what students are used to doing. They enjoyed working together. Even though some groups had a harder time getting along than others, they all came together to create a final product that made each member proud.
Responsibility #2:
Designs instruction or human performance
strategy to meet the needs of learners
An instructional problem
was identified (students do not use creative writing when doing Social
Studies), observations on Internet use were considered (frames
used to help students navigate the webquest), and choices were given to
students to promote ownership of learning.
Students were asked to work on a collaborative activity in order to learn not only the objectives of the lesson, but to function as a team. Allowing students to choose the type of poem to write and the state subject to research, learning needs have been met through a combination of cooperative learning and independent study.
Responsibility #4: Understands how to capitalize on the capacities and
abilities of each learner
Each student was able to identify his or her area of interest when researching
a state. In addition, students were given a choice when deciding what type
of poem to write. By allowing a wide variety of written forms of expression,
students of all abilities can create an original poem that follows specific
poetic devices.
Responsibility #6: Uses incisive and relevant assessment and evaluation
techniques
I conducted formative
evaluations during the development of this webquest through informal
questioning. I also asked the two teachers involved in the implementation
of this webquest to provide feedback as students worked on this project.
Teachers were then asked to complete a summative evaluation of the webquest.
Students also provided summative feedback by completing the online survey.
As more classes participate in this webquest, I hope to obtain more summative
data from students in order to make further improvements to this webquest.