Webquests from TeachersFirst

The TeachersFirst Webquest Collection

Webquest 101 - TeachersFirst's WebQuest Tutorial - Here's a short on-line tutorial for teachers interested in creating webquests for their students. We've included lots of webquest examples, as well as a number of practical suggestions to help you create a web experience that will actually work in the classroom.

Adventure into the Unknown - Grades 4-6 - This quest about the Lewis and Clark expedition was designed for fifth graders and conforms to the Virginia content standards. Students use the web to follow Lewis and Clark's journey, and they must keep a journal of their travels and discoveries. This site has an unusually complete teacher's section.

Ancient Egypt Webquest - Grades 4-6 - Here's a webquest done by a Massachusetts teacher for his students. This is an extensive project with several layers and a lot of activities and detail. It's a great resource if you're doing Egypt with your class, or if you'd like a good model for creating a webquest.

Art of Egypt Webquest - Grades: 4-6 - Subjects: History, Art - This webquest has two main parts. First, students will take an online museum tour of ancient Egypt. They will choose one picture and use a search engine to find out more information on it. Next, they will research and discuss possible causes of the death of Tutankhamen. The mummification process is also covered on this site.

Banned Books Webquest - Grades 9-12 - Developed by a high school in Indiana, this is a quest that asks high school students to assume various roles in a community debate about removing selected books from the shelves in the high school library. This is a nicely balanced presentation which raises numerous literary and social studies issues. The topic should keep students' attention.

A Bilingual Webquest for Students of Spanish and English - Grades: 10-12 - Subjects: Foreign Language and Social Studies - Students will research Puerto Rico online, then communicate via e-mail with students in Puerto Rico to discuss different aspects of the island. Discussion topics include tourism and the environment of the island, and comparing the treatment of the Taino Indians in Puerto Rico by the Spaniards with the treatment of the Cherokee Native Americans in North Georgia by English settlers. Students will also learn about Puerto Rico statehood and collaborate with their e-mail buddy to write a four-page paper outlining the pros and cons of statehood.

Cinco de Mayo Webquest - Grades 2-3 - Subjects: Social Studies, Art, Language Arts and Music - Students will learn about the history of Cinco de Mayo and the Hispanic culture on this webquest. In groups of four, they work through seven different activities involving web research. Activities range from answering questions to making a piñata to sampling Mariachi music. A list of books on Cinco de Mayo is also included.

The Day I Was Born Webquest - Grades: 5-7 - Subject: Cross-curriculum - Students will use the links in this webquest to discover everything that was happening on the day they were born. After they research and record news and other information that was current on their birthday, they will use the information they've discovered to write a biographical essay to share with the class. There are also some fun links thrown in that calculate how old you are in days or explain the meaning of your name.

Discover the Renaissance - Grades 6-12 - Here's a student-designed webquest about the Renaissance that offers lots of different pathways through the content. A useful introduction with links and other related information.

Headwaters Forest Debate Webquest - Grades: 10-12 - Subject: Cross-curriculum - Students will form six groups to debate both sides of this environmental issue, taking the roles of mediators, the Pacific Lumber Company/Maxxam Corporation, environmentalists, townspeople, and government representatives. After researching the necessary information for their roles via the webquest links, students will produce a two-component presentation: a multimedia presentation and a group mediation.

Hello Dolly Webquest - Grades 6-12 - What are the implications of cloning for science and culture? Here's a quest that asks students to take on one of several roles for a mock cloning summit. Students must research the positions of various factions on the issue, and will also need to learn some of the science behind cloing. This one can work at several levels.

History of the Computer Webquest - Grades: 6-8 - Subjects: English, Technology - Students take on different roles to learn about the history of the computer and how they have changed our lives in this webquest. Students use their research to create a first-person powerpoint presentation about the computer innovator they have studied.

Jamesquest is a collection of four different webquests that will introduce you to the history and settlement of Jamestown. There are lots of pictures and you get to play the part of different colonists in each webquest. This one is fun!

Jamestown Webquest - Grades: 4-6 - Subject: History - This webquest teaches students all about the history of Jamestown. Students will form groups and take on the roles of newspaper reporters to create a mini-newspaper for the Jamestown settlement. Links are provided to research four different article topics: a top news story, a food column, a feature article, and an editorial.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Webquest - Grade 5 - Here's a webquest based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's books and characters. The lesson focuses on developing writing and critical analysis skills using student reactions to a selection of material from the web. This lesson was a winner in the 1998 TeachersFirst lesson plans contest. A TeachersFirst exclusive, it includes a ready-to-print Adobe Acrobat lesson sheet.

Pet Detective Webquest - Grades: K-3 - Subjects: Language Arts, Science: Living Things - This is a fun introduction to animals. Students will click on each link and answer questions about the pictures they download. They'll learn interesting pet facts - like what kind of pet the President has - and then choose a picture of a pet they would like to have and write or dictate a story about it.

The Great Satellite Search - Grades 8-12 - Regan Lum, The Exploratorium - This site gives thorough lesson plans for a research project using the Internet. Students research and present information about a specific satellite, working in cooperative groups. Even the handouts are provided, just print and go!

Searching for China - Webquest - Grades 6-12 - This web quest, which grew out of the PacBell's larger Searching for China site, asks students to develop an American foreign policy towards China, considering political, economic, and human rights factors. Students must conduct their own research and develop a policy backed by the information they collect. Plenty of depth in this one!

Shipwwreck Island Adventure Webquest - Grades 4-8 - This quest asks students to use their reasoning skills to discover which of several islands holds the buried treasure. Once they've found the island, they must then find a way to finance the effort to recover the treasure. They'll need to know geography, writing, cooperation to get the job done.

Time Capsule Webquest - Grades 4-8 - Developed by a teacher in Canada, this quest asks students to prepare reactions to poetry and literature for inclusion in a time capsule. The quest requires individual and group activities, and provides a complete evaluation rubric for students and teachers. Plan to take more than one class period on this one!

Titanic! A Mathematics WebQuest - Secondary Math - This webquest, created at Louisiana State University, asks students to collect data on the Titanic passengers and crew from a database, then use spreadsheets and graphs for analysis of the data. There are also links to other Titanic resources. This quest works best if students are already familiar with spreadsheets.

Webquest for To Kill a Mockingbird - Grades 6-8 - This site asks students to complete a writing assignment using information obtained from a collection of web resources dealing with life in the south in the 1930s. The themes include racial differences and the effects of life during the Great Depression. Developed by a teacher in Salt Lake City. Lots of possibilities!

Webquest on Environmental Issues - Grades 6-12 was created from information at an international symposium on the environment. The site includes links on many topics including Antarctica, Ozone depletion, and the Earth's Atmosphere. The site contains all of the ingredients needed as well as step-by-step instructions for students to create their own hypermedia report.

Wolves in Yellowstone - a Webquest - Grades 6-12 - This webquest asks students to use the Web to find information to support or refute the idea that the wolf should be re-introduced to the Yellowstone ecosystem. There is significant information on the site itself, and the quest helps students realize the number of different perspectives that must be considered in managing large ecosystems.

Zoo Creation Webquest - Grades: 7-9 - Subject: Science - As "curators" of a new zoo, students work in teams to research climate, world locations, plants and animals of six different biomes in this webquest. Each team member will research one particular aspect of the team's assigned biome, then the entire team will compile its information with the other teams to create a zoo layout complete with "informational plaques" summarizing each biome's characteristics.

Want to create your own webquest?
Check out Webquest 101 - TeachersFirst's webquest tutorial.

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