Introduction

This lesson was developed as part of the University of Las Vegas Nevada's Technology in Education Masters Program.  The course was taught by Dr. Neal Strudler during the 2000-2001 school year.

In this lesson, students will work in groups to research the state of their choose.  Their job is to investigate and persuade the Clintons to move to this state.  Once they have collected and organized their information they must develop a persuasive Hyperstudio presentation.  Their final step will be to present this presentation to the class and the teacher.
*Note-  Kid Pix may be used instead of Hyperstudio.  It's up to you.
 

 

Learners

This WebQuest lesson is aimed toward students in the third grade; however, it may be used in the fourth and fifth grade.  The skills taught and used can be used in any of these levels.  The main subject area is social studies; however, this project tends to be cross-curricular due to all the skills used and areas visited.

            Before beginning this lesson, learners will need to know
how to use a computer
basic research skills
note taking skills
cooperative group skills
how to use Hyperstudio to create a final product
 

 

Curriculum Standards

Nevada's Social Studies Curriculum Standards
Complete tasks independently.
Work cooperatively in groups.
Select information from several geographic sources.
Identify patriotic symbols.
Read and interpret historical passages.

            Nevada's Language Arts Curriculum Standards
Use a variety of library resources, media, and technology to find information on a topic.
Organize and record information from print and non-print resources.

            Nevada's Technology Curriculum Standards
Demonstrate proper care and handling of equipment.
Type and edit a document.
Use technology independently and collaboratively.
Create a multimedia document or presentation using text, graphics and/or sound.
 

 

Process

The following steps will help each team complete their task.

Step 1.  Assign students to groups of three.  Try to match skills and personalities equally among the groups.  Next, have students visit the Clintons to find out some information about them. Visit the Clintons here!

Step 2.  Have the teams select a state.  They must all agree on which state they would like to investigate. Choose a state here!

Step 3.  Have students decide which specific role they would like to perform.  To find out the specific tasks for each role, they must click on the name of the job.  Have them carefully look at the task assigned to each role before making their choice.
 

Step 4.  After students have chosen a role, have them visit the Interent sites assigned to their role.  They should use the questions provided to help them with their investigation.  They should not limit themselves to only the questions provided.  Students should visit each site and take notes on what they feel relates to their role.  Make sure to look for pictures to include in your presentation.

Step 5.  Once each team member has all their information, have them get together as a team.  Each team should discuss the information they located.  As a team they will need to decide what information they would like to include in their presentation.

Step 6.  Students need to organize the information their team will include in the final presentaion.  To do this they will need to make a story web using the software program Inspiration.  Have them start with their state in the center of their web and branch out with the different roles each team member has.  They should then make further branches to include information about each of those roles.

Step 7.  Now that each team  has their information organized, have them begin their final project using Hyperstudio.  They should begin with a title card that names the state, includes a picture of the state, and lists their names.  Each additional card should contain the name of the role and the information that goes with that role.  Their presentation should be persuasive explainning why the Clintons should move to that state.  Students may include props in their presentations.

Step 8.  At the completion of their project each team should practice their presentation.  After practicing, the teams will present their final project to the whole class.  Each member of the team will present his/her part.

This lesson may take two to four weeks to complete, depending on student skills.  Some skills may need to be taught or reinforced as they arise.  Make sure each group knows what they are expected to do and accomplish during each working period.  This a multidisciplinary project, so time for working on this may flow from one subject area to another.

As the teacher you should be familiar with the software programs Inspiration and Hyperstudio.

If this is the students first WebQuest, encourage them to help each other as much as possible to locate information for their final presentation.  Kid Pix may be used instead of Hyperstudio to design the final presentation.  You may make any modifications to this WebQuest.
 

 

Resources Needed

The following items are needed to complete this WebQuest:

A computer lab or classroom with several computers connected to the internet.
The software program Inspiration
Multimedia program Hyperstudio
Any CD Rom programs that provide useful information
Encyclopedias and any other textbooks

This project can be accomplished by having one teacher facilitating; however, teacher aids and parents would be very helpful.
 

 

Evaluation

The following rubric was designed to evaluate student and group
            work.
 

 

Conclusion

When students have finished their projects they will have learned many different skills.  Some of those skill will be cooperative learning, research, organization, and technology.
 

 

Credits

Images for this WebQuest were obtained from the following web sites:

ScreamDesign Freebies
AAA ClipArt
Hee Yun's Graphics
Clip Art Universe
Discovery School's Clip Art Gallery
Teacher Files

WebQuest template and design were found on The WebQuest Page created by Bernie Dodge.