Introduction

In a conference room a group of experts (tops in their fields) gather to find out the next mission from the Nevada Society of Explorers. The relaxed air is suddenly shattered by the strident beep-beep of the fax machine and the whirr of the printer, spitting out several pages containing details of the next assignment. With trembling fingers the chief reaches for the printout, briefly scanning the first page.

“Okay crew! Listen up, the chief says, “this will be the biggest, most dangerous and most important mission of our career. We are assembling an expeditionary force to explore the Canadian Wilderness, to verify the accuracy and detail of Brian Robeson’s (you remember, the kid who’s plane crashed in the Canadian wilds) story. Along the way, we must factually document our own journey. 

To avoid any misunderstandings all future communications will be in writing. My assistant will fill you in on the details.” 

“This is a career maker! Pull this off and we’ll all be famous,” the aide says.

A low voice in the back of the room quips somberly, “those of us that survive.”

“Let’s get a move on! We’ve got a lot of work to do to get this show on the road,” with that, the aide calls the strategy session to order. 

A memo was passed out to the assembled group, it read as follows:

Before we set out for the Canadian Wilderness there are several tasks we need to accomplish in preparation for the journey. 

The first order of business is to elect a leader of the expedition. We are operating on the buddy system to increase the success and safety of the mission.

The next item on the agenda is properly outfitting the crew. 
Designing any special equipment. Testing the gear. Remember money doesn’t grow on trees around here and this must be written up and sent to headquarters for approval. 

Travel plans: How are we going to transport ourselves and gear. Keep in mind the limited space. We have to file a map and documents with the FAA, Canadian Consul, as well as HQ. 

The last phase prior to departure is brainstorming; anticipating problems we might encounter in the wilderness and devising solutions. After all, this information may save the expedition and, of course, protect life and limb. 

There is a packet on the table with your name and position on it – inside are specific instructions. You should study it carefully. Feel free to use this room; the resources of the Nevada Explorers Society are at your disposal.

Remember all the great explorers who came before us – so don’t let yourself or the organization down. We must all do our best and work together to get the job done. 

Your evaluation will come from two sources: The first rubric relates to your report to the Nevada Explorer’s Society. The second rubric will address how well you work together as a group. 

The team exchanged nods and gave the thumbs up sign!

In conclusion let me restate that it’s all the preparation you put into this expedition that will make it successful. As Brian discovered during his ordeal in the wilderness – 

Were you happy with the ending of Hatchet? How would you have written the end of the story?

The photograph used in the WebQuest was taken by photographer Chris Carey in Alaska on 6/30/93.
Carey, Chris. "alask111.jpg." Pics4Learning. September 1999. http://pics.tech4learning.com