This WebQuest was developed by fifth grade teachers whose instructional goal was to enhance an existing curriculum area with technology integration. Westward Expansion was chosen as the topic and the instructional model chosen was a WebQuest.
The essential question addressed in this project is "How can change be both a positive and negative influence in people's lives?"
In this WebQuest, students are presented with a substantial number of resources, some primary and some factual, dealing with the westward expansion movement that occurred in our country in the mid 1800's.
In a WebQuest, students are asked to process a good deal of information and create opinions, draw conclusions and justify their opinions/conclusions with the evidence presented in the resources. Higher order thinking is required. Answers are neither right nor wrong. Students cannot expect to visit the resource pages and find the answer in black and white. The task is challenging, but one that will result in authentic learning. They will need to use information that they already know to help them in their resolution of the problem presented.
This is a long term project, probably taking about a month. The students will need to have time to review the resources. You may want to print out sections of some of the documents and have them read together as a group or as a homework assignment.
The WebQuest model lends itself quite well to differentiated instruction, as students usually take on different roles in the quest. Teachers can have them self-select these roles by interest. Students can also select the product that they produce as the performance task on which they will be assessed.
For more information on WebQuests, visit these links: