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A WebQuest for 4th Grade Social Studies

Steel Bridge in Portland Oregon courtesy of Portland Ground: Pictures of Oregon

Photo Courtesy of Portland Ground: Pictures of Portland, Oregon. www.portlandground.com

Designed by

Ana-Lauren McKeen
amckeen@pacificu.edu

 

Introduction | Learners | Standards | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Student Page

 


Introduction

This lesson was designed as part of a Teaching and Technology course at Pacific University. It was designed to fulfill the requirement of creating a webquest for the course, as well as to be incorporated into a work sample for 4th grade about the state of Oregon.

This webquest lesson is designed to expose students to facts about the city of Portland. They will learn about the history of the city, locations throughout the city as well as information about transportation in the city including public transit and bridge information. The lesson will take place within the context of a unit on Oregon, and will be incorporated into a final project in which students will share what they have learned throughout the unit.


Learners

This lesson is anchored in 4th grade social studies curriculum, but could be expanded to include other subjects. For language arts there is a tie in with the evaluative piece of this lesson with the creation of a brochure and presentation to the class. 

Prior to beginning this lesson, students will need very basic knowledge of internet use. This webquest is designed to be very introductory, so students should be able to begin without much prior knowledge. 

Students will also find it helpful to be coached in the creation of a brochure. I would recommend bringing in brochures for them to look at, as well as exploring brochure making software on the computer. At the very least, children should be proficient in a word processing program so that they can type up their findings. 

It may be necessary to provide direction in the organization of information and in pulling important info out of paragraphs and sentences.

Curriculum Standards

Arts Standards Addressed:

  • 5th Grade Benchmark Art:Use experiences, imagination, observations, essential elements and organizational principles to achieve a desired effect when creating, presenting and/or performing works of art.
Language Arts/English Standards Addressed:
  • 4th Grade Benchmark Reading: Listen to, read, and understand a wide vairety of informational and narrative text across the subject areas at school and on own, applying comprehension strategies as needed.
  • 4th Grade Benchmark Reading: Find, understand, and use specific information in a variety of texts across the subject areas to perform a task.
  • 4th Grade Benchmark Writing EL.04.WR.10: Select a focus and a point of view based upon purpose and audience.
  • 4th Grade Benchmark Writing EL.O4.WR.26: Begin writing persuasive compositions to convince the reader to take a certain action or to avoid a certain action.
  • 4th Grade Benchmark Writing EL.O4.WR.29: Use note-taking skills.
  • 4th Grade Benchmark Writing EL.04.WR.32: Use a computer to draft, revise, and publish writing, demonstrating basic keyboarding skills.
  • 4th Grade Benchmark Speaking EL.O4.SL.01: Present effective introductions and conclusions that guide and inform the listener's understanding of important ideas and evidence.
  • 4th Grade Benchmark Speaking EL.04.SL.03: Use details, examples, anecdotes, or experiences to clarify information.
  • 4th Grade Benchmark Speaking EL.04.SL.06: Use volume, pitch, phrasing, pace, modulaiton, gesture, and eye contact appropriately, to enhance meaning and to engage the audience.
Social Studies Content Addressed:
  • 5th Grade Benchmark Social Studies SS.05.GE.02.02: Use other visual representations to locate, identify, and distinguish physical and human features of places and regions.
  • 5th Grade Benchmark Social Studies SS.05.GE.08.02: Understand how the physical environment presents opportunities for economic and recreational activity.
  • 5th Grade Benchmark Social Studies SS.05.HS.01.02: Calculate time and infer information from timelines.
  • 5th Grade Benchmark Social Studies SS.05.HS.06: Understand how individuals changed or significantly influenced the course of Oregon state history.
  • 5th Grade Benchmark Social Studies SS.05.HS.07: Understand how individuals changed or significantly influenced the course of local history.

This lesson will also encourage collaborative learning and cooperation. Students will learn to work in teams, and so about communication, compromise and sharing. They will also learn about presenting information to a group of peers and so wil learn presenting skills an thinking about a specific audience.


Process

  1. First you will be assigned to groups of 3 or 4.
    1. Teacher Note: Depending on your classroom, you may choose to let students choose their own groups, or assign students to groups. If students work in table groups of about 4 you may want to have students work in table groups.
  2. You will next need to determine some way to share the workload of the webquest. For example two people may want to take notes and two people may want to take turns navigating the webquest.
    1. Teacher Note: be sure that every group member is a part of the process in some way and that each member is contributing to the project.
  3. Gather supplies needed before starting your search. At least one group member will need notebook paper for taking notes and a pencil. 
    1. Teacher Note: Have notebooks or journals prepared beforehand. You may want to choose to create a journal especially for this project by stapling sheets of notebook paper (at least 10) between two pieces of construction paper.
  4. Begin searching the following websites for the information you need. You will probably not need to use every site, but must visit at least 8 of the sites below and must be able to supply all the needed information on your brochure. You may visit all sites if you wish, but be aware of time constraints. Please document the sites you visit and which ones you get information from.
    1. Teacher Note: This segment will take the most time. Be sure to allow students enough time to work on the computers. Make sure again that every group member is included in the process. Also make sure that students are not abusing internet time to play games or search random sites. You never know what students will find when they "Google" something so you will want to remind students to stick to the suggested and approved sites.
  5. You will want to choose a way to organize the information you gather. One suggestion is to find the information for each question above and group that together (for example, first finding the museum and putting all the information about that museum together). You may use any system that makes sense to you, but please make sure it is readable and understandable as your notes will be turned in with your final project.
  6. Finally, please note that you should use the websites listed below to gather information and feel free to move around within these webpages, such as clicking on a link for "ticket prices" on the homepage of a museum site. However, please do not use a search engine such as Google to search for information as the listed websites have been screened for accuracy and content. If you feel the need to search outside the listed websites, get permission from a teacher first.
  7. Once you have gathered the information, your group will need to design a brochure that contains the information you gathered as well as illustrations. Make sure that all of your names are on the brochure. 
    1. Teacher Note: Have students let you know what method they are using to create a brochure so that you can direct them to resources such as word processing programs.
  8. Finally you will need to present your information to the class. Make sure that every member of your group gets to share some information.
    1. Teacher Note: Coach students to speak loudly and clearly to the class. You may want to give students opportunities before this to practice their public speaking skills. Make sure that every group member shares during the presentation.

This lesson is organized to occur in "chunks" and so is not a one period lesson. 

  • The first "chunk" is the research part, which may take several days depending on the size of the groups and amount of time they have access to a computer. 
  • The second "chunk" is organization og information and brochure creation. Again, the number of days necessary will vary depending on the speed at which the group works and class time alloted but allow at least 2-3 hours to allow students to create a good product. 
  • The final "chunk" is the presentation. Allow students at least 1/2 to 1 hour to create and rehearse a presentation. This can be modified depending on how long you expect the presentations to be. 
  • You will also need to schedule time for students to give presentations. Assuming a 10 minute presentation including time for comments, and assuming 7 groups of 4 students, allow 1and 1/2 hours to give presentations.

Students may need coaching in how to locate important information from a website and may also need coaching in how to record that information. It might be valuable to spend some time prior to this lesson surfing a website as a class, maybe a museum website, and showing students how and where to look for information on things such as pricing, hours of operation, exhibits etc. It may also be helpful to practice and model good notetaking with you students, and prehaps provide a graphic organizer with examples of different note taking styles for students to refer to.

Teacher should have basic website use knowledge, and be able to locate required information in a website easily. They will also need to be able to operate a basic word processing program, and preferrably have experience with a program that allows brochure design on the computer as well. All of these skills could be practiced in several hours of the teachers own time, and this lesson should not prove prohibiting to many teachers.

Variations

If computers are only located in a computer lab, you may need to coordinate with the technology teacher to use some lab time for research on this project. You will also need to schedule some additional lab time for your class. 

If there are several computers available in the classroom, you could assign each group a time slot each day, or assign each group a day, to work on the computers and research. Alternately, you could assign smaller groups - such as working with a partner - so that each team could easily share one computer.

 


Resources Needed

  • Computers- at least one for each group, preferably one computer for each student
  • Small notebooks/ journals in which students can record information as they find it
  • Word processing software
  • Printer
  • Optional- word processing or other software that offers brochure design capability
  • Art supplies to create brochures- paper, markers/colored crayons/colored pencils, glue
  • Space for groups to meet and rehearse presentation

WEBSITES TO VISIT:

  • Teacher will need to introduce lesson, track student progress and supervise students as they research. It may be helpful to enlist the help of either the technology teacher and/or aides and parent volunteers to supervise some groups who are working on research at computers while the teacher supervises those groups who are working at a different stage in the process.
  • Lab time may need to be arranged, if there are not computers for student use in the classroom.


Evaluation

You will be able to evaluate students success based on several key outcomes, the brochure, the presentation, the way in which the group worked together and the note taking journal that students will turn in. Below is a rubric that identifies key things to look for in each component.

Beginning
1		 Developing
2		 Accomplished
3		 Exemplary
4		 Score

 

Brochure Information

 
A few pieces of the required information are included. There are not many details, and organization is unclear. 
Much of the required information is included. Information is organized in some fashion and writing is readable. Word choice is appropriate. 
All the required information is included. Information is organized well, and the descriptions and writing are clear. There are some interesting details.
Brochure contains more information than required. The writing is clear, well organized and engaging. Many interesting details are included and word choice is varied. 

 

Brochure Design

 

 
There is no clear layout. Information is simply listed on the paper. There are few if any illustrations. Information is hard to locate. 
Layout is somewhat clear. There are few illustrations or pictures, and the text is not displayed in an original or attention grabbing manner. It may be dificult to locate some information.
Layout is clear. There are several illustrations or pictures interspersed with the text. Information is easily located, and design shows originality.
Layout is clear and engaging. Pictures and illustrations are mixed with text. The cover or front page grabs the attention of the reader. All information is easily located. The brochure is very creatively put together.

 

Individual Performance

 

 
Group member did not contribute much to the pieces of the task. They were often off task and did not contribute much. There were issues with cooperation.
Group member contributed to some of the pieces of the task. They put some effort into their own work. They mostly got along with other group members.
Group member contributed to all pieces of the task. They completed their own work. The were cooperative with other group members and were an integral part of the team.
Group member contributed to all pieces of the task. They completed their own jobs efficiently and helped other group members as well. They were cooperative, and played a major role throughout the process.

 

Team Work Performance

 
    Group does not function well together. There was not a lot of cooperation, and not everyone was allowed to contribute equally. Note taking journal is not turned in or is incomplete.
There was some cooperation and discussion. The group struggled with working as a whole team. Not all group members ideas were valued. Sometimes group members worked alone instead of as a team. Note taking journal is disorganized and has little information.
There was good communication and cooperation. All members of the team participated. The group was able to work together throughout the process. Note taking journal has an organization scheme which is clear most of the time (some parts may be slightly confusing) students kept track of websites visited and important information.
The group worked together exceptionally well. There was cooperation and discussion throughout the process. All group member's opinions were valued.  The note taking journal is clearly organized and displays websites visited and many important or pertinent facts from the research.

 

Presentation to the Class
Only one or two group members share. Only one or two pieces of information are shared. The group members do not seem to know what they are talking about.
Most group members share information. Only some information is shared. There is limited organization to the presentation. Some of the information seems unclear.
Each group member shares some information. Much of the important information is shared. The group members speak clearly so the class can understand. There is some organization to the way info is presented. The group members know and understand the presented info.
Each group member shares an equal amount of information. All important information is shared. The group attempts to get the class excited about the information. Group members speak loudly and clearly. The info is organized clearly. Group members understand all the info presented.


Conclusion

This lesson will play an important role in the 4th grade classroom in Oregon as students start to investigate the wider world around them. This invesitgation can naturally begin in the state in which students live, and more specifically the city in which students live. As students start to learn about the areas of Portland and the history of the city they will have the chance to develop a deeper appreciation for the place they live and an interest in learning more about the world outside of their immediate experience. This lesson is also helpful in introducing students to using technology resources, such as the internet and word processing programs, and is a good group activity to develop cooperative learning skills. 


Credits & References

The image of the bridge was taken from the website Portland Ground at portlandground.com

Thanks also to Mark Bailey for supplying the webquest template.

NOTE: I grant permission to use this webquest or a modified version of it for any educational purpose. Please simply cite my name and provide a link to the original page. If you do use it or modify it, I would love to hear how you used it and if it proved helpful. You can e-mail me at amckeen@pacificu.edu
Last updated on November 21, 2006. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page