WJHS  Media Center Pathfinder
Economics Webquest

The "Big6™" is copyright © (1987) Michael B. Eisenberg and Robert E. Berkowitz. For more information, visit: www.big6.com

Task Definition

During the next two weeks, you will be responsible for researching a given unit of instruction. You will not only be responsible for the information on the given topic, but method behind the "teaching." You will examine Web Quests that are already available on the Internet. Using your book, Internet, and any other sources you feel necessary, you will come up with a creative and informative Web Quest which will teach the other students in the class the Unit you have been assigned. You are able to work with one partner, of your choosing.

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Information Seeking Strategies

Find information about your project using magazine or newspaper articles .
Refer to local libraries:

and the Walter Johnson Media Center. The links from the Learning Research Hub below provide access to useful internet research tools for this project.

General Resources News & Magazine Resources Social Studies Resources Passwords for Online Resources are Available in the Media Center

Location and Access

Synthesis

Completed project

Credit sources: Cite or quote your sources using correct bibliographic citations. For tips see Works Cited Format.

Evaluation

Here is what you will be graded on:

1. Your Instructional Outline (14 points):

2. Web Quest Worksheet (14 points):

This rubric will help you pinpoint the ways in which your WebQuest isn't doing
everything it could do and show you the areas that are well done. If a page seems to fall between categories, I will score it with in-between points.

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	Beginning	Developing	Accomplished	Score
Overall Visual Appeal	2 points There are few or no graphic elements.	4 points No variation in layout or background interferes with the readability.	8 points Graphic elements sometimes, but not always, contribute to the understanding of concepts, ideas and relationships. There is some variation in type size, color, and layout.Appropriate and thematic graphic elements are used to make visual connections that contribute to the understanding of concepts, ideas and relationships.
Navigation & Flow	2 points Getting through the lesson is confusing and unconventional. Pages can't be found easily and/or the way back isn't clear.	4 points There are a few places where the learner can get lost and not know where to go next.	8 points Navigation is seamless. It is always clear to the learner what all the pieces are and how to get to them.
Mechanical Aspects	1 point There are more than 3 broken links, misplaced or missing images, badly sized tables, misspellings and/or grammatical errors.	2 points There are few broken links, misplaced or missing images, badly sized tables, misspellings and/or grammatical errors.	4 points No mechanical problems noted

	Beginning	Developing	Accomplished	Score
Motivational Effectiveness of Introduction	1 point The introduction is purely factual, with no appeal to relevance or social importance	2 points The introduction relates somewhat to the learner's interests and/or describes a compelling question or problem.	4 points The introduction draws the reader into the lesson by relating to the learner's interests or goals and/or engagingly describing a compelling question or problem.
Cognitive Effectiveness of the Introduction	1 point The introduction doesn't prepare the reader for what is to come, or build on what the learner already knows.	2 points The introduction makes some reference to learner's prior knowledge and previews to some extent what the lesson is about.	4 points The introduction builds on learner's prior knowledge and effectively prepares the learner by foreshadowing what the lesson is about.

(The task is the end result of student efforts... not the steps involved in getting there.)

	Beginning	Developing	Accomplished	Score
Cognitive Level of the Task	3 points Task requires simply comprehending or retelling of information found on web pages and answering factual questions.	6 points Task is doable but is limited in its significance to students' lives. The task requires analysis of information and/or putting together information from several sources.	12 points Task is doable and engaging, and elicits thinking that goes beyond rote comprehension. The task requires synthesis of multiple sources of information, and/or taking a position, and/or going beyond the data given and making a generalization or creative product.

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(The process is the step-by-step description of how students will accomplish the task.)

	Beginning	Developing	Accomplished	Score
Clarity of Process	2 points Process is not clearly stated. Students would not know exactly what they were supposed to do just from reading this.	4 points Some directions are given, but there is missing information. Students might be confused.	8 points Every step is clearly stated. Most students would know exactly where they are at each step of the process and know what to do next.
Richness of Process	1 point Few steps, no separate roles assigned.	2 points Some separate tasks or roles assigned. More complex activities required.	4 points Different roles are assigned to help students understand different perspectives and/or share responsibility in accomplishing the task.

(Note: books, video and other off-line resources can and should be used.)

	Beginning	Developing	Accomplished	Score
Relevance & Quantity of Resources	2 points Resources provided are not sufficient for students to accomplish the task. OR There are too many resources for learners to look at in a reasonable time.	4 points There is some connection between the resources and the information needed for students to accomplish the task. Some resources don't add anything new.	8 points There is a clear and meaningful connection between all the resources and the information needed for students to accomplish the task. Every resource carries its weight.

	Beginning	Developing	Accomplished	Score
Clarity of Evaluation Criteria	3 points Criteria for success are not described.	6 points Criteria for success are at least partially described.	12 points Criteria for success are clearly stated in the form of a rubric. Criteria include qualitative as well as quantitative descriptors. The evaluation instrument clearly measures what students must know and be able to do to accomplish the task.

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• Information found matches information needed?
• Finished assignment fulfills task.
• Did I revise with a Critical Eye?
• How well did my project turn out?
• Sources are credited.
• Was I happy with my process of finding and using information?
• Work is complete and includes name and date.
• Work is handed in on time.
• How would I do a similar project in the future?