Teacher Page

Overview

This Web Quest may be considered to be interdisciplinary as it combines elements of both Language Arts and Social Studies. It should take about a two-three week period. Students are divided into Colonies (groups of 4-5 students) and given specific internet sites to explore as they work to become experts on the information found in that site. As they delve into the information, each Colony member creates multiple choice questions that shows his/her understanding of the material studied. The Colony then compiles their individual questions to create a group list of fifteen questions, which will be used in the game, Who Wants To Be A Pioneer?

During the first week, students learn the information, create questions that show their learning, and play the game to show understanding of their Colony's designated information.

During the second week, they study the other sites and learn the material there, using the questions created by the other groups.

By the end of the second week or beginnining of the third week, they create a commercial. At the end of the unit, students play the game and share their commercials with the wider audience.

This Web Quest is designed for the Sask.Ed. Curriculum Grade 4 to meet the knowledge objective that students will learn that explorers, fur traders, and early immigrants came to this province for a variety of reasons and brought with them their own cultures. It also meets the requirements for the Grade 5 Heritage unit appreciation objective where students will appreciate the processes of learning about the past.

The prerequisites for this Web Quest include access to a computer lab, and a good working knowledge on how to use the internet. Due to its complexity, this Web Quest may be best suited for enrichment.

Possible Variations and/or Extensions

Instead of creating questions and playing the game, students could simply create posters or signs or commercials enticing people to join them in their journey to life on the frontier of the early Canadian West.

Students could design their own project to show their understanding of the material presented on the web sites they visit.