Lesson: Pop Quizzes   Instant WebQuests

The purpose is to maximize students' efficient skill of internet researching.  This lesson plan creates an ongoing "game" of pop webquest quizzes that give students lots of practice researching materials on the internet.  These quizzes are expected to take no more than 10 minutes of class time.  The pop webquest quizzes are a combination of the old TV show "Name That Tune" and the popular college-campus game, "Six-Degrees from Kevin Bacon."  The challenge is to retrieve assigned target information in the least amount of time and in the least number of steps (links). The search journey must be logged and posted for review. A reward system should be created to make this "game" competitive, but not so as to dis-engage slower students. I would offer perhaps 4 - 7 instant webquest challenges during the day. I understand that this could be an hour of class time in some instances.  It is that important.
A variation of these Instant WebQuest Quizzes is to announce surprise quizzes for HandHeld users throughout the school.  The pop quiz comes from the school's central office and is beamed out to members of a Merit Society, all of whom have handhelds. This variation has another developed lesson plan associated with it.

 

Lesson Topic/Title Instant WebQuest Quizzes
Learners
Age and Grade Level

This lesson plan can be applied to any grade in which computers and the internet have already been introduced
(3rd grade?)

This lesson plan can be applied to any subject area

Expected Outcomes Academic Standard or Goal

Internet research capability
Resource familiarity
Cognitive knowledge of webquest subject matter

Technologies, Resources and Materials
Student Technologies and Resources

A wireless internet capability is required to beam out assignments.

A student PC management system, like NetOP, should be employed to control all PC's when necessary.

The internet is the focus of these exercizes.

Learning Environment
Lesson (Unit) Length

The learning environment is the standard classroom or school.  There are no special environmental requirements other than the PC's or handhelds must be within wireless beaming range (bluetooth or 802.11 or ...)

Overview of Project
Provide a list of the procedures that you (and your students) will follow in this lesson. 

Randomly, throughout the day, a pop webquest quiz will be assigned to locate a specific piece of information, such as:
"identify Benjamin Franklin's siblings - brothers and sisters, names, birthdays"

"find the next showing of "Hotel Rwanda" in any theater within 15 miles of our school."

"Which document begins 'When in the course of human events....' "

These are not meant to be critical thinking exercises; these are resource exercises. The subject matter is infinite.

Connection to Outcomes
Student Work Evaluations
Students will be expected to finish all webquest quizzes regardless of speed. There are no losers.
The record of students' progress is a self measured evaluation.
NY State Content Standards

This lesson plan meets the following NYS Technology Standards: 
Impact and Technology management , Tools, Computers.

NYS Technology Standards that are not addressed by this lesson plan are
Systems thinking,  technology's history and evolution and Design issues
But as noted elsewhere, the subject of the instant webquest quiz can draw students peripherally into any NYS or ISTE technology standard issues.

ISTE Standards
Provide list of ISTE (technology) standards that you feel your use of technology addresses.

This lesson plan addresses the following ISTE technology standards: Basic operations, technology productivity tools, technology communications, technology research.

ISTE technology standards not addressed by this lesson plan are social/ethical issues.  However depending on the subject matter of the pop webquest quizzes, these issues as well can be addressed along with other ISTE and NYS standards

Rationale

There is perhaps no more important skill we can give our students than the ability to search information as efficiently, effectively and thoroughly as possible.  In the digital age, this means the internet.  It is important that we make internet (re)searches "second-nature" to our students.  In the same way that our current generation of students grew up playing "Play Station," et al, our next generation will/must cruise the internet with ease.

 

© 2004, Jerry Garfunkel ..... 172 Tinker Street ..... Woodstock, NY .... 12498 .... Tel/Fax +1 845 679 0121 ..... www.jeromegarfunkel.com ..... jerry@jeromegarfunkel.com