A WebQuest for 9th Grade Integrated Science

Designed by

Mr. Aaron Wisman, Science Teacher

St. Francis DeSales High School

and

Ms. Kate Breen, Library Media Specialist

 

 

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Teacher Page

Introduction

You are a member of a scientific committee selected to design a new exhibit opening in January at the Louisville Science Center. The purpose of the exhibit is to educate the public on the many uses of electromagnetic radiation. Most of the audience for this exhibit will be of middle school age. Each committee will research one segment of the spectrum, explain what it is, and show its many practical uses in the world around us. You are competing for the honor of having your exhibit displayed, so do your very best work!

As you focus on your assigned segment of the spectrum, consider the following questions: How does electromagnetic radiation affect our daily lives? why is it important? How can you make your contribution to the museum both informative and attractive?

                                                  

The Science Center has allotted an entire room for this exhibit and each committee will create at least five panels. Panel one will define and explain the portion of the spectrum which you are working on. Panels two, three, and four will each show and explain a practical use of your assigned segment. You must include at least three uses, one per panel, but you may provide more than three. The last panel of your exhibit will list all your sources in correct APA format.

You will use PowerPoint software to design and create each of the panels. Later, a construction crew and various artists will build what you design in the museum space.

The Process

Before you begin, look at the rubric at the bottom of this page. Make sure you understand how this project will be graded.

You will be assigned one of the following leadership roles:

1) a committee chair who will keep everyone on task and make a daily report to Mr. Wisman on your progress;

2) a design editor who will ensure that the panels are consistent and attractive;

3) a text editor who will see that there are no errors in spelling or grammar; and

4) a fact-checker who will make sure the content is scientifically accurate.

There are six basic steps to research (sometimes called the Big6): 

            1. defining the task

            2. listing possible sources

            3. locating the sources you will use

            4. taking notes and documenting sources

            5. creating the product

            6. evaluating the process and the product

• In this WebQuest, the first two research steps have been done for you.
• How to locate sources is explained below.
• After you have read a source, take good notes and record exactly where you found them. Ms. Breen will give you instructions on how to use a Word document to keep track of your notes and citations.
• Use Landmark Citation machine (available through the DeSales library website) to put the information into correct APA format for the final slide.
• Design your panels using the guidelines you were given in class on creating PowerPoints.
• Remember, you have to put all the information on your panels in your own words. NO direct quotes!
• Your panels must contain both images and text. Always record the web address where you found particular images.

Sources

For this project, all your sources will online. To begin your research, go to the website for the Louisville Free Public library: www.lfpl.org. You will need the library card you were given. Select "Research Tools" at the left side of the page, then select "Reference Books." Scroll down and select the 7th option, "New Book of Knowledge."

At this point, a box will open for you to fill in your library bar code number. If you do not already have a password, look at the top of the page to sign up for one.

With your password, sign onto the Book of Knowledge site. In the very top right of the page, select the top button, "All Grolier Online." Type in the topic you are researching. If you need to, try other key words, such as "radiation.

Take notes on:

• The definition of your assigned wave and where it fits on the spectrum

• The practical uses of this type of radiation

• At least three examples of the practical uses in everyday life.

Find a picture (photo or clip art) to go with each of the practical uses.

Be sure that you copy the full source of everything you take:

• the author of the article if there is one

• the title of the article

• the title of the online book

• the date it was put on the web

• the date you found it

• the complete web address (the URL)

After you have taken notes by cutting and pasting, rewrite the notes into your own words. This is called paraphrasing.

VERY IMPORTANT:  If you don't paraphrase, or if you don't have the complete source for all your information, it is plagiarism. Plagiarism is a crime, and if you don't fix it, your assignment can fail.

Describe to the learners how their performance will be evaluated. Specify whether there will be a common grade for group work vs. individual grades.

	A	B	C	F	Score
Panel Appearance	Panels are well organized and pleasing to the eye Proper format has been followed	Information is organized Proper format has been followed	Information is slightly disorganized Some mistakes have been made in format	Panel is missing or very disorganized. Format contains many errors
Panel Content	Information is complete and is easily understood All necessary information is contained in the bibliography	Information has “gaps” Bibliography is missing one or two minor details	Information is slightly ambiguous or incomplete Improper bibliography	Information is inaccurate or seriously incomplete. No bibliography provided. Content has not been put in students' own words.
Teamwork / Task Management	All members of the group put forth their best work The quality of the product shows that each member of the group worked well with the others to accomplish the task	Effort was exhibited by all members and each member contributed to the success of the group	Individuals in the group sometimes didn’t put forth a good effort, or sometimes failed to complete their duties to the group work	A significant lack of cooperation resulted in tasks not being completed.
Presentation of Product to Museum Curators – Breen and Wisman	All members participate equally in the presentation of the product.  The presentation is well organized and planned (no “winging it”)	All members participate equally The presentation would have benefited from better planning	Presentation is poorly organized, with little sign of preparation or effort given to planning Not all members participate equally	Presentation is extremely poor and reflects a lack of knowledge about the subject