Teachers Page
Introduction
Nuts 4 Learning Celebrations Webquest is a webquest designed to engage students in learning about a range of different celebrations from around the world. The information presented below provides you with a detailed description of the the webquests desired audience, learning objectives and links to prior learning.
Audience/ Learners
The celebrations webquest has been designed for primary school students in NSW who are in Stage 1, grade 2. It is suitable for students of varying abilities, and is suitable for phase 2 and phase 3 ESL learners. The webquest has been carefully created with scaffolds to assist students to easily navigate through the webquest pages and links. The youtube clips, podcasts and websites throughout the webquest have been carefully screened and checked for content suitability.
Content Area and Purpose
The celebrations webquest has been designed to be taught in conjunction with the NSW DEC COGS unit: Understanding Ourselves which DEC staff can download from the DEC intranet.
For teachers not employed in DEC schools, the webquest can be used in integrated units based around the themes of family, cultures, beliefs and communities.
The purpose of the celebrations webquest is to make students aware that people from different cultures and backgrounds celebrate different events. By completing this webquest students will focus on one of four celebrations (Eid, Chinese New Year, Diwali or Hanukkah) and learn about the importance, traditions and customs of this event. Students will learn about the other three celebrations by engaging in SMART notebook presentations presented by their peers.
For teachers not employed in DEC schools, the webquest can be used in integrated units based around the themes of family, cultures, beliefs and communities.
The purpose of the celebrations webquest is to make students aware that people from different cultures and backgrounds celebrate different events. By completing this webquest students will focus on one of four celebrations (Eid, Chinese New Year, Diwali or Hanukkah) and learn about the importance, traditions and customs of this event. Students will learn about the other three celebrations by engaging in SMART notebook presentations presented by their peers.
Content Outcomes
The content in this webquest aligns with the following NSW BOS syllabus outcomes:
HSIE
CU S1.4: Describes cultural, linguistic and religious practices of their community and other communities.
Science and Technology
UT S1.9: Selects and uses a range of equipment, computer-based technology, materials and other resources to undertake an investigation or design task.
English
T S1.3: Recognises a range of purpose and audiences for spoken language and considers how own talking and listening are adjusted in different situations.
It is important to note, that whilst many areas of each of the above outcomes have been addressed in the webquest design, further teaching will be required to completely fulfil each of the outcomes requirements. For DEC teachers using the Understanding Ourselves COGS unit, these outcomes will be addressed fully by integrating the webquest into the COGS unit.
HSIE
CU S1.4: Describes cultural, linguistic and religious practices of their community and other communities.
Science and Technology
UT S1.9: Selects and uses a range of equipment, computer-based technology, materials and other resources to undertake an investigation or design task.
English
T S1.3: Recognises a range of purpose and audiences for spoken language and considers how own talking and listening are adjusted in different situations.
It is important to note, that whilst many areas of each of the above outcomes have been addressed in the webquest design, further teaching will be required to completely fulfil each of the outcomes requirements. For DEC teachers using the Understanding Ourselves COGS unit, these outcomes will be addressed fully by integrating the webquest into the COGS unit.
Prerequisites
Students are required to create a SMART Notebook file as the culmination activity in the webquest. It is required that students have had previous experience using SMART Notebook prior to engaging with the webquest. For students who have not been exposed to SMART Notebook before, other programs such as PowerPoint or Keynote could be used instead of SMART Notebook if students are more familiar with these programs.
Students are not required to have had any previous experience with webquests to complete the celebrations webquest. It has been designed for beginner users and follows a compilation design pattern, whereby students research information on their given topic and present it in such a way that is useful to others. In this instance, students are researching different celebrations and constructing SMART Notebook files to teach their classmates about the researched celebration.
Students are not required to have had any previous experience with webquests to complete the celebrations webquest. It has been designed for beginner users and follows a compilation design pattern, whereby students research information on their given topic and present it in such a way that is useful to others. In this instance, students are researching different celebrations and constructing SMART Notebook files to teach their classmates about the researched celebration.
Materials Required
Students will require access to computers with internet access. SMART notebook must also be installed on the computers in order for students to complete their presentations.
Learning Process
Each section of the webquest learning process is designed to take approximately 30mins. It is recommended that the webquest be completed gradually throughout an integrated unit of work or a term.
Introdution
The webquest introduction is best completed as a whole class prior to dividing students into groups. The purpose of the introduction is for students to begin thinking about different ways that people celebrate. It would be valuable to watch the youtube videos and have a class discussion around what events the students celebrate with their families.
Task Page
The task page clearly outlines the task that students will undertake. Once students are aware of their task you will need to do three things:
1. Place students into groups of 4
2. Assign each group a celebration to research. The options are: Chinese New Year, Diwali, Eid and Hanukkah.
3. Assign each group member an individual role. The roles are: Reader, Writer, Navigator and Leader.
As most classes have a range of abilities, this webquest in unlike many others. Many webquests require students to go off and become an expert on a topic and then work with their group to share what they have learnt. This webquest requires all group members to complete all parts of the webquest together as a group unit. The roles within the group need to be handed out based on students strengths. Each group will need a strong reader and leader. Mixed ability groupings are recommended as the four roles can be divided between a mixed ability group easily, with each student still having an important role to play within their group.
1. Place students into groups of 4
2. Assign each group a celebration to research. The options are: Chinese New Year, Diwali, Eid and Hanukkah.
3. Assign each group member an individual role. The roles are: Reader, Writer, Navigator and Leader.
As most classes have a range of abilities, this webquest in unlike many others. Many webquests require students to go off and become an expert on a topic and then work with their group to share what they have learnt. This webquest requires all group members to complete all parts of the webquest together as a group unit. The roles within the group need to be handed out based on students strengths. Each group will need a strong reader and leader. Mixed ability groupings are recommended as the four roles can be divided between a mixed ability group easily, with each student still having an important role to play within their group.
Individual Roles
The individual roles page can be explored as a class or once the students are working in their groups. It is important that students have a clear understanding of what their role entails before they begin the webquest. This will help to prevent many arguments which occur with younger students on topics such as who gets to control the mouse.
Process
The process is divided into 4 sections: Chinese New Year, Diwali, Eid and Hanukkah. Once students select their celebration, they will be taken to a step by step guide on how to complete the webquest. Each of the 4 celebrations has a different page which students are transfered to, however each celebration page contains the same number of podcasts, videos, websites, worksheets, questions and headings. The webquest has been designed this way to make it user friendly for younger students, with all the steps required being presented in an easy to follow format. Throughout the learning process students gather the information needed to be able to answer the following questions:
- When is the event celebrated?
- Who celebrates the event?
- Why do people celebrate this event?
- What special foods are eaten during this celebration?
- What special clothes are worn for this celebration?
- What are some of the traditions of this celebration?
- What did you find interesting about this celebration?
- When is the event celebrated?
- Who celebrates the event?
- Why do people celebrate this event?
- What special foods are eaten during this celebration?
- What special clothes are worn for this celebration?
- What are some of the traditions of this celebration?
- What did you find interesting about this celebration?
Evaluation
The eveluation page contains two documents:
1. Student self-evaluation sheet
2. Teacher assessment rubric
The student self-evaluation sheet is to be completed by each student individually at the completition of the presentations. The format is simple and requires students to answer a range of questions by colouring in a face which best suits their response.
The teacher assessment rubric is divided into three sections:
1. Presentation skills (English)
2. SMART notebook content (HSIE)
3. SMART notebook design (Science and Technology)
Each section is divided into 5 strands and each strand is graded A-E. The A-E grading system has been incorporated into the rubic as it is mandatory to assess students in NSW DEC schools using the A-E grading system.
1. Student self-evaluation sheet
2. Teacher assessment rubric
The student self-evaluation sheet is to be completed by each student individually at the completition of the presentations. The format is simple and requires students to answer a range of questions by colouring in a face which best suits their response.
The teacher assessment rubric is divided into three sections:
1. Presentation skills (English)
2. SMART notebook content (HSIE)
3. SMART notebook design (Science and Technology)
Each section is divided into 5 strands and each strand is graded A-E. The A-E grading system has been incorporated into the rubic as it is mandatory to assess students in NSW DEC schools using the A-E grading system.
Additional Resources
The following buttons link to websites which sell story books, based on the 4 celebrations explored in this webquest. The books could be incorporated into an integrated unit and would help to further enhance the students understanding of these celebrations.