Examples of WebQuests for Science

WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which students get all information from the web. Teachers provide their students with the documents that include links to websites to use the information, according to the activity. The purpose of using WebQuest is to encourage students to use information rather than gathering it and participate in meaningful classroom discussions. WebQuest supports critical thinking through analyzing, creating, and evaluating. Also, it integrates technology into learning and foster cooperative learning.

Below are examples of WebQuests in a science classroom:

Activity 1: Plants Life.

1. Visit The Great Plant Escape website at http://urbanext.illinois.edu/gpe/index.cfm
2. Click enter.
3. Under the first case, read the mission that you will need to solve to help detective Leplant knows more about the plant life.
4. Click on case brief then, click on facts of the case to help you out with ideas that will lead you to the answers.
5. Under the facts of the case you will find the following hyperlinks: plant structure, life cycle, and plant parts. Click on each to answer the following questions:

Plant structure: How would you classify the plants according to thier stem types?

A: _____________________________________________________________.

Life Cycle: A plant's life cycle describes how long a plant lives or how long it takes to grow, flower, and set seed. According to this sentence, what are the three categories of plants according to their life cycle?

A: ______________________________________________________________.                  

Plant Parts: Using your own words, use the following table to write the plant parts, functions of each part in the first two columns. Then, partner up with a friend and share your new facts.

Activity 2: Photosynthesis

1. Visit http://www.neok12.com/quiz/PHOSYN04 . You will be given the directions for the game in the first page. You are going to play matching puzzle game. You need to match different terms related to photosynthesis to their definitions in order to reveal a hidden picture of a plant.

2. Click start. Your screen will look like the one in Figure 1-2. 

3. You need to click on the yellow card and then the blue one. If your answer is correct, the two cards that you matched will flip to show a part of the hidden plant (Figure 1-3). If your answer was wrong, you will be given the chance to do more attempts but you will miss a point on each wrong answer. 

4. When you are done, your screen should be like the one in figure 1-4 or you might have another plant.

5. After you finish the matching game, close your screen. Use the following worksheet to match each term to its definition.

6. Write about something new you learned today about photosynthesis.

Activity 3: Differences Between Plant Mitosis and Animal Mitosis.

1. Visit the difference between website: http://www.differencebetween.net/science/difference-between-animal-mitosis-and-plant-mitosis/

2. Read the article post: “Animal Mitosis vs Plant Mitosis”.

3. According to the information in this post, use the Venn diagram below to compare and contrast mitosis in plants and animals.

4. In this post, there are many concepts that we have covered in our lessons. Choose two of the concepts from the post and create two questions. Write the questions on index cards.

5. Rally Table_Pairs: with your partner, exchange each other questions to write an answer or make a contribution.

6. You and your partner will share the questions and answers with other groups.