Web Quest

The Idea

Ever have students have problems finding proper resources? Are you worried that they are just reading it in their first language and not in English?  These problems could be solved with a thing called a WebQuest.

What is a WebQuest

A WebQuest has a task, a procedure to complete it, and a final production goal at the end. You write goal for them, walk through the steps giving websites to scaffold and research. In the end, they have a paper, presentation, poster, or project of some kind. It can be individual or group.

Where?

There are a lot of things labeled "WebQuest" out there. A good place to start is Quest Garden. It has a variety of types and resources. While the ESL specific content is a little low, it is an interesting way to get students to work with area specific items and practice their English. They can kind of follow your or their interests.  You can always just Google Web quest and maybe get lucky. People post them all over.

Example

Try doing this WebQuest I found on the quest garden. It is an interesting one about the English language and it is geared towards linguists called "Whose English is it, Anyway?". Here is another about the history of English as well.

Try this one I made for a class. I hope to use it many times in different forms because it is a general "argumentative" speech topic, of which it seems like my syllabii call for frequently.

Expansion

On the WebQuest website, you can make your own. It costs a fee though after the first month. What is really nice about it though is that it comes with procedural checkpoints so you can insure that the quality is high. If you are going to make one for the first time, I'd start there and move it somewhere else after you make it.

You can make this on any free website program such as GoogleSites, Weebly, or others if you have the patience to make it. If you are using GoogleSites, there are some templates out there if you search for them while you are making it. It makes the design process really slick.

Have a Webquest you like? Post it and share!