This WebQuest was designed to help high school freshmen to develop skills in information literacy. Familiarity with the novel or movie Jurassic Park is not really essential.

If students are not familiar with WebQuests or with rubrics, spend a few minutes talking to them before they begin this. You might consider having everyone look at the opening page and reading the text out loud. Everything is spelled out, but students need a frame of reference before they can begin to work independently.

Step One asks students to examine existing rubrics and create one of their own. Because a sample rubric is provided, this task is designed to be largely self-correcting. Some students may need help using two applications (Web browser and word processor) at the same time. Depending on the student, it could take an hour to complete. Students who have a great deal of trouble with this concept could print out the sample rubric for Steps Two and Three.

In Step Two students use their rubrics to evaluate selected sites. You will need to decide the best way for them to acquire 8 copies of their rubrics (3 for this task and 5 for the next). Of the three sites provided, one is a good general site, one is better, and the third is clearly a poor choice. The important part of this step is having the student apply the criteria and defend an opinion in writing. Depending upon student ability, this step should take 45-60 minutes.

In Step Three students search for sites they believe contain reliable scientific information and then justify their selections in a memo. The page includes links to two good search engines and a sample of memo form. Again, the value lies not so much in which site students find as in how well they apply the criteria and defend their opinions in writing. This step could also require an hour of research time. Students will probably need additional time to write the memo.

This WebQuest addresses the following Standards:

Return to the Webquest.

Carla Beard (cbeard@fayette.k12.in.us)