Description & Evaluation of One or More Inquiry-Based Lessons

For this project, I chose a science webquest, called "A Walk in Space" (http://www.taskstream.com/main/?/oneal4/AWalkinSpace.html). My first impression upon opening this page was...hmm... kinda bland. The borders of the page appeared to be red berries or something; something with planets or stars might have been a better choice. There is an image of planets on the homepage, but it's pretty small. It says it's for 3rd grade, and the authors are listed. Links for teachers and students show where to go. The teaching guide is very thorough. State goals and standards are clearly spelled out, as well as "student experiences." The task and process seem very easy to understand, and the resources and references are listed at the end. An evaluation rubric is listed at the end, as well.

The webquest itself asks learners to decide which planet (other than Earth) they want to live on and how they will survive there. They are to research the websites provided to learn about our solar system and make decisions based on what they learn. The activity is made up of 3 "Missions." The first part is reading a Magic School Bus book and asking, "Do you accept this mission?" (very cute). the next mission involves choosing jobs on the space crew, such as astronomer, space station engineer, etc. Lastly, the space crew is to design a diorama to display their space habitat.

I admit that my first impressions of the site were less than impressive, but as I read the content, I realized that it's a great webquest! Very well thought-out, clear objectives and process. Best of all, I think kids would love it. It's something that could take several days to a week, depending on how much depth you let the kids get into. The resources available to the kids are extensive, but not overwhelming. I think that the authors did a great job, and I'd like to use this one with kids some day.