Standard7

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The teacher organizes and plans systematic instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, pupils, the community, and curriculum goals.
 * Teachers are able to plan different kinds of lessons. **

** Evidence 1: [|webquest] ** ** EDT 654 __Vacation Under the Volcano__ Webquest **

Rationale 1: This webquest was created for the use by students in a third grade class. I also opened this webquest up to students of others ages and grade levels to help their homeroom teach differentiate if necessary for advanced readers. During our reading time in class, students were enthralled with the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne and that led to the creation of this webquest for students. The students that moved quickly through the series were offered a webquest that allowed them to explore more than just the book. The webquest took students into the past and gave them a look at the life and times of the people of Pompeii. The webquest involved a journal for keeping notes, various projects, videos, online quizzes, and opportunities for being creative with art. This webquest gives an extended look into the book and the real life history that were experienced in the book by Jack and Annie. The overall impact in learning comes from the visuals, the journal writing, the activities, and the multimedia that keeps them engaged, focused, and interested in the history of the story. The students that decided to try the webquest found it to be exciting and enjoyable to have the chance to do interactive lessons and quizzes that gave immediate feedback. I was able to see how students would interact with a webquest based on a book and it allowed me to see that this was an activity that was perfect for the advanced reader. I did allow some at level readers to try the webquest but they were not as successful at it. I found that it is something that a student with strong self-motivation and a desire to learn would most benefit from doing. KSD

7.K.2 The teacher knows how to take contextual considerations (instructional materials; individual student interests, needs, and aptitudes; and community resources) into account when planning instruction that creates an effective bridge between curriculum goals and students’ experiences.

The webquest was created based on student interest to keep them hooked on the Magic Tree House series and to also keep a love for reading. The webquest was cross curricular in that it involved Science, History, Social Studies, Art, Language Arts, and Math. By having a webquest, many of the benchmarks were met and even revisited over time. There were few local community resources involved in this particular webquest but other communities in the United States were involved with locations on the map, zip codes, and deciding if the town in the story was real or not. This quest could be used for multiply grade levels and even reading levels. The quest could be done individually or collectively as a small group. Overall, the cross curricular use has various impacts on benchmarks, learning goals, and creativity for the students.

7.S.2 The teacher plans for learning opportunities that recognize and address variation in learning styles, learning differences, and performance modes.

This webquest was designed for students who read above grade level or demonstrate a real love for reading and learning. Many students work better on a computer and retain more information while using one. Also, the webquest was created to differentiate for students who would otherwise go through the book too quickly without either retaining information or skimming the text and not getting the full experience. With the use of this tool, the visual and auditory learners will benefit from the videos that are watched and also allows for those that need to move while learning. The webquest covers all styles of learning for students of various backgrounds, learning abilities, and learning styles. The overall impact in learning reaches more students by reaching out to the various learning types.

7.D.2 The teacher believes that plans must always be open to adjustment and revision based on student needs and changing circumstances.

The use of the webquest is perfect for the advanced reader but also a great tool for students who may struggle to read on their own or lack a desire to read. Allowing those students to also use the webquest may spark an interest in reading knowing that they will have an opportunity down the road to explore more webquests and apply their knowledge from a book into several learning based activities rolled into one online site. If students have completed their work with nothing else to do such as an anchor activity, students could use the webquest as an alternative activity. It can also be used by a student who may be having behavioral issues. This type of work would allow the student to think and be alone while still working and being productive on a search that preoccupies the mind and refocuses their attention to a set task thus diffusing a potential situation.