Have Canadians

A WebQuest for 7th Grade (English Language Arts, Social Studies and Information Technologies)

Designed by Ellen Phillips

Halifax Regional School Board

phillie@staff.ednet.ns.ca

Introduction | Learners | Outcomes | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Credits | Student Page

Introduction

This WebQuest was designed as a final project for a unit on European Explorers/Vikings. Students work in partners to research, design, and develop a commemorative monument for Helge Ingstad, the Norwegian who proved beyond a doubt that the Vikings were the first Europeans in North America. 

Learners

This WebQuest is designed in parallel with the Grade 7 Social Studies, English/Language Arts and Information Technologies curriculum. Although its main intention is for this grade level, it could be easily adapted to various grade levels.

Students should have some prior knowledge of archaeology and the discovery of North America, including the Vikings. They should be able to navigate their way through embedded links and also have basic skills for using the Internet. Students should also be capable of saving and accessing stored files.

Curriculum Outcomes

As per the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Culture

 Grade 7 English/Language Arts:

 Speaking and Listening

• recognize that different purposes and audiences influence communication choices such as vocabulary, sentence structure, rate of speech, and tone during talk; consider appropriate communication choices in various speaking contexts

• follow instructions and respond to questions and direction

• demonstrates active speaking and listening skills such as making eye contact, rephrasing when appropriate, clarifying comments, extending, refining, and/or summarizing points already made

Reading and Viewing

• while learning to express points of view, develop the ability to find evidence and examples in texts to support personal views about themes, issues and situations

Writing and Other Ways of Representing

• understand that note-making is purposeful, and has many purposes (e.g., personal use, gathering information for an assignment, recording what has happened and what others have said) and many forms (e.g., lists, summaries, observations and descriptions)

• produce a wide range of writing forms, for example, stories, cartoons, journals, business and personal letters, speeches, reports, interviews, messages, poems and advertisements

• recognize that a writer’s choice of form is influenced by both the writing purpose (to entertain, inform, request, record, describe) and the reader for whom the text is created

• collect information from several sources and combine ideas in communication

• demonstrate a commitment to crafting pieces of writing and other representations

Social Studies:

Acquiring, Processing and Communicating Information In Social Studies

• gather, evaluate and select appropriate information from increasingly complex examples of primary and secondary print materials, visual and graphic sources, electronic sources, statistics, field studies and observations, interviews and reference materials

Participating in Social Studies

• demonstrate age appropriate collaborative skills which contribute to the positive functioning of different types of collaborative groups

Time, Continuity and Change

• identify, evaluate and use primary and secondary sources to reconstruct and interpret the past, explaining causality and providing evidence to support generalizations

• select, organize, synthesize and evaluate information about the past from a variety of sources that represent different frames of reference and present findings using various media

• identify, analyze and compare events of the past to the present in order to make informed, creative decisions about issues

Information Technologies

Basic Operations and Concepts

• using a variety of technologies, students will demonstrate an understanding of technological applications and will apply appropriate technologies to solve curriculum problems and enhance their learning

• students will independently run grade-appropriate software and manage folders and directories of their electronic work in accordance with school policies

Communications Technology

• students will represent their learning in a range of media, including print, video, and multimedia, with growing confidence and competence

• as students research and study, they will manage their electronic files and correspondence efficiently

Research, Problem Solving, and Decision Making

• with the assistance of their teachers, students will select and refine a research topic, according to teacher-provided criteria, to fulfill and curriculum requirement

Students are investigating past events and their implications for the future. As citizens, students must play an active role in understanding historical events and their impact on the present.

Process

Students must carefully review each site indicated in the Resource section of the WebQuest (below) and should follow these directions for WebQuest completion:

1. Form a partnership with another student. Together, use the following resources, and familiarize yourselves with Helge Ingstad's fascinating life, amazing accomplishments and his passion. Take special note of Ingstad's lifetime achievements, determination, biographical elements and accomplishments. 

Be sure to compare the elaborate recognition and state funeral provided in his home country with that of the minimal coverage his death received in Canada. Make sure you both take notes and share your findings. Time is ticking and you want to win the trip!

2. Now that you have gained a wealth of information on Ingstad's life and his contribution to Canadian history, decide who will assume the following roles.

         A)  Historian- Your job will be to effectively combine the details of Ingstad's life with your creative writing skills to compose a BioPoem that reflects the history behind the man. Be sure to find information to highlight Ingstad's lifetime achievements, determination, biographical elements and accomplishments. Prepare a rough draft of your BioPoem for group editing with the final copy "engraved" on the monument.  

         B) Designer - "Will you remember me and tell my story in stone?"  Commemorate the life of this outstanding man with a monument that's a unique work of art. Monuments need not be boring relics; be creative and tell a visual 'Story In Stone.' You are responsible for selecting the medium and materials for the construction of the monument. Be sure that the monument itself is in the shape of something relevant to Ingstad's life and includes engravings that effectively reflect his accomplishments.  Make your work a personalized and unique tribute to commemorate the life and historic relevance in time. You do not have to make the actual model but you are required to submit the actual plans. Be sure to include in your sketch, the plans for all sides of the monument. One side of your monument sketch should display your BioPoem inscription. Check out some examples of existing monuments that may inspire you!

3. The two of you must work together to agree upon and edit the BioPoem, as well as, reach a decision regarding the monument. Feel free to create and add any other inscriptions that have been chosen to be on the monument.

4. Your finished entry must be submitted in the form of a professional looking portfolio  (a duotang is acceptable) that includes a sketch of the monument with your poem engraved upon it.

5. You and your partner must be prepared to share your portfolio if it becomes selected as one of the finalists in the contest. Be sure to review your notes on effective oral reporting.

This WebQuest is intended to be adaptable to a variety of learning environments including the single computer classroom or lab environment which will directly determine the length of time required for completion.

Resources Needed

In order to implement this WebQuest, the following is required:

• Internet accessibility
• This WebQuest makes extensive use of the following specific websites:

The History Behind the Vikings 

Overview of the Vikings including video.

A quick review on the work of an archaeologist

The role of the archaeologist in the field

Exploration of Canada By the Vikings

Kevin Aylward's, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation for the Province of Newfoundland, address to the House of Assembly announcing Ingstad's death.

Ingstad's biography

Parks Canada's Website for L'Anse aux Meadows

Norway's Aftenposten Newspaper Report . Be sure to look at the photo gallery to see past and recent pictures of Helge Ingstad and his wife, Anne Stine Ingstad.

CBC's Brief Announcement of Ingstad's Passing

New York Times Obituary as it appeared in the Halifax Sunday Chronicle Herald  Sunday, April 1, 2001   

Obituary in Memorial University's Gazette

Evaluation

On-going assessment using teacher observation and checklists, and anecdotal records on student progress help to guide final evaluation. Self assessment is an integral part of assessment of the WebQuest. It is key that students are aware of their individual contributions to this collaborative project. A final teacher assessment using a rubric will complete the evaluation. 

Credits & References

This WebQuest is based on a template from The WebQuest Page and the Design Patterns page.

"We all benefit by being generous with our work. Permission is hereby granted for other educators to copy this WebQuest, update or otherwise modify it, and post it elsewhere provided that the original author's name is retained along with a link back to the original URL of this WebQuest. On the line after the original author's name, you may add Modified by (your name) on (date). If you do modify it, please let me know and provide the new URL."