Famous Explorers

Introduction

Welcome Explorers! This is called a Webquest. A Webquest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that you will need will come from the web. In other words, you will follow hyperlinks to answer questions and complete tasks. This particular Webquest will be on Famous Explorers!

In this Webquest, you will be answering the following essential question: What impact did famous explorers have on the world between the 1400s and the 1600s?

Task

You have been hired by the King of the CDS (Mr. Siman) to explore the web in search of hidden artifacts (knowledge) pertaining to one famous explorer of your choice. You will take those artifacts and create one part of a classroom timeline on The Age of Exploration. You will us an online program called Glogster to make your part of the timeline.

Process

Day 1

  1. Choose one famous European explorer from the following list. http://www.wlcsd.org/Loonlake.cfm?subpage=1425024
  2. Use the following links to conduct research on your explorer: 
    1. http://www.biography.com/people/groups/famous-explorers
    2. http://www.wlcsd.org/Loonlake.cfm?subpage=1425024
    3. http://www.kidinfo.com/american_history/explorers.html
    4. http://www.famous-explorers.com/european-explorers/
    5. http://www.ducksters.com/biography/explorers
    6. Write down your answers to the following questions on a piece of paper.
      1. What is the name of your famous explorer?
      2. What is the nationality of your explorer? 
      3. What was your explorer's occupation?
      4. What was the life span of your explorer?
      5. What voyage made your explorer famous?
      6. What was the purpose of the voyage?
      7. What are two interesting facts about your explorer?

    Day 2

    1. Research and answer the following question on your note paper:
      1. What impact did your explorer have on the world?
    2. Your response should be structured as follows:
      1. Christopher Columbus had a huge/major/big impact on the world.
      2. His discovery/voyage was important because....
      3. Another reason his discovery/voyage was important is because...
      4. These reasons show that Christopher Columbus's discovery had a huge/major/big impact on the world during the Age of Exploration. 

    Day 3

    1. Create a Glog on https://edu.glogster.com/login  or on the Glogster App.
    2. Your Glog must have all of the following:
      1. A Big Bold Title
        1. The Name of your Explorer and the Date of his Voyage
      2. One Subtitle entitled "Bio"
        1. A Text box that includes all the answers to the first four question from Day 1.
      3. A Second Subtitle entitled "Voyage"
        1. A Text box that includes the answers to questions 5-7 from Day 1. 
      4. A Third Subtitle entitled "Impact on the World"
        1. A Text box that includes your answer to the question from Day 2.
      5. One Picture of your explorer
      6. One Picture of a map of your explorer's voyage
      7. A Video or Audio File

    Day 4

    1. Finish working on your Glog. 
    2. Check to make sure you have all of the requirements. 
    3. Show Mr.Siman your finished Glog to make sure it has all of the requirements. 

    Evaluation

     

    CATEGORY 4 3 2 1
    Requirements All requirements are met and exceeded. All requirements are met. One requirement was not completely met. More than one requirement was not completely met.
    Content Covers topic in-depth with details and examples. Subject knowledge is excellent. Includes essential knowledge about the topic. Subject knowledge appears to be good. Includes essential information about the topic but there are 1-2 factual errors. Content is minimal OR there are several factual errors.
    Organization Content is well organized using headings or bulleted lists to group related material. Uses headings or bulleted lists to organize, but the overall organization of topics appears flawed. Content is logically organized for the most part. There was no clear or logical organizational structure, just lots of facts.
    Attractiveness Makes excellent use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. to enhance the presentation. Makes good use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. to enhance to presentation. Makes use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. but occasionally these detract from the presentation content. Use of font, color, graphics, effects etc. but these often distract from the presentaion content.

    Conclusion

    Following the completion of your Glogs, you will present them to the class. I will then have individual conferences with you to provide you with feedback and give you your evaluation.