This resource was developed for 7th grade students (~12 years old) which study physico-chemical sciences. It presents three problems to be solved in the form of webquests.
1. 2010 Travel in space!
2. Chemistry in the track of crime!
3. Raising awareness for clean energy!
A webquest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web (
http://webquest.org/index.php). The structure of a webquest can be defined as follows: introduction; tasks; process; resources; evaluation; conclusion.
The investigation is made by students, using online resources that were previously selected by the teacher and are provided in the webquest. All the research elements/tasks are organized so that students are focused on the project.
The last two webquests will be described in more detail, as they are more Chemistry related.
The webquest “Chemistry in the track of crime!” starts by describing a crime scene: during a Math test, the Professor's dog, is kidnapped! A ransom note is left in the classroom.
A challenge is proposed: To find out the author of the kidnap, by comparing the ransom note with the Math tests, using the appropriate techniques. Each group is composed of three students, each with a defined role (Office prosecutor, Laboratory technician, Responsible for organizing the process). A few resources are made available for students: Evidence of crime and ransom note; Data from the suspects; Results of laboratory tests; Suggestions for presenting the case to the court; laboratory safety rules; Information about chromatography; Results of laboratory tests. At the end of the work, students should present their conclusions explaining how chromatography helped them in the identification of the kidnapper.
The webquest “Raising awareness for clean energy!” starts by contextualizing the global energy problem, in the introduction, ending with the question “What can we do?”. Then, the challenge is defined: To find alternative sources of energy and to prepare a campaign to support the use of clean energy. In this webquest, a group of four students will search information on renewable energies, using the online resources provided, choose one of the types (wind, solar, geothermal, etc.) and, then, design a campaign to advocate its use. Each team member has a defined role (to write a poster, pamphlet, radio script or slogans). Students then use the resources provided in the webquest to look for information on renewable energy.
This type of methodological activity can be used as a group work, in the classroom and as homework project.