FOR TEACHERS USING THIS WEBQUEST
CONTEXT
This webquest has been designed to be used within the context of Topic 7, Contemporary Australia, in the January 1999 Syllabus and Topic 7, People Power and Politics in the Post-war Period, in the June, 2003 Syllabus. It addresses the issues of Heritage in the first syllabus and People Power in the second.
PURPOSE
This WebQuest is designed to extend and refine student knowledge of Heritage, Contemporary Australia, Civics and Citizenship and People Power through the thorough analysis of a body of knowledge so that they can demonstrate their knowledge through written and oral presentations.
TIME ALLOCATION
The WebQuest stands alone as a unit of study and teachers should allow about 6 lessons of 40 minutes each altogether to complete the task. The following schedule will work without becoming too much of an imposition. Scaffolding, resources and ideas have been provided via clickable links to support the students through this exercise. Print off a copy of the plans of the school and the proposed development for each group. If your students have not had any practice in developing PowerPoint presentations it may be worth going through this process briefly and a very good web based on-line tutorial can be accessed here.
Pre-planning lesson - introduction to the idea of the WebQuest. Allocation of groups, distribution of the plans and discussion of them as a group explaining the elements of the plan.
Lesson 1 - Introduction
- reading through the WebQuest together and discussion of it making sure that you go through the Scenario (may have been done in the pre-planning but should be repeated), the Task and the Assessment expectations.
- students move into groups and begin allocation of initial jobs after checking the advice pages for their group
- if time permits, begin researchLesson 2 and 3 - Internet research (homework, after Lesson 3 - each student to write their draft report in preparation for Lesson 4 or, in the case of Life Skills students, begin the preparation of the campaign materials)
Lesson 4 - sharing of information within the groups via the draft reports, preparation of formal submission and preparation of the PowerPoint presentation. Advice is here to guide the preparation of the slides. May need longer if students are not familiar with PowerPoint.
Lesson 5 - presentation of submissions to the Court (no more than 4-5 minutes each, The Court then meets separately afterwards (perhaps at lunchtime or after school) to make its decision and prepare its submission.
Lesson 6 - Court returns it's verdict (no more than 8 minutes), debrief and student reflection.
ASSESSMENTS
The assessment tasks and marking guidelines provided (click on links below) deal with Group Work, Written Submissions and Presentations and include aspects of the perspectives, civics and citizenship and key competencies as stated on page 8 of the 1999 syllabus and the five key competencies as stated on page 19 of the 2003 syllabus as well as Life Skills Outcomes from the 2003 Syllabus, The outcomes are a melding of the outcomes from all three syllabuses. They have been alphabetised sequentially and the actual syllabus outcomes have been shown, in brackets, at the end of each as, for example, (M5.6 [1999], 5.1 and LS.18 [2003] and ICT 1 [2001]).
GROUP WORK
When you divide your students up into groups put your best or extension students into the group for the Land and Environment Court. They have, by far, the hardest task, having to sit in judgement on their peers and come up with a conclusion. Put Life Skills students into the group representing the Concerned Students and the general community even if it makes the group larger than 4. They will be able to work alongside other students in the research phase and prepare posters, leaflets, stickers and banners in the writing phase.
Remember to observe the groups at work and make notes during each group lesson. You need to have documentation to base your group assessment on.
RESOURCES
Before you begin this WebQuest you should make yourself familiar with the following websites:
- The Heritage Council
- The Environmental Protection Agency
- The Sydney Harbour and Foreshore Authority
- The Board of Studies Heritage Web Site (follow the links of Reshaping Cultural Values - bottom right of page)
- The Environmental Defenders OfficeThese websites will give you valuable information regarding heritage and the issues surrounding it.
The pdf document The Environmental Defenders Office (Environmental Law Tool Kit) is also critical reading for all involved in the webquest as it sets out very clearly what can and cant be done, by whom and where. It even has suggestions for how to conduct the campaigns.
STUDENT REFLECTION
There is a series of questions on the Student Reflection page which all students should be encouraged to complete. Print the page off as they will not be able to access it "on line". This should be marked and returned as part of the de-brief.
ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS
Consider getting professionals in to listen to the Court submissions and provide feedback to the students. Consider asking your principal to act as the leading judge in the court. You may have contacts with a local magistrate through the local Rotary Club or Lions Club. Try to involve people from the community. A local developer might be interested in the exercise and so, too, a local real estate agent or the local council member. Dont forget that Year 11/12 Legal Studies teachers and students may be interested in sitting in. The more formal you make the submissions the more the students realise the importance of their involvement. You may even consider getting these local experts involved at an earlier stage - the research phase. This then can become a major project for the exercise of the Discovering Democracy program in your school and community thus raising awareness of civics and citizenship in your community.
Above all I hope the exercise is enjoyable. One of the most important aspects of the Discovering Democracy program is just that - discovering our role as citizens of a democratic country. This WebQuest encourages these ideas and may well lead to students expanding their own commitment to democracy both within and outside school.