Egypt--The Gift of the Nile

LEVEL OF THOUGHT:  I will be targeting application/analysis as the general level of thinking I’m trying to achieve in the project though I will have multiple opportunities to do all levels of Bloom’s taxonomy.

TARGETED LEARNER:  6-9th

CREDITS:  This WebQuest is a modified version of a WebQuest by Roberta Stagge.

NOTES:  This WebQuest requires little formal teacher direction.  It might be helpful for the teacher to call the class together periodically to discuss the findings of the individuals and groups to be sure they are meeting the learning objectives.  During the time students are researching, the teacher can monitor work and ask questions informally.

This lesson is designed to cover a unit of study estimated at two-three weeks. 

Students have individual assignments that can be done during class as well as for homework throughout the process.
 
At the beginning of each day, students should meet in their groups to discuss how they can incorporate what they have learned into the game. 

The teacher will need to be continuously monitoring individual student progress as well as group process.

The teacher may want to bring the class together for periodic discussions of the main ideas. 

The teacher will want to make current maps of the Middle East available to students and engage students in discussions about Egypt then and now.

Additionally, making books, magazines, artifacts, speakers, and videos available to students as a class or for individual research can be very effective.

(Playing the games the students create is another vital way to evaluate the project.  Students will need to play games created by other groups as well as their own.  The teacher can gain much information about the final product by observing teams playing the games.) 

EVALUATION: Ongoing assessment and final evaluation of student learning is essential in this unit.  
Have the students review the evaluation page as the project is being assigned so they
understand exactly what is expected of them.  

During the "process" part of the web quest, we will gather specific homework assignments
to be sure the students are learning the objectives.  This will give you the chance to make
any mid-course corrections should you see students who are misunderstanding parts of the unit.  
Additionally, you will be able to "triage" help to those students who might become disengaged
or side-tracked. Since our goal is for all students to be successful in the learning, we can't wait
until the final product to determine where help is needed.

RESOURCES: Desirable resources made available in class:
*Class sets of books
*Internet access - each student will need to do individual research
*Reference material in the classroom or school library
*Video or audio materials
*TIPS FOR TEAMWORK - http://www-ed.fnal.gov/lincon/w01/projects/Herbs/Teamwork.htm - Created for the Fermilab LInC program sponsored by Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory Education Officeand Friends of Fermilab, and funded by United States Department of Energy, Illinois State Board of Education, North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium which is operated by North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL), and the National Science Foundation. 
*Online Hieroglyphics Translator - http://www.quizland.com/hiero.htm

"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 modified by Jessica Smith 9/29/07 is retained along with a link back to the original URL of this WebQuest. If you do modify it, please let me know and provide the new URL."