Digital resources can be monotonous, and students can handle Google slides with simple drag and drop options only for so long. Using digital tools can be a fantastic way to incorporate both technical skills and creative thinking by using tools such as WebQuests.
In this post, I will be sharing what WebQuests are along with how to create a WebQuest to teach renewable and nonrenewable energy.
WebQuest has been used for a while in education, and they seem to be making a comeback in 2020. They are a research-based digital tool that allows students to take on a role by solving a real-life issue. It increased technological competency and motivation. Have I sold you yet?
The absolute best part is that the students are doing the research and learning themselves! As teachers, we are mere facilitators and encouragers. I’ve seen my students thrive while learning through WebQuest, so I hope it gives your class a similarly excellent experience.
It’s fairly simple to create a WebQuest. All WebQuests generally have 6 parts, and they are the following:
1) Introduction: introduces a real-life connection and students get interested in the topic
2) Task: students work towards this end goal or final product
3) Process: students read this to understand how to complete the task and procedures
4) Resources: the website and video links the students access for their information
5) Evaluation: students measure their final product or activity
6) Conclusion: students conclude their activity, and reflect on their learning and final product.
I will be breaking up how you can teach renewable and nonrenewable energy as a WebQuest by breaking it up into 6 different parts. Follow it simply, and you will be able to create a hit resource for your kids.
So we’ve decided that the topic for this WebQuest will be Renewable and Nonrenewable Energy for kids. It’s taught in 4th and 6th grade and aligned to the NGSS standards. I love to incorporate real-life problems that my kids could run into when they get older in their professions of choice. It makes it more engaging and students feel like there is a purpose to the work.
In this activity, they will be a Community Leader. You can have them be a mayor, school district superintendent, or council member. If you are creating this in Google Slides, you can have the first page introduce the kids to the role they will be playing as they learn to solve the issue.
This would be a great spot to describe the role they are inhabiting and why it’s important to this person to make the problem is solved. My students will be given the role of a Mayor, and the Mayor has just been sent an email from a community member.
In this portion, you will give your students a mission to accomplish. They will know what the problem is and what the final product will look like. It can be a poster, a video, an essay, etc. You name it, and it can be done.
For this project, I will have a community member who is upset and worried about the pollution that is happening from the nonrenewable energy plant in the community. The Mayor must research and come up with the best action plan to address the community members. They will need to choose a renewable energy source that needs to be built in their community to help with the pollution.
The students’ final product will be writing. My 4th graders will also have the option to record their writing in a Flipgrid video, but the writing is the evaluated final product.
This is the section that gives the students directions on how to complete the activity. Will they be answering specific questions to get to the final product? Will they be typing in their answers? Will they be watching videos or reading articles? The procedure section will be very clearly written to describe to the students what actions they must do to be successful in the project.
If you are creating this in Google Slides, you can have a different task on a different page. Questions can be highlighted, and you can leave room on the page for students to type their answers right there on the page.
For this project, I will have 5 pages with a different type of renewable energy source that the students must investigate and complete research on. The links will be embedded within those pages, so the students will have everything they need for that one section on a single page.
I will collect the resource while I’m curating the questions for each of the renewable energy sources so the students will have an easier time gleaning information from the correct websites and videos. Look for websites that are kid-friendly and use appropriate vocabulary. Make sure that the websites have current and accurate information. If you’re able, do a Lexile check to make sure that the writing is not too above the students’ reading level.
You may include video links, but I would keep most of the links reading resources so that the students are practicing those reading skills as well. If you need to differentiate for your English Language Learners or Special Education population, make sure the text has audio directions.
I will include these links in each of the renewable energy source pages so the students can identify them easily.
Students will be measuring their success in this project by writing an informative and persuasive essay. They will need to “deliver” this message to the community members so they can vote on if the Mayor’s request will be passed.
You can include a rubric for students to check their writing. Some things that can be included are references, vocabulary use, descriptive writing using adjectives, and detailed answers on why the Mayor had chosen the energy source they had chosen.
A good learning experience is one that ends in reflection. One way you can have your students reflect on the entire learning experience is by giving them 1-2 minutes to create a Flipgrid video on what the process was like. Was it easy or hard and why? Was their answer a clear one or were they conflicted with the response they would have gone with? Were they happy about the final product and why? In what ways could they have improved their activity?
Here’s a preview of what the Webquest looks like for students.
If you need help getting started on Flipgrid, check out this blog post I wrote for my readers.
You’ve fallen in love with WebQuests, and you’ve got student buy-in, but where do you find the time? If you would rather eat popcorn cuddled with your family in the evenings, you can consider buying the ready-to-go Renewable and NonRenewable WebQuest resource from Love Learning Stem.
I also have a Bundle of Renewable and Nonrenewable Energy Source activities that can be used during blended, distant, or in-person learning. Purchasing the bundle can get you savings of up to 30% off.
While you’re there checking it out, look at the teacher reviews. It’s been a complete hit, and I can’t wait to hear about the experience your students had with the resource.
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Teachers, we have something special to share.You have this special ability to color a child’s world even on the grayest of days. We appreciate, admire, and stand with all teachers like you who work tirelessly each day to leave your vibrant mark on our kids and our future.We know not every day FEELS like rainbows and butterflies. To say thank you for all you do, a group of educators and I have gathered an incredible selection of products and marked them down to ONE DOLLAR DEALS on TPT for two days.On Monday, April 8th + Tuesday, April 9th, search #overtherainbow on TPT to find hundreds of products marked down to only $1.Load up on everything you need to get you started off on the right foot this school year for just a few bucks! 🎉You can go here to see all the products included >>>> bit.ly/40DXjqG DM me for links to my resources. . See More See Less
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