Webquest adaptations (part deux)

The webquest, I chose to adapt was about 'The Great Pumpkin'. Being that autumn is only a few days away, I just couldn't resist learning a little more about pumpkins. The lesson is intended for learners in kindergarten through second grade. Initially, I picked this webquest because of the theme being presented and thought that I could incorporate it into my second grade power hour at the afterschool program however, after a closer look I feel that some adaptations could be made to improve the overall presentation of the lesson.

Overall Aesthetics: Because this site is intended for primary students, I believe that adding some additional graphics and variation to the typography would benefit its projected learners. The overall visual appeal should be used to hook or engage the learner right off the bat. The navigation and flow of the quest was seamless and I feel that most students would be able to complete the task by following the step by step process. There are a few mechanical aspects that would lead to a few problems along the way (i.e. the carve me link is no longer working and produces an error).

Introduction: The motivational effectiveness of the introduction is headed in the right direction by drawing the reader into the lesson by relating to the learner's interest.

Fall has arrived and so has the great pumpkin, let's pick the best one from the pumpkin patch!!!
How does a pumpkin grow?

However, I do believe that the use of graphics and the typography chosen in this instance could do more to engage the learner visually. The cognitive effectiveness of the introduction does build on the learner's prior knowledge and it,also, prepares the learner by foreshadowing(most students know what a pumpkin is, but many probably aren't aware of how one grows).

Task: The connection of task to standards is clearly connected to what students must know and be able to do to achieve proficiency of those standards. Again, I believe that because this quest is intended for a variety of age levels it would be important to add graphics that would make it easier to understand for younger students. Perhaps, a simple addition such as a picture of a pumpkin over the word pumpkin would help them eventually learn to recognize the word. I think that if the task page is left as it is it would be something that is looked over rather quickly and the learner would suffer because of the lack of visual cues that could be provided to help the learner understand. However, I believe the cognitive level of the task is completely doable, engaging and elicits thinking that goes beyond rote comprehension. The pumpkin is something that most learners will recognize and probably will even remember a time that they had one however, they may never have taken the time to understand where it came from or what they could do with it once they do have one.

Process: Although every step is clearly stated the clarity of the process suffers because the process is rich in text and does not provide enough visual clues to stimulate every level of reader K-2. The activities are related specifically to the task, but I believe it is lacking in strategies and organizational tools that would ensure the success needed from every learner. Again, I can't stress enough the importance of visual clues to aide early readers. Color, cut and assemble....the crayon, and the scissor above the word would be helpful. The links used in the process are interesting however, I think step 2 in the process would be better if it required more of the learner than simply clicking a mouse. Because the site that was suggested in this step of the process no longer was working, I would suggest something like http://www.starfall.com/n/holiday/halloween/play.htm?f to engage the learner and provide them with skills to gain further knowledge. I would, also, change the activity in step 3 because it doesn't really do anything, but provide the learner with a bizillion choices with words they are probably not all going to understand. I may provide the learner with one recipe for roasting pumpkin seeds to print off, but I think that it would be more appropriate for them to learn about planting the seeds to reiterate what we learned about the life cycle in step 1. I would probably embed the following video into step 3 and include a recipe for them to print or write in a journal.

Overall, I enjoyed the webquest, but I believe that a few tweaks would improve the overall presentation of this lesson providing a deeper understanding and engaging the learner beyond the webquest.