Webquests for
Information &
Literature Circles
SuperConference 2008
Cindy Matthews
Community Foundation:
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‘Just Like Me’
I am new to using Literature Circles as an
instructional strategy with my students.
I have used Lit. Circles with my students, but am
looking to add depth to my repertoire.
I am new to using Information Circles as an
instructional strategy with my students.
I have used Info. Circles with my students, but
am looking to add depth to my repertoire.
I have used Webquests with my students.
Agenda
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Literature Circles: What are they? > roles
Establishing common practice
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Information Circles: What are they? > critical thinking
Establishing dialogue & roles
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Reflections > School-wide plan
Webquests: What are they? > resources & samples
Design: adaptation & creation
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Further Reading & Questions
Literature Circles
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small, temporary discussion groups of diverse students who have
chosen to read the same story, poem, article or book
an organizational strategy that offers ‘voice and choice’ in a
community of readers, as a forum for independent reading and
cooperative learning
provide opportunities for shared talk.
Harvey Daniels’ model:
 while reading each group-determined portion of the text, each
member prepares to take specific responsibilities in the upcoming
discussion, rotated for each regular meeting.
The goal is to guide students to deeper understanding of their
reading, through discussion and extended written and artistic
responses.
Literature Circles; Daniels, H.
Establishing Literature Circles
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Modeled Dialogue: think-alouds & text connections
Shared Circle Dialogue & roles: ‘Fat and Skinny’ ?s
Guided Literature Circles: community building/responsibilities
‘Voice & Choice’: mixed group books & reading plans
Think Alouds
Making Connections
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Remind
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Text-to-Self
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Text-to-World
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Text-to-Text
• a strategy for a literary mini-lesson
Roles in Literature Circles
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Discussion Director
Summarizer
Literary Luminator
Wild and Crazy Word Detective
Illustrator
Choreographer
Role Cards
• a training tool for a procedural mini-lesson
Text Title ______________________________________
Author
______________________________________
Pages
_____________
Summarizer
Create a graphic organizer based on the day’s reading. Choose an
organizer that is suitable to the type of text read. E.g. Plot
Graph, Story/Article Pyramid, Sequence Chart, Venn Diagram.
Using the ideas on your graphic organizer, write a 5-8 sentence
summary of the text.
Consider the following when summarizing:
What are the elements (setting, character, plot, conflict, climax) of
the story?
What is the main idea?
What are the key points?
What are the main events?
Community Building Tasks
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‘Knee-to-Knee, Eye-to-Eye’
Paired Verbal Fluency ’30-60-90’
‘Put Yourself on the Line’ / Four Corners
Placemats
Jigsaw
Discussion Web / Appreciative Inquiry
Triangle Debate
• strategies for procedural mini-lessons
Gradual Release of Responsibility:
Guided Inquiry
Read
Aloud
Oral
Language
Shared
Reading
Balanced
Literacy
Media
Literacy
Guided
Reading
Independent
Reading
Modelled
Writing
Shared /
Interactive
Writing
Guided
Writing
Information
&
Literature
Circles
Independent
Writing
ICT
Skills
Information Circles
work on the same principle as literature circles, only in this case the
students read non-fiction instead of fiction.
Short text learning tasks:
 shared reading of magazines, articles, posters and webpages are
purposeful for instruction about the features of different text forms
 students guided in identification of characteristics of non-fiction texts
and media (titles, diagrams, font variety, images)
Group research projects:
 shared learning in the Inquiry and Research Process
 synthesis of the process leads group to produce and present an end
product of some sort
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Info Tasks; Koechlin, C. & S. Zwaan
Establishing Information
Circles
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Modeled Critical Thinking:
Q-Matrix > Inquiry & Research
Process
Shared Text Deconstruction:
Media Literacy/Graphic Organizers
Guided Inquiry for Info. Circles:
on-line resources & software
‘Voice and Choice’:
role & presentation styles can
align with Multiple Intelligences
Critical Thinking &
Questioning: the Q-Matrix
• a tool for literary & research mini-lessons
Inquiry & Research Process /
Media Literacy Triangle
• tools for literary &
research mini-lessons
Skills for ‘Grand Conversations’
Questioning
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Question webs
open-ended/how and why ?s
Inner voice, constructing meaning (post-its)
‘wonder’ notebooks / mini-research projects
Making Inferences
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Pictures/diagrams and text
Themes/big ideas
Teaching “how” to make inferences
• strategies for literary & research mini-lessons
Conversation Complements
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Short stories, poems, articles, current or
controversial, independent reading level
Double-entry Journals
Anticipations Guide - stepping stone
Post-it notes - questions/connections
Passing notes/writing in role/round robin
Drawing/visualizing
On-line discussions, blogs
Authentic/performance tasks, WebQuests
• tools for literary & research mini-lessons
Roles for Information Circles
Resource Manager/ The Data Digger The Questioner
Create group questions.
Presentation Planner Find information to
help your group find
the answer to our class
question. Track new
and interesting words/
phrases that you
discover.
Vary your questions,
using the question
starters. Review the
work of your group
members to confirm
that the questions are
being answered.
The Connector
The Illustrator
Summarizer
Make personal connections to
the information you are
reading and viewing.
Is this important? Why?
Do you agree or disagree?
Why? What are the issues?
What is your opinion?
Record the key ideas
you discovered in a
visual format. You
might try a chart,
graph, sketch, web,
cartoon, diagram or a
combination of visual
formats.
Your task today is to
summarize key
information.
What is the most
interesting thing you
have learned? What is
the most important
thing you have
learned? Why?
Collect resources of different
media for reading/viewing
and for presentation ideas.
Select a medium and draft a
plan for the group
presentation.
Reflective Questions
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>>As you think of your students’ needs in
terms of reading comprehension, how might
Literature Circles extend their learning?
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>>Considering the text and media resources
and research practices in your school library,
where might you start with Information Circles?
Webquests
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inquiry-oriented activity, most or all of the information used by learners drawn
from the Web
teacher chosen websites serve as links within an organizational
framework that requires reflective manipulation of information to complete
learning tasks
designed to use learners' time well, to focus on using information rather
than looking for it
allow for diverse entry points to the Inquiry and Research Process
support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation
students work independently and collaboratively with this inquiry-oriented
tool.
model developed by Bernie Dodge & Tom March in 1995 at San Diego State
University, outlined in “Some Thoughts About Webquests”
School Library Information Centre (SLIC) Handbook, 2003
CyberLiteracy: e-Project formats
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Webquests
Cyberguides, ~inquiries
Wiki Environments
Blogs
On-line Projects
Virtual Tours
Scavenger Hunts
Guided Tours
Pathfinders
Developing Webquests
Building Blocks of a WebQuest
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short paragraph to hook and prepare the reader; should include
the essential question or purpose of the webquest
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short paragraph to describe the end product or culminating
performance
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an outline of the steps, resources and tools for organizing
information
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an assessment rubric to describe the evaluation criteria needed
to meet performance and content standards
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a summary of the learning for reflection purposes; may include
some extension questions
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information to share with other educators re: target learners,
curriculum expectations and integration
http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/staffdev/buildingblocks/p-index.htm
Multimedia Literacy
Where, as Loertscher, Koechlin & Zwaan
argue, Webquests are limited by the use of
only one information source – the Internet,
connecting to literature, non-fiction texts,
personal experience and collaborative
discussion highlights the significance of
‘high quality information sources
regardless of the medium’. Ban those Bird Units, 2005
On-line Resources
Greater Essex County
Webquest Locator
Annette Lamb’s Internet Expeditions:
Exploring, Using, Adapting and Creating WebQuests
Sample Webquests
Janet Medders’
Primary webquest
Deirdre Cronin’s
survivor webquest
Becky Oakley &
Cynthia Wilson’s
Poe webquest
Sample Webquests
Joel Krentz’
Nutrition Webquest
Toronto Public Library’s
History Quest
Kristin Bombard’s
New 2 Canada Webquest
Purposeful Tasks: Primary
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Retelling Tasks
Compilation Tasks
Developmental and grade-appropriate tasks need to be scaffolded
for students to gain a sense of independence with webquests.
Primary students can approach the technical learning of webquests
more easily when the literacy tasks are familiar.
from Webquest Taxonomy
http://webquest.sdsu.edu/taskonomy.html
Purposeful Tasks: Junior
Journalistic Tasks
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Creative Product Tasks
Grade-appropriate tasks need to be scaffolded and integrated with
other sources for students to be challenged by webquests.
Junior students are more familiar with a variety of social and
technical skills and literacy foundations. Their learning lies in the
integration of the skills to advance their thinking, with guidance.
Purposeful Tasks: Intermediate
Analysis Tasks
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Persuasion Tasks
Content-rich tasks need to be advanced and integrated with other
sources for students to be challenged by webquests.
Intermediate students respond well to problem-based research tasks
that require comprehensive integration of the social and technical
skills along with literacy foundations, from fiction and non-fiction
texts.
Creating Webquests
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Initially, templates created in a software document serve as ‘e-sheets’ or worksheets.
Graphic design can be added with software such as Clicker 4, Smart Ideas, Adobe
Photoshop, Macromedia X, to raise the level of cognitive processing and creativity.
More polished designs can be ‘borrowed’ from a variety of on-line sources, using
an on-line ‘fill-in-the-blank’ creation guide, though jpg use may be limited.
Designing a WebQuest
Topic: ____________________________ Grade:___________
Curriculum Expectations
Introduction
Task
Process
Resources
Evaluation
Conclusion
© 2006 Toronto District School Board
Imagine the Learning! @ Your Library:
Elementary Research Guide
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Adapting & Creating Webquests
•Eliminate Linkrot
•Mix and Match
•Adjust Level or Purpose
•Adapt for Region
•Extend Scope
•Choose a Topic
•Select a Design
•Choose Development Tools
•Create Assessments
•Develop Process
•Synthesize
•Evaluate your Webquest
Resources for further reading
Brownlie, F.,Grand Conversations, Thoughtful Responses: a unique
approach to Literature Circles
Cole, A.D., Knee to Knee, Eye to Eye: Circling in on Comprehension
Daniels, H., Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in Book Clubs and
Reading Groups
Daniels & Steineke, Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles
Harvey & Goudvis, Strategies That Work
Harvey, S. Non-fiction Matters
Koechlin & Zwaan, Info Tasks for Successful Learning
Koechlin & Zwaan,Q Tasks
Kuhlthau, Maniotes & Caspari, Guided Inquiry: Learning in the
21st Century
Lipton & Wellman, Pathways to Understanding: Patterns and Practices in the
Learning-Focused Classrom
Loerscher, Koechlin & Zwaan, Ban Those Bird Units
Ministry of Education, Ontario, Think Literacy : Cross-Curricular Approaches
Grades 7-12
TDSB, Cross-Curricular Literacy: Key Strategies for Improving Middle Level
Students’ Reading and Writing Skills, Grades 6-8
TDSB, Imagine the Learning@Your Library: Elementary Research Guide
Wilhelm, J., Improving Comprehension with Think Aloud Strategies
Wiggins & McTighe, Understanding by Design