OVERVIEW

Doggie Detective is a WebQuest designed as a learning activity. It was designed to be used with third grade students.  Children are to work cooperatively in teams of four students per team.  The children are also responsible to work independently on a particular area of the activity.  The WebQuest contains several components and activities leading to one cooperative goal which is to select a project from various choices and then presented it to the entire class. 

Doggie Detective was designed to incorporate the Gardners Multiple Intelligences, Gregorc’s Learning Styles, as well as Bloom's Taxonomy. 

This WebQuest creates a situation where students set themselves into the role of investigative dog professionals.  Students are given a scenario and asked to investigation various area involved in having a dog in order to help Francesca convince her mom that she should have a pet dog. Setting up this situation and helping students “see” themselves in their roles creates sense and meaning them.  Also, the scenario is about a child their own age and about an animal most children are familiar with. When sense and meaning is present, information has a better chance of making it into long-term storage. It is suggested that if is possible as a follow up to the WebQuest that the children visit a shelter, cannel, or even a Veterinarian's office in order to relate their WebQuest experience to the "real world".  The students can possible display their posters and brochures at these facilities.

OBJECTIVES

 Students will have an understanding about caring for a dog and the responsibilities involved in dog ownership.

Students will use technology to research needed information to complete individual task and group project.

Students will compare and differentiate between important and unimportant information pertaining to their research assigned in Doggie Detective WebQuest. 

Students will create either an informative poster, a dog care brochure, or a PowerPoint. 

Students will work collaboratively on a group project and present it in a understandable fashion so the entire class can learn from their research.

TRANSFER

 Students research their individual task and then transfers that information into notes.  Those notes are organized and then  relayed to other group members of the group. Once again the information is transferred to a group project; creating an informative poster, a brochure or a PowerPoint. Finally it transferred for the last time during the class presentation. This WebQuest allows students to learn in one situation and use that newly learned information in several other situations resulting in retention into long term memory.

EMOTIONS

 Emotions are very important in learning. Therefore,  the introduction in this WebQuest was carefully constructed. Children relate well to other children their needs and wants. Most children are interested in dogs as pets which results in them becoming actively engaged in the WebQuest. The idea that they can help someone their own age and perhaps use this information to convince their own parents that they should have a pet of their own get the student emotionally involved in this WebQuest.

MULTIPLE  INTELLIGENCES

Linguistic Intelligence: This WebQuest appeals to the verbal/linguistic students through the use of language during their group presentation.  Also, the written aspect of creating a poster or a brochure also interests this type of learn. 

Logical/Mathematical Intelligence: Doggie Detective WebQuest appeals to the  logical/mathematical  students that choose the role of the cashier.  This students enjoys working with numbers.  During their research they will find the cost of several different items that each of the three (small, medium, and large) dogs will need.  They will calculate these expense and manipulate the number in order to come to a final sum of what each size dog's expenses. Also, this type of learner will work more comfortably and efficiently using the step by step instructions that are provided. 

Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence: This assignment appeals to the Bodily/Kinesthetic learner. This learner enjoys the hands on aspect of this WebQuest.  Students must choose one of three final projects to complete and use during their presentation.  This type of learner would most like enjoy working on the poster or creating a brochure.