Locate and Evaluate WebQuests
How can I add some adventure to my class?
What's a WebQuest?
Where can I find WebQuests in my content area and grade level?
WebQuests provide an authentic, technology-rich environment for problem solving, information processing, and collaboration. This inquiry-based approach to learning involves students in a wide range of activities that make good use of Internet-based resources. Bernie Dodge developed the WebQuest concept back in the mid 1990s. To learn more about WebQuests, check out his website at San Diego State University or Tom March's Ozline site called Working the Web. Check out the Questgarden at WebQuest.org by Bernie Dodge.
Explore a few examples:
- Does the Tiger Eat its Cubs?
- Modern Museum of Romanticism
- School Safety WebQuest
- Study in Hyperrealism
It also links to more indepth information about WebQuests.
Internet Expedition: Exploring, Using, Adapting, and Creating WebQuests
Explore the follow pages to learn how to create a WebQuest:
- WebQuest Overview
- WebQuest Definition and Foundations
- WebQuest Evaluation and Use
- WebQuest Adaptation
- WebQuest Creation
- WebQuest Co-Production
Links to Great Online Resources on WebQuests
This Teacher Tap page provides links to many online resources related to WebQuests. Use the following hyperlinks to view materials on this page:
- Grade Level WebQuest Exploration
- WebQuest Collections
- WebQuest Links Sites and Indexes
- Learning About WebQuests
- Suggested Resources and Readings
- WebQuest Bibliography
Best WebQuests on the Web
Best Collections to Start
Questgarden by Bernie Dodge 
http://questgarden.com/
Bernie Dodge's website. Be sure to check the Search tool.
Best WebQuests by Tom March
http://www.bestwebquests.com/
All links are evaluated.
Grade Level WebQuest Exploration
Click on one of the following grade levels for a set of WebQuest examples and resources by grade level:
- Kindergarten through Third Grade (literature-based Grades K-2)
- Third Grade through Sixth Grade (literature-based Grades 3-6)
- Middle, High School and Higher Ed (literature-based Middle School and High School
WebQuest Collections
Catawba County Schools
http://www.catawba.k12.nc.us/webquest/
WebQuests by teachers at all levels
WebQuests from Dedham MA
http://www.dedham.k12.ma.us/webquest/
Teacher-produced WebQuests from 1999 to present.
Digital Desert Library WebQuests
http://horizon.nmsu.edu/ddl/wqkids.html
Elementary and Middle School WebQuests
Guilford County Schools from Greensboro, NC
http://its.guilford.k12.nc.us/webquests/
Teacher-produced WebQuests by grade level and subject area.
Iredell-Statesville Schools from North Carolina
http://www.iss.k12.nc.us/schools/webquests/summer.htm
Teacher-produced WebQuests by grade level and subject area.
Kathy Schrock's WebQuest Archives
http://kathyschrock.net/webquests/index.htm
Graduate student projects (1996-1998)
Naturescapes
http://www.eduscapes.com/nature/
A dozen simple WebQuests with resources for different reading levels.
- Help the Bighorn Sheep
- Bison Bonanza
- Moving the Elk
- The Great Lizard Discovery
- Moose Mania
- Mustangs Run Free
- Skunks: Sweet or Smelly?
- A Walk in the Cactus
- I'm Not a Cactus!
- Save the Soil Crusts!
- Rock Varnish: Wanted Dead or Alive?
Science WebQuests from University of California
http://www.can-do.com/uci/k12-lessons.html
WebQuests by year. Many aren't really WebQuests, instead they're web-based lessons
Teach the Teachers
http://www.teachtheteachers.org/
Many great WebQuests created by California teachers in 1999, 2000, 2001 and advanced WebQuests from 2000, 2001. Many of the teachers worked with Bernie Dodge.
University of Richmond Web-based Projects
http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/
Pre-service and in-service teacher-produced WebQuests
Warrensburg Schools WebQuest Academy
http://warrensburg.k12.mo.us/webquest/
Teacher-produced WebQuests by grade level
WebQuests by Brebru.com
http://brebru.com/webquests/webquestmenu.html
WebQuests grouped by subject area.
WebQuests by School City of Hobart IN
http://www.hobart.k12.in.us/webquests/webindex.html
Teacher-produced WebQuests
WebQuest Links Sites and Indexes
GEC Computers in the Classroom WebQuest Locator
http://www.gecdsb.on.ca/d&g/DP/main.htm
Linked verified 2004. Search by division or subject area.
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators - WebQuests
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/webquest/webquest.html
WebQuest resources.
Theme WebQuests for K2
http://www.swlauriersb.qc.ca/schools/crestview/ls/Links/Web_Quests1.htm
WebQuest Collection from Ecole Whitehorse Elementary (2004)
http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/wes/webquest_collection.html
Collections by theme as well as WebQuests developed by their staff.
WebQuest Directory
http://www.swlauriersb.qc.ca/Schools/recit/wq022200.htm
Literature-based WebQuests
Literature Ladders: WebQuests
http://eduscapes.com/ladders/themes/webquests.htm
Links to WebQuests by grade level.
Math and Science WebQuests Collections
Math WebQuests
http://www.wfu.edu/~mccoy/NCTM00/examples.html
Organized by grade level with titles and topics listed.
Learning About WebQuests
A Road Map for Designing WebQuests by Bernie Dodge
http://webquest.sdsu.edu/roadmap/index.htm
A web-based presentation on WebQuest design.
Enter the WebQuest by Teach-nology
http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/web_quests/
A tutorial for learning about WebQuests.
Tasks and Design for Teaching the WebQuest Way
http://webquest.sdsu.edu/workshops/stgregory.htm
Workshop materials.
Using a WebQuest in your Classroom (2000) from i4c
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/using_quest.htm
Definitions, form, evaluation, collections, guidelines for building WebQuests.
Weaving the Web into Your K-2 Curriculum (2003) by Bernie Poole and Beckie Randall
http://www.pitt.edu/~edindex/WebQuests/frames.htm
This WebQuest is designed to help pre-service and in-service teachers learning to develop WebQuests.
WebQuest 101 - Putting Discovery into the Curriculum (2001)
http://www.teachersfirst.com/summer/webquest/quest-a.shtml
Tutorial on WebQuests.
WebQuests: What are They? from Ecole Whitehorse Elementary (2004)
http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/wes/webquests.html
Nice overview and resources.
Suggested Resources and Readings
Many of the best resources are by the two founders of the WebQuest, Bernie Dodge and Tom March.
Bernie Dodge developed the WebQuest concept back in 1995. To learn more about WebQuests, check out his website at WebQuest.org. Read online articles by Bernie Dodge:
- Selecting a WebQuest Project (1999)
- Some Thoughts on WebQuests (1995)
- WebQuest Design Process (2002)
- Dodge, Bernie (2002). WebQuest taskonomy: A taxonomy of tasks. Available: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/taskonomy.html
- Dodge, Bernie (2004). WebQuest design patterns. Available: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/designpatterns/all.htm
Tom March created many of the first WebQuests for K-12. Check out his home page at Ozline along with BestWebQuests and Filamentality. Read online articles by Tom March:
WebQuest Bibliography
Much of the following bibliography is excerpt from an upcoming chapter I coauthored:
Lamb, Annette & Teclehaimanot, Berhane (2005). A Decade of WebQuests: A Retrospective. In M. Orey, J. McClendon, & R. M. Branch, (Eds.). Educational media and technology yearbook (Vol 30). Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
About WebQuests (1995). SBC Knowledge Network Explorer. Updated February 23, 2004.
Arbaugh, F., Scholten, C. M., & Essex, N. K. (October 2001). Data in the middle grades: A probability WebQuest. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 7(2), 90-95.
Benz, P. (December 2002). The English multiverse – WebQuests.
Benz, P. (2003). Message of 1051 of 1068. Yahoo Groups: WebQuest. Available: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/webquest/message/1051
Bloom, B.S. (Ed.) (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: Classification of educational goals. Handbook 1: Cognitive domain. New York: Longman, Green & Co.
Bloom, B., Madaus, G., & Hasting, J.T. (1981). Evaluation to improve learning. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Building blocks of a WebQuest (1997). Available: http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/staffdev/buildingblocks/p-index.htm
Braun, L. W. (November 2001). In virtual pursuit. Library Journal, 126(17), 32. Available: http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1299/11_47/80851841/p1/article.jhtml
Brooks, D. W., Nolan, D. E., & Gallagher, S. M. (2001). Web-teaching: A guide to designing interactive teaching for the World Wide Web. Second Edition. New York, NY: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.
Brooks, J. G., & Brooks, M. G. (1999). In search of understanding: The case for constructivist classrooms. Alexandria VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Brucklacher, B., & Gimbert, B. (1999). Role-playing software and WebQuests - What's possible with cooperative learning and computers. Computers in the Schools, 15(2), 37-48.
Callison, Daniel (2003). Key words, concepts, and methods for information age instruction: A guide to teaching information inquiry. Baltimore, Maryland: LMS Associates.
Chandler, H. (January 2003). Concept mapping: WebQuests in Social Studies. Media & Methods, 39(3), 38-39.
Chatel, R.G. (2003). Developing literacy in the technical age: Expanding the boundaries of reader-text interactions. The New England Reading Association Journal, 39(2), 67-73.
Cooper, R.A. & Smarkola, C. (2001). WebQuests: Online inquiry instructional activities for teachers. MARTEC Technobrief, 117.
Crandall, A., Kinney, M., Taylor, S., & Trauth, B. (2002). Paper or plastic: An Internet WebQuest on recycling. Available: http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webquests/paper/
Delisio, E.R. (2001). Technology in the classroom : WebQuest sends student back in time. Education World. Available: http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech073.shtml
Dewey (1933). How we think: A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process. Boston: Henry Holt.
Dodge, B. (1995a). Some thoughts about WebQuests. Updated May 5, 1995. Available: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec596/about_webquests.html
Dodge, B. (1995b). WebQuests: A technique for Internet-based learning. Distance Educator, 1(2), 10-13.
Dodge, B. (1996a). Active learning on the web (k-12 version). Presentation to the faculty of La Jolla Country Day School, August 20, 1996. Available: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/bdodge/active/ActiveLearningk-12.html
Dodge, B. (1996b). Investigating Archaeotype: A WebQuest. Updated February 29, 1996. Available: http://web.archive.org/web/19980121013443/edweb.sdsu.edu/edweb_folder/Courses/EDTEC596/WebQuest1.html
Dodge, B. (1998a). A taxonomy of information patterns. Updated July 18, 1998.
Dodge, B. (1998b). WebQuest: A strategy for scaffolding higher-level learning. Presented at the National Educational Computing Conference, San Diego, June 22-24, 1998. Available: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/necc98.htm
Dodge, B. (1998c). A WebQuest about WebQuests. Available: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquestwebquest.html
Dodge, B. (1999a). WebQuest task design worksheet. A
Dodge, B. (1999b). WebQuest process checklist.
Dodge, B. (1999c). Fine points: Little things that make a big difference.
Dodge, B. (2001a). FOCUS: Five rules for writing a great WebQuest. Learning & Leading with Technology, 28(8), 6-9, 58.
Dodge, B. (2001b). WebQuest rubric. Available: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquestrubric.html
Dodge, B. (2002a). Adapting and enhancing existing WebQuests. Available: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/adapting/index.html
Dodge, B. (2002b). WebQuest taskonomy: A taxonomy of tasks. Available: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/taskonomy.html
Dodge, B. (2003). WebQuests and other viruses. Keynote presented at the Association for Educational Communications and Technology Conference, Anaheim, California, November 2003.
Dodge, B. (2004). WebQuest.org. Available: http://webquest.org
Dudeney, G. (March 2003). The quest for practical web usage. TESL-EJ, 6(4).
Dunne, D.W. (2000). Technology in the Classroom: Cinco de Mayo WebQuest Includes a Fiesta! Education World. Updated April 28, 2003. Available: http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech019.shtml
Dutt-Doner, K., Wilmer, M., Stevens, C., & Hartmann, L. (2000). Actively engaging learners in interdisciplinary curriculum through the integration of technology. Computer in the Schools, 16(3/4), 151-166.
Ficklen, E. & Muscara, C. (2001). Harnessing technology in the classroom. American Educator, 25(3), 22-29.
Filamentality (1996). Updated February 26, 2004. Available: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/
Gardner, H. (1991). The unschooled mind: How children think and how schools should teach. New York: Basic Books.
Benjamin, Juanita Y. (August 1, 2003). A checklist for evaluating WebQuests. techLearning.com.
Garry, Adam & Graham, Parry (April 1, 2002). How to succeed with WebQuests. techLearning.com.
Geraghty, C.L. (February 2, 2004a). Bernie Dodge puts his life online.
Geraghty, C.L. (February 2, 2004b). Learning (and teaching) in the technological age. SDSUniverse. Available: http://www.sdsuniverse.info/story.asp?id=13378
Hill, J.R., Wiley, D. Nelson, L.M., & Han, Seungyeon, H. (2003). Exploring research on Internet-based learning: From infrastructure to interactions. In D.H. Jonassen (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology. Second Edition. Association for Educational Communications and Technology.
Jakes, D.S., Pennington, M.E., & Knodle, H.A. (2000). Inquiry-based learning and the Web: An epaper.
Jonassen, D. H., Peck, K.L., & Wilson, B.G. (1999). Learning with technology: A constructivist perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Junion-Metz, G. (July 2002). World wide WebQuests: Internet research made fun. School Library Journal.
Keller, J. M. (1983). Motivational design of instruction. In C. M. Reigeluth (Ed.), Instructional design theories and models. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Kelly, R. (1999). Getting everybody involved: Cooperative PowerPoint creations benefit inclusion students. Learning & Leading with Technology, 27(1), 10-14.
Kelly, R. (2000). Working with WebQuests: Making the web accessible to students with disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 32(6), 4-13.
Koenraad, T.L.M. & Westoff, G.J. (2003). Can you tell a LanguageQuest when you see one? Design criteria for TalenQuests. Paper presented at the 2003 Conference of The European Association for Computer Assisted Language Learning. University of Limerick, Irland, 3-6 September 2003.
Lamb, A., Smith, N. & Johnson, L. (April 1997). Wondering, wiggling, and weaving: A new model for project- and community-based learning on the web. Learning and Leading with Technology, 24(7), 6-13.
Lamb, A. (1998). EMPOWER: State of Indiana technology literacy challenge grant project.
Lamb, A. (2000). Internet expeditions. Eduscapes. Available: http://www.eduscapes.com/sessions/travel/
Lamb, A. (Jul-Aug 2003). Extreme thinking: Transforming traditional student projects into effective learning environments. Educational Technology, 43(4), 31-40.
Lamb, A. (2004). From potential to prosperity: Twenty years of online learning environments. In G. Kearsley (Ed.), Online Learning: Personal Reflections on the Transformation of Education. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.
Lamb, Annette & Teclehaimanot, Berhane (2005). A Decade of WebQuests: A Retrospective. In M. Orey, J. McClendon, & R. M. Branch, (Eds.). Educational media and technology yearbook (Vol 30). Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
Levin, D., & Arafeh, S. (August 14, 2002). The digital disconnect: The widening gap between internet-savvy students and their schools. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life. Available: http://www.pewinternet.org
Lim, B.R. (2001). Guidelines for designing inquiry-based learning on the Web: Online professional development of educators. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University. UMI Number: 3024215.
Lin, B. & Hsieh, C. (2001). Web-based teaching and learner control: A research review. Computers and Education, 37, 377-386.
Lipscomb, George (2002). Eighth graders' impressions of the Civil War: using technology in the history classroom. Education, Communication & Information, 2(1), 51.
Lipscomb, G. (January/February 2003). I guess it was pretty fun: Using WebQuests in the middle school classroom. The Clearing House, 76(3) 152-155.
March, T. (May 1996). Look who’s footing the fill!, a WebQuest.
March, T. (1997a). Working the web for education: Theory and practice on integrating the web for learning.
March, T. (1997b). WebQuest design flow.
March, T. (1998a). WebQuest rubric.
March, T. (1998b). Why WebQuests?
March, T. (January 1999). Little Rock nine WebQuest.
March, T. (2000a). The 3 R's of WebQuests. Multimedia Schools, 7(6), 62-63.
March, T. (2000b). WebQuests 101. Multimedia Schools, 7(5).
March, T. (2002). About best WebQuests. Updated 2004. Available: http://www.bestwebquests.com/about/default.asp
March, T. (2002). Criteria for assessing best WebQuests. Updated 2004. Available: http://www.bestwebquests.com/bwq/matrix.asp
March, Tom (December 2003/January 2004). The learning power of WebQuests. Educational Leadership, 61(4), 42-47.
Marco, M.J.L. (July 2002). Internet content-based activities for English for special purposes. English Teaching Forum, 20-25.
Marzano, R. J. (1992). A Different Kind of Classroom: Teaching with Dimensions of Learning. Alexandria VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Mathison, C. & Pohan, C. (July/August 1999). An Internet-based exploration of democratic schooling within pluralistic learning environments. Educational Technology, 39(4), 53-58.
McDowell, D. (1999). Process guides. Available: http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/staffdev/tpss99/processguides/index.htm
McKenzie, J. (October 1997). Creating research programs for an age of information. From Now On, 7(2). Available: http://fno.org/oct97/question.html
McKenzie, J. (2001) From trivial pursuit to essential questions and standards-based learning. From Now On: The Educational Technology Journal, 10(5). Available: http://www.fno.org/feb01/pl.html
McTighe, J. & Wiggins, G. (1998). Understanding by design. Alexandria VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Milson, A.J. (2001). Fostering civic virtue in a high-tech world. International Journal of Social Education, 16(1), 87-93.
Milson, A.J. & Downey, P. (2001). WebQuest: Using Internet resources for cooperative inquiry. Social Education, 65(3), 144-146.
Milson, A.J. (Summer 2002). The Internet and inquiry learning: integrating medium and method in a sixth grade social studies classroom. Theory and Research in Social Education, 30(3), 330-353.
Minkel, Walter (2000). Solar system WebQuest. School Library Journal, 46(11), 34.
Monroe, E.E. (2003). The nature of discourse as students collaborate on a mathematics WebQuest. Paper presentation at the National Educational Computing Conference in Seattle, Washington, June 2003.
Patterns summer symposium (2000).
Peled, Pini (April 1, 2001). Migrating birds know no boundaries. techLearning.com.
Perkins, B. & McKnight, M. (2003). What are teacher’s attitudes toward Web Quests as a method of teaching? Paper presented at the Eastern Educational Research Association Conference, Hilton Head, SC, February 28-2003. Available: http://arachne.cofc.edu/faculty/Perkins/PerkinsEERA%20WQPaper.doc
Peterson, C., Caverly, D.C., & MacDonald, L. (Spring 2003). Developing academic literacy through WebQuests. Journal of Developmental Education, 26(3), 38-39.
Peterson, C.L. & Koeck, D.C. (2001). When students create their own WebQuests. Learning & Leading with Technology, 29(1), 10-15.
Picceri, Linda (2001). Historically Speaking. Available: http://wms.watertown.k12.ma.us/library/oralhistory/index.html
Pohan, C. & Mathison, C. (1998). "WebQuests: The potential of Internet-based instruction for global education." Social Studies Review, 37(2), 91-93.
Porter, B. (2001). Evaluating student computer-based products. Sedalia, CO: Bernajean Porter Consulting.
Schrock, Kathy (1996). WebQuests in our future: The teacher’s role in cyberspace. Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators. Available: http://web.archive.org/web/19970619021119/www.capecod.net/schrockguide/webquest/webquest.htm
Schrock, Kathy (2004). WebQuests in our future: The teacher’s role in cyberspace. Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators. Revised Edition. Available: http://kathyschrock.net/slideshows/webquests/frame0001.htm
Snider, S.L. & Foster, J.M. (2000). RESEARCH - Stepping stones for linking, learning and moving toward electronic literacy: Integrating emerging technology in an author study project. Computers in the Schools, 16(2), 91.
Spanfelner, D. L. (2000). WebQuests, an interactive approach to the web." Community & Junior College Libraries. 9(4), 23-28.
Starr, Linda (2002, 2003). Creating a WebQuest: It's easier than you think. Education World.
Stinson, A.D. (March 2003). Encouraging the use of technology in the classroom: The WebQuest connection. Reading Online, 6(7). Available: http://www.readingonline.org/articles/art_index.asp?HREF=stinson/
Summerville, J. (March 2000). WebQuests: An aspect of technology integration for training preservice teachers. TechTrends, 44(2), 31-35.
Teclehaimanot, Berhane, & Lamb, Annette (2004, March/April). Reading, technology, and inquiry-based learning through literature-rich WebQuests. Reading Online, 7(4). Available: http://www.readingonline.org/articles/art_index.asp?HREF=teclehaimanot/index.html
Truett, Carol (October 2001). Sherlock Holmes on the Internet: Language Arts teams up with the computing librarian. Learning & Leading with Technology, 29(2), 36-41.
Valenza, Joyce (2003). A WebQuest About School Library Web Sites.
Van Leer, Jerilyn (March/April 2003). Teaching information and technology literacy through student-created WebQuests. Multimedia Schools, 10(2), 42-45.Yoder, Maureen Brown (April 1999). The Student WebQuest. Learning and Leading with Technology. 26(7), 6-9, 52-53. PDF document.
For more information, check out Teacher Tap: Locating and Evaluating WebQuests.
Related Topics
Critical Thinking on the Web by Tim van Gelder
Information Inquiry for Teachers by Annette Lamb
Inquiry-based Learning from Thirteen ed online.
Project, Problem, and Inquiry-based Learning from Teacher Tap