I developed the SantaQuest to engage students in a mathematical task during those last couple of days before the holiday break. The task involves assimilating information from the Internet, discarding what is not needed, and using meaningful information to find out about world population and demographics. I have developed the task with a couple of options depending on the grade level.
The student worksheet linked off the Teacher's Note is more or less a walkthrough. The worksheet may be used to assist students in lower grades with organizing the information collected in the quest and completing the mathematical computations (it will also save time for you, the teacher, in guiding students through the task and determining the "correct" answer). Higher level students should be able to complete the task by working strictly from the webquest without the benefit of the worksheet. A worksheet for these students provides only basic information about the task and allows students to develop their own method for finding an answer. Of course, when students develop their own methods, there will be any number of "correct" answers and assessment must be based on the logic and assumptions the student uses.
I have made assumptions in order to assist students with completing the task. For example, I have asked students to use information gathered by the United States Census Bureau and apply their conclusions to the rest of the world. Students using the higher level worksheet will make their own assumptions and justify their choices.
SantaQuest has been designed to accommodate individual students, small groups, or an entire class. You may wish to display the quest on an LCD projector or digital TV and work through the quest together with your class. Another option would be to print the worksheet and use it as a guide to develop your own worksheet with different questions. In using the quest with my advanced class, I asked them to develop a mathematical model that could be used to describe the process.
I hope you enjoy using the SantaQuest with your students and would appreciate any feedback.
Happy Holidays!
Pat
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