A WebQuest for 4th graders discovering the 92 counties in Indiana

Created by Glenda Ritz, Media Specialist

Crooked Creek Elementary School -- Indianapolis, IN

Introduction	Goals	Task	Activity	Process
Resources	Evaluation	Conclusion	Extensions	Teacher Notes

Introduction

All students in fourth grade in Indiana study Indiana history, but students in Indiana are in need of a publication that gives information about the 92 counties in Indiana.  Fourth grade students at our school have been chosen to create a booklet entitled Hoosiers 92! to share with other little Hoosiers across the state. 

Goals

1.  Explore and research information about Indiana's 92 counties

2.  Use the power of the Internet for exploration of Indiana

3.  Learn how to use the technology needed to create a page per county for the booklet

4.  Cooperatively work with your teammates to gather and share knowledge

5.  Gain a greater appreciation for the differences among the people living in Indiana

6.  Contribute ideas to create a marketing plan to share our booklet with other 4th grade students in Indiana

Task

1.  Students will work in pairs to research a county (see map) in each of the following areas:  history, recreation/celebrations, facts & stats, and Hoosier life (use the note sheet to record your information).   For a printable copy of the note sheet click here.

2.  Although using the Internet sites will prove helpful with your research, utilize your Indiana social studies textbook, the Indiana Almanac, and other books referenced under resources.  You may also want to interview persons living in the county or contact a county agency to gather information (many web sites may have email addresses).

3.  Record works cited for the sources you use.

4.  Keep a log of your daily thoughts regarding the research process and information you found.

5.  As a culminating activity, create a one-page publication to share the information about the county.

Activity

Create a page per county for the booklet using a publisher software program used at your school.  As partners, you should have four articles (each person writes two articles) and at least one picture per page.  Do not print to the color printer until all work has been edited and then approved by your teacher.

Process

Depending on the number of 4th graders in the school participating in the WebQuest, partners may need to research more than one county.  If so, students should research counties in different geographical areas of Indiana to gain a greater appreciation for differences in life style.  Students should be sure they have completed the following tasks during this WebQuest process:

Gathered information about each county using web sites and other resources

Wrote four articles in the areas of history, recreation/celebration, facts & stats, and Hoosier life in a one-page publishing program

Included at least one picture in the page

Recorded works cited

Kept a log of thoughts about the research process

Contributed ideas towards a marketing plan for sharing the booklet with other 4th graders in the state

Resources

County Map

For a printable map click here.

Web Sites

www.accessindiana.com

www.enjoyindiana.com

www.state.in.us/doc/index.html This is the site of the Indiana Department of Commerce.

www.indianahistory.org/ihs.htm

home.att.net/~Local_History/IN_History.htm

Books & Other Resources

AAA Tourbook : Illinois, Indiana, Ohio.  AAA Publishing, Heathrow,   FL, 2000.

Blashfield, Jean F.  Awesome Almanac Indiana. B&B Publishing, Inc., Fontana, Wisconsin, 1993.

Carter, Anne Bryan, editor. Painting Indiana: Portraits of Indiana's 92 Counties. Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 2000.

Fradin, Dennis Brindell and Judith Bloom Fradin. Indiana: From Sea to Shining Sea. Children's Press, Chicago, 1997.

Zavatsky, George and Michele Zavatsky. Kids Love Indiana: A Parent's Guide to Exploring Fun Places in Indiana With Children Year Round! Kids Love Publications, Columbus, OH, 1999.

Don't forget you can gather many more resources by contacting county agencies, state agencies, and local persons living in the county areas.

Evaluation

Students should conclude their research logs by reflecting on what they have learned about the differences in Hoosier lifestyles   through the research process and after viewing the completed booklet.  In addition, students will be assessed using the "Webtrek Across Indiana Assessment Rubric" (click here for a printable copy of the rubric).

Conclusion

Congratulations!  You have successfully published a page about an Indiana county for our booklet entitled Hoosiers 92!  You should have learned more about the research process, learned to work cooperatively with others, published your findings, and helped to design a marketing plan to share our booklet with other little Hoosiers throughout Indiana.

Extensions

Cover all 92 counties quickly by working cooperatively on this WebQuest with other 4th grade classes in your school, schools in your district, or a school in a nearby district.  If your school has Distance Learning capabilities, link up with other 4th graders to work on the project.   In addition, art and music teachers may be able to join the project with studies of Indiana artists and musicians.

Take a field trip to the Indiana History Museum to gather more information.

Also, if you don't feel you have time to cover all 92 counties, let students select counties and still publish pages to be bound into a booklet.

Teacher Notes

Lesson Title:    Webtrek Across Indiana

Curricular Areas:    Social Studies, Language Arts, Technology

Grade Level:    4

Length of Lesson:    4-6 weeks (depending on how many students are involved to research all 92 counties).

Suggestions:

1.  Guidance will be needed to navigate some of the web sites.

2.  Make sure the Internet links are working.

3.  Print out the project so students can refer to it offline.

4.  Give time for students to write in their research logs at the end of each period.  Share a few thoughts among the class each time to discuss the research process and some interesting information found while searching.

5.  Encourage students to contact individuals living in the counties.

6.  Provide on-going support and instruction on citing the resources.

7.  Integrate this social studies project with language arts... give students ample writing time during language arts period to complete their articles.

Last Updated March 2005 by Trisha Armstrong