Instead of having the students create a WebQuest, I had the students type essays and enhance them with images that they took during the community walk. Since “Neighborhood Map Machine” was not accessible on our school computers, I had the students visit maps.google.com to see a map of their community. On this website they were able to add descriptive text and draw lines to different places in their neighborhood.

Instructional Objectives

Students used the Internet for research and to locate images.

Students used Microsoft Word to type essay about places in their community.

Students took digital pictures of places in their community.

Students accessed maps.google.com to locate map of the community and to add descriptive text.

1) Students were assessed through observation of their work and verbal contributions.

2) Students had to demonstrate they had an understanding of the different elements of their community. Students needed to know how to call in an emergency into the fire department, how to use the Yellow Pages, and the locations of banks, supermarkets, courthouse, Yankee Stadium, and libraries.

3) Formal evaluation was conducted after students completed their final products. Students had to label the establishments in their drawings accurately. Students essays about a special place in their neighborhood had to contain: complete sentences, sentences in logical order, and topics organized in paragraphs.

Make sure that you can access the various web sites on your school computers. If not, find another source that will provide a similar experience.

Student Work Samples

Click on each thumbnail to see a full-screen version.