Using Scaffolding to Help Students Use the Web for Research

Gretchen Offut Fifth Grade Teacher. Bellingham, Washington. School District

Purpose: To help students screen out Web “noise” and make use of only the best Websites on Columbus, Magellan, or Drake

Materials: Computer with Internet connection, web browser, and word processing software

Procedure:

1. Direct students to Gretchen Offut’s Explorer Homeport Website at http://wwwsil.bham.wednet.edu/Curriculum/homeport.htm and instruct them to participate in the scenario it describes—using the Web to decide whether they want to explore with Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, or Sir Francis Drake.
   
   
2. Have students work collaboratively in small groups to create lists of qualities they would want in a leader to help them choose which explorer they want to follow; have them follow the site’s instructions for preparing a table of qualities for each explorer.
   
   
3. Instruct students to research these qualities using the steps in the research cycle: building questions and getting organized; gathering information; sorting, sifting, and analyzing; and synthesizing. The steps are described by Gretchen Offut on the “Gathering: Being a Thoughtful Researcher” page of her site.
   
   
4. Have students limit their research to one printed source and the Websites linked to the Gathering: Using Internet Sites” page.
   
   
5. Finally, have each student follow Gretchen Offut’s instructions for analyzing the information they have gathered and for writing a paper that explains which leader he or she believes is the best, using examples to support their positions.