WebQuest Direct - Potter's Administration

Teacher’s Guide

WebQuest Focus

Learners and Duration

Resources Required

Detailed WebQuest Task

Intended QLD Key Learning Outcomes

Additional information for Teachers

WebQuest Focus
How does the Australian Government work as a collaborative system?
What are specific characteristics of the Australian Government, names of current leaders and particular responsibilities of the government levels?

Learners and Duration
This WebQuest is designed for Years 6 - 7 (Queensland, Australia or Years 5 - 6 in most other Australian States). It is a small unit to run over 4 weeks, approximately 3 hours per week depending on time constraints, learners and whether utilising teacher structured or independent student tasks.

Resources Required

Computers with Internet and Power Point accessibility; printer; work pad and writing materials; prior knowledge of independent and team work conventions; presentation area with Power Point slide show facility. Prior knowledge of Harry Potter not required, but favourable.

Detailed WebQuest Task

This unit was planned in collaboration with Bloom’s Taxonomy as outlined below.

Initial task of becoming familiar with research online, students are asked to come up with a little background information - what is the basic structure of the Australian Government and who are the significant leaders.

Class discussion - formative tool to see if the students have the basic web research skills needed to complete the WebQuest. This allows an opportunity to identify if students’ research techniques are appropriate.

Choose a role to identify a perspective - why would this being benefit from a government created like the Australian Government.

KNOWLEDGE

Find the characteristics of the Australian Government. Make a facts chart. Find out leader, deputies, opposition, parties represented, and key responsibilities.

COMPREHENSION

Examine the fact charts. Use a Venn diagram (as a class or as a group – Learning Manager’s discretion) to demonstrate the similarities and differences existing between the government levels? Make a distinction between their responsibilities.

APPLICATION

In groups, from the research and conclusions to this point, assemble a draft of the significant responsibilities of each Government level (at least four).
Discuss if any of the responsibilities coincide overlap between Governments.

ANALYSIS

Negotiate within teams and devise 4 spells that the Ministry could use to implement their 4 most important responsibilities per government level; name the spells and clarify what the spell would do.

SYNTHESIS

Design and publish a Power Point as a presentation tool for the next Order meeting, each member must contribute to the design and creation.
Present the Power Point and short oral presentation collectively to the other members of Dumbledore’s Army, The Order and The Head of the Ministry.

1.      Each member explains who they were and their perspective on the need for a Magical Government.

2.      Describe the significantly important aspects of the Australian Government for the new Magical government?

3.      Explain the 4 spells created and their specific function, for each level of government.

EVALUATION

Finally…Students present findings to peers through Power Point production and oral presentation, in character. From the information and tasks to prior - they must be able to justify the reasons for their opinion/perspective and recommendations.

Intended QLD Key Learning Outcomes to be achieved

Studies of Society and Environment

TCC4.1 - Students use primary sources to investigate situations before and after a change in Australian or global settings.

SRP3.3 - Students apply the principles of democratic decision making in cooperative projects.

SRP3.5 - Students explain the values associated with familiar rules and laws.

SRP4.3 - Students enact democratic processes in familiar settings using knowledge of representative government.

English

Cu 4.1 - When speaking, students develop a main idea or point of view providing some supporting details and evidence to explore ideas and issues. When listening, students identify main issues of a topic and draw conclusions.

Op 4.1 - When speaking, students use modal words to indicate degrees of certainty and evaluative words to express opinions.

Cr 4.1 - When speaking, students construct representations, taking account of the likely characteristics of target audience.

Cu 4.2 - When reading, students identify relevant information and draw conclusions.

Cr 4.2 - When reading, students identify how certain textual resources have been used to represent people, places, events and things in ways that appeal to different groups.

Identify knowledge, values and practices that influence their reading/viewing of texts.

Cu 4.3 - When writing, students organise subject matter that supports a point of view or offers an explanation.

Develop characterisation that is relevant to the storyline using description, actions and dialogue.

Op 4.3 - When writing students elaborate ideas and support a position through dependent and independent clauses, extended noun groups, phrases, words, and visual resources.

The Arts

DR 3.2 - Students rehearse and present dramatic action for a specific purpose.

VA 4.2 - Students make and display images and objects, considering purposes and audiences.

Technology

INF 4.1 - Students analyse sources and forms of information and match these to the requirements of design challenges.

INF 4.2 - Students apply techniques for transforming and transmitting information for different audiences.

SYS 4.1 - Students identify and explain the logic of systems and subsystems.

SYS 4.2 - Students incorporate feedback to refine and modify systems and/or subsystems.

Additional information for Teachers

As an additional activity, the class was divided into four house teams as per Harry Potter. These teams were used throughout the unit for various reasons. Classroom behavioural management, Quiz teams and even for sport. This helped the students enjoy a holistic Harry Potter experience, and was very successful.

Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff

Teacher's on the Web - Bloom's Taxonomy Resource

Harry Potter Lexicon: Explore the Wizarding World

Google Images