Teachers

Purpose of this Quest

This quest is meant to afford students the time to step back and take a look at why physics is a subject worth their time and effort. My hope is that they will walk away from this quest somewhat mindful of the fact that there are "relevant reasons" to take physics other than just the unexciting one, that it looks good for college.

Pacing of the WebQuest Lesson

My intention is to start this quest on the second or third day that school starts. I would begin by having my students read my webquest pages for homework and assigning the 2 page essay "How is String Theory Relevant in my life?" I would give them about a week to complete this part of the quest. During that week in class, I might show a segment or two of the DVD "The Elegant Universe."--Available for purchase through NOVA  here. 

Once they have handed-in their individual essays, I would start the rest of the quest.

        Class One and Two: Brainstorm using Inspiration Software

        Class Three: All team members help making slides for PowerPoint

        Class Four: Teammates meet to decide how to present their slide
                         show and go over the details of the project.

        Class Five: Presentation of slide shows.

I would leave a few days between class two and three to allow the Developer to complete the outline of his team's arguments.  I would want to see this outline before we start "Class three". After "Class three", I would allow one week before starting "Class four", so that the PowerPoint Builder can complete the slide show.

In all, the WebQuest might span a time frame of 3 weeks. 

Rationale Behind the Quest

I hope that this quest will set a tone for the rest of the school year that gets my students past the typical physics course attitude that "I am only taking this because it looks good for college." 

The "Task" of the Quest was obviously designed to reflect a persuasive one. Although it is also a retelling one, if students just use the web article  Why Take High School Physics to make their arguments. It is hoped that by reading and listening to the different viewpoints regarding String Theory and then being asked to write an essay entitled "How is String Theory Relevant in my Life?",  that the task would compel students to ask questions of themselves. Thus, the "Task" might also allow for some self-knowledge, because it is developed around science appreciation. Bernie Dodge's A Taxonomy of WebQuest Tasks was very helpful in developing the WebQuest Task.

Beyond the Quest

I intend to devote some class time to reinforcing science appreciation by integrating what I learn from an online, physics course, called  How Things Work  with my WebPages called Good For (see link in the navigation bar above). The idea for Good For web pages comes from Just In Time Teaching , a website devoted to using web-based educational strategies.

New York State Learning Standards

This Physics Quest activity addresses the following New York State Learning Standards in the area of Math, Science, and Technology.

Standard 6:   Interconnectedness: Common Themes

Standard 7: Interdisciplinary Problem Solving

Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.