Teacher Process
You will want to start this project by talking to your students about folklore and legends. Get them thinking about creatures of legend and generate a discussion on the topic. Let them carry the discussion where it interests them and then ask them what they know about Hispanic folklore. If they are like my students, they will not know very much about this topic. However, you might have a student of Hispanic heritage in your class who wouldn't mind sharing some of his/her own insights into the legends of the culture.
Let the students know that they will be doing a WebQuest - and make sure that you have already scheduled time for them in your school's computer lab. Let them know that they will be working in pairs to do this assignment, and either tell them which pairs you have chosen for them, or allow them to choose their own partners.
During the first part of the quest, each student will choose one of the legendary creatures and will do some research on that creature to report back to his/her partner. In pairs they will decide which of the legendary creatures appeals most to them, and they will collaborate to do their project on that particular creature. Remind them to keep copies of their notes as the proceed because they will be turned in as a part of the final project.
During the next part of the quest, students will decide on a role. Each pair will have one newspaper journalist and one biologist. The newspaper journalist will write a fictional newspaper article about a sighting of the legendary creture in your own community. It should be a creative article that shows they understand the nature of the creature and how it behaves. The biologist will create a detailed write-up of the creature including its habitat, behavior, appearance, diet, etc. This article will be written as though it were an actual biologist's report on a real creature. Both students will include pictures with their reports, will type them up neatly, and will use their creative talents to make them interesting. Remind students to keep up with their notes, project plans, rough drafts, and sources. These will be turned in as a part of the final project.
In the next stage of the project, students read each other's articles and do a peer edit. They talk about what they have learned and they share their findings. Students take the peer edit and use it to write their final drafts of their articles. (Remind them to hang on to their rough draft and the notes/suggestions from the peer edit.)
The last written stage of the project is a personal reflection. Students should think about what they have learned, what they found interesting and surprising, and how the creatures of Hispanic legend are similar (or dissimilar) to those of their own culture. This reflection should also be typed and should be detailed enough that the teacher can verify that actual learning has occured.
In the very final stage of the project, the two students coordinate to combine and bind their work together. They can use a folder, a report cover, a binder, or even paper clips - but the work needs to be turned in together. Each student should have his/her name on his/her own work so that the teacher can evaluate the work based on who did what.
As with all group projects, grading can be difficult. I try to bear in mind that some students are stronger partners than others, and I give a grade that is based mostly on each student's own individual work and is only partially based on the whole. Parents of high-achieving students are likely to be upset if their son/daughter receives a low score because somone else in the class failed to do their part, so use your best judgement for how to deal with that circumstance. (And it will come up!)
The entire project is ten days (this includes a weekend). The introduction and research in the computer lab takes one 90-minute period. Another 30-45 minutes is given in class on day four for students to do their peer reviews and edits. And another 30-45 minutes is given on day nine for students to coordinate their portfolios and get their work together to hand in. Ten days is a long time to work on a project, but that length of time has been chosen because students will have so many other projects and activities going on that they will need ample time to do their best work.
I hope you and your students enjoy this project. If you have feedback or want to share something with me, please email me. akarakash@wcpss.net