Athens or Sparta

• Introduction
• Learners
• Standards
• Process
• Resources


• Student Page

by Kendra Cumberland, International Community School

Students will begin by examining criteria for evaluating the reliability of Internet Websites, then they will select reliable websites to do research on Ancient Greece - specifically researching Athens and Sparta. As a final project the students will determine which citystate was a better place to live, Athens or Sparta and will cite their research as proof of their point.

Teacher Introduction

This WebQuest was designed foremost to teach students some criteria and a process for objectively evaluating websites, and was connected to our social studies unit on Ancient Greece as a means for students to continue the idea of evaluating. Many of the tasks the students do in gathering information and comparing and contrasting websites and places keep the students in the lower to middle levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. With the idea of judging, evaluating, and giving proof for their evaluations we are asking them to move to the top levels where they use all of the information they have acquired to truly make a justification of their own perspective.

This WebQuest could easily be modified to be used as a comparison/contrast of other places such as two different countries or states and/or of people, perhaps Civil War generals, or US Presidents. This teaches students to first develop criteria and then to use criterion and facts to make evaluations, rather than simply holding opinions for the sake of personal preference.