Pedagogical Strategies

There are a variety of sound teaching strategies underlying this WebQuest. The main approach for the beginning of the Quest is deductive. Together, students look up the definition for genocide, discuss, and then review the 8 stages of genocide provided on a link. After clearly defining the term and the stages, then the students begin to research the four required parts for the powerpoint presentation (rule>examples).

Another strategy used for the Genocide Memorial portion and the Persuasive Letter is scaffolding. At first look, the idea of constructing a memorial for the victims of a selected genocide seems intimidating and somewhat confusing. The teacher begins by providing a worksheet to organize student thoughts, as well as providing other real life examples of memorials (created for a variety of purposes). Next, there is a clearly written rubric that students should refer to after creating the handout, to make sure they have thought out all of the necessary parts. Finally, the students begin the actual construction and creation of their memorial (from poetry to sketching statues). Similarly, the Persuasive Letter portion begins by directing students to a thesis builder site so they can brainstorm ideas, then to a clear essay rubric to formalize ideas before actually writing, and finally provides a clear purpose and format for writing the letter.

In addition to these strategies, there are a variety of smaller strategies built into the entire WebQuest. Throughout, the actions are broken into smaller, clearly defined steps to help students accomplish tasks more easily. The projects also require student action in a variety of ways, from online researching, to discussion, and creating new material. One of the greatest strength of this WebQuest is the opportunities it provides for students to connect the topic of genocide to their own worlds. One of the challenges of teaching genocide (especially at a younger age) is the helplessness and frustration students feel, as if there is nothing they could have done in the past or can do in the future to stop such atrocities. However, both the Memorial project and the Letter allow for students to react and respond in constructive and meaningful ways, providing a call for action that can end the unit on a more inspiring note and a reminder that every one of us can make a difference.

-----> Use of Technology