This WebQuest is in compliance with New York State standards and NETS
Standards.
The NETS Standards
1. Social, ethical, and human issues
�Students understand the ethical, cultural, and societal issues
related to technology.
�Students practice responsible use of technology systems,
information, and software.
�Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that
support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and
productivity.
2. Technology productivity tools
�Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase
productivity, and promote creativity.
�Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing
technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other
creative works.
3. Technology communications tools
�Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and
interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.
�Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate
information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.
4. Technology research tools
�Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information
from a variety of sources.
�Students use technology tools to process data and report results.
�Students evaluate and select new information resources and
technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific
tasks.
5. Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools
�Students use technology resources for solving problems and making
informed decisions.
�Students employ technology in the development of strategies for
solving problems in the real world.
ELA Standards
STANDARD 1 - Go to Speaking & Writing
Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and
understanding.
As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts,
and ideas, discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use
knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts.
As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language to acquire,
interpret, apply, and transmit information.
Key Idea: Listening & Reading to acquire information and understanding
involves collecting data, facts, and ideas; discovering relationships,
concepts, and generalizations; and using knowledge from oral, written, and
electronic sources.
Performance Indicators--Students:
ELEMENTARY
� gather and interpret information from children�s reference books,
magazines, textbooks, electronic bulletin boards, audio and media
presentations, oral interviews, and from such sources as charts, graphs,
maps, and diagrams
� select information appropriate to the purpose of their
investigation and relate ideas from one text to another
� select and use strategies that have been taught for notetaking,
organizing, and categorizing information
� ask specific questions to clarify and extend meaning
� make appropriate and effective use of strategies to construct
meaning from print, such as prior knowledge about a subject, structural and
context clues, and an understanding of letter-sound relationships to decode
difficult words
� support inferences about information and ideas with reference to
text features, such as vocabulary and organizational patterns
INTERMEDIATE
� interpret and analyze information from textbooks and nonfiction
books for young adults, as well as reference materials, audio and media
presentations, oral interviews, graphs, charts, diagrams, and electronic
data bases intended for a general audience
� compare and synthesize information from different sources
� use a wide variety of strategies for selecting, organizing, and
categorizing information
� distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information and between
fact and opinion
� relate new information to prior knowledge and experience
� understand and use the text features that make information accessible
and usable, such as format, sequence, level of diction, and relevance of
details
COMMENCEMENT
� interpret and analyze complex informational texts and
presentations, including technical manuals, professional journals, newspaper
and broadcast editorials, electronic networks, political speeches and
debates, and primary source material in their subject area courses
� synthesize information from diverse sources and identify
complexities and discrepancies in the information
� use a combination of techniques (e.g., previewing, use of advance
organizers, structural cues) to extract salient information from texts
� make distinctions about the relative value and significance of
specific data, facts, and ideas
� make perceptive and well developed connections to prior knowledge
� evaluate writing strategies and presentational features that affect
interpretation of the information
STANDARD 3 - Go to Speaking & Writing
Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis
and evaluation.
As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas,
information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established
criteria. As speakers and writers, they will present, in oral and written
language and from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on
experiences, ideas, information and issues.
Key Idea: Listening & Reading to analyze and evaluate experiences,
ideas, information, and issues requires using evaluative criteria from a
variety of perspectives and recognizing the difference in evaluations based
on different sets of criteria.
Performance Indicators--Students:
ELEMENTARY
� read and form opinions about a variety of literary and
informational texts and presentations, as well as persuasive texts such as
advertisements, commercials, and letters to the editor
� make decisions about the quality and dependability of texts and
experiences based on some criteria, such as the attractiveness of the
illustrations and appeal of the characters in a picture book, or the logic
and believability of the claims made in an advertisement
� recognize that the criteria that one uses to analyze and evaluate
anything depend on one�s point of view and purpose for the analysis.
� evaluate their own strategies for reading and listening critically
(such as recognizing bias or false claims, and understanding the difference
between fact and opinion) and adjust those strategies to understand the
experience more fully
INTERMEDIATE
� analyze, interpret, and evaluate information, ideas, organization,
and language from academic and nonacademic texts, such as textbooks, public
documents, book and movie reviews, and editorials
� assess the quality of texts and presentations, using criteria
related to the genre, the subject area, and purpose (e.g., using the
criteria of accuracy, objectivity, comprehensiveness, and understanding of
the game to evaluate a sports editorial)
� understand that within any group there are many different points
of view depending on the particular interests and values of the individual,
and recognize those differences in perspective in texts and presentations
(e.g., in considering whether to let a new industry come into a community,
some community members might be enthusiastic about the additional jobs that
will be created while others are concerned about the air and noise pollution
that could result)
� evaluate their own and others� work based on a variety of criteria
(e.g., logic, clarity, comprehensiveness, conciseness, originality,
conventionality) and recognize the varying effectiveness of different
approaches
COMMENCEMENT
� analyze, interpret, and evaluate ideas, information, organization,
and language of a wide range of general and technical texts and
presentations across subject areas, including technical manuals,
professional journals, political speeches, and literary criticism
� evaluate the quality of the texts and presentations from a variety
of critical perspectives within the field of study (e.g., using both Poe�s
elements of a short story and the elements of �naturalist fiction� to
evaluate
a modern story)
� make precise determinations about the perspective of a particular
writer or speaker by recognizing the relative weight he/she places on
particular arguments and criteria (e.g., one critic condemns a biography as
too long and rambling; another praises it for its accuracy and never
mentions its length)
� evaluate and compare their own and others� work with regard to
different criteria and recognize the change in evaluations when different
criteria are considered to be more important
STANDARD 4 - Go to Reading & Writing
Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction.
Students will use oral and written language for effective social
communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they
will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding
of people and their views.
Key Idea: Listening & Speaking Oral communication in formal and
informal settings requires the ability to talk with people of different
ages, genders, and cultures, to adapt presentations to different audiences,
and to reflect on how talk varies in different situations.
Performance Indicators--Students:
ELEMENTARY
� listen attentively and recognize when it is appropriate for them
to speak
� take turns speaking and respond to others� ideas in conversations
on familiar topics
� recognize the kind of interaction appropriate for different
circumstances, such as story hour, group discussions, and one-on-one
conversations
INTERMEDIATE
� listen attentively to others and build on others� ideas in
conversations with peers and adults
� express ideas and concerns clearly and respectfully in
conversations and group discussions
� learn some words and expressions in another language to
communicate with a peer or adult who speaks that language
� use verbal and nonverbal skills to improve communication with
others
COMMENCEMENT
� engage in conversations and discussions on academic, technical,
and community subjects, anticipating listeners� needs and skillfully
addressing them
� express their thoughts and views clearly with attention to the
perspectives and voiced concerns of the others in the conversation
� use appropriately the language conventions for a wide variety of
social situations, such as informal conversations, first meetings with peers
or adults, and more formal situations such as job interviews or customer
service
