Topic:Macbeth

Classes completed prior to this webquest: I would definitely use this webquest as a final assignment once    Macbeth is completed in class. I would start the study with a class on Shakespeare himself, and on Elizabethan England. The information for this class can be obtained from an Encyclopedia, the web, or (if you are like me) it comes as second nature because you've done so many courses on the topic! I would complete most of the scenes in class with the students reading. This is partly because this play is included on Public Examinations and it is imperative that students understand it thoroughly. As well, I find that if students are immersed in their roles, and if no line is taken for granted, comprehension is not as hard to attain. After each act, there would be a small writing assignment ressembling that of the ideas on the extension page. These assignments can be used as an indicator of how well students are adapting to the material, and as a creative relief from the intensity of the play.

Required Resources for this Webquest: Resources used for the development of this particular webquest actually have the ability to be quite flexible. I simply used my copy of William Shakespeare: The Complete Works, and my imagination. My ideas came from a lot of thought and consderation as to what would be interesting for the students. I chose my student resources after a long process of skimming web sites. I chose the ones which have pertinent information to the topics, and the ones which have interesting facts that the students can use. I can honestly say that this was the most tedious part of the webquest for me. But it is imperative for successful completion of the task. As for the design, I have to credit my Education 4945 class for reminding me of the tricks of the trade when it comes to web page design. But a lot of the design came from trial and error!

Tips:

• Try not to focus on the use of graphics, colors, or design techniques until the important information of the webquest has been dealt with. At the beginning I realized that my focus was in the wrong place, so I kept on with the page development and then returned to make it look more presentable.

• But...students can become easily distracted with lots of pictures and fancy designs. I kept my images and colors to a minimum and used them only where I thought they were applicable to the main idea, or where I thought the page needed a little pick-me-up! (Notice that I'm using colors on this page- it's not a student page!)

• When looking for your student resources on the web, learn to skim for the main points. Spending to much time on a page can really take away from the whole process. Once you find what you're looking for on a page, go on to the next one.

• One thing I regret about this webpage is that my use of text resources was limited. I took the approach of what I am used to-- Growing up in a small school and working in a small school. I thought I should be realistic, and note the fact that text resources in these types of schools are limited to non-existent. If I took the perspective of a bigger center I definitely would have included a selection of various text selections including articles and criticisms of Macbeth and Shakespeare.