Scientific

Definition of a Scientific Task
"The scientific method leads to the technology that leads to your reading of these words. Science permeates our society and it's critical that today's children understand how science works, even if they never don a white smock and carry a clipboard around."

"The Web brings both historical and up-to-the-minute data to our doors, and some of it can provide practice at doing real science." [1]

Tips for Scientific Tasks
"What does a scientific task look like?" It would include:
 * making hypotheses based on an understanding of background information provided by on- or off-line sources;
 * testing the hypotheses by gathering data from pre-selected sources;
 * determining whether the hypotheses were supported and describing the results and their implications in the standard form of a scientific report.

"The key to making a successful WebQuest of this type is to find questions that can be addressed by the kinds of data available online, that are not so arcane that they cannot be related to the standard science curriculum, and are not so well known that crunching the numbers becomes an exercise in going through the motions." [1]

Reference [1] http://webquest.sdsu.edu/taskonomy.html

**Examples of a WebQuest in Which Participants Take on a Role of Someone who Uses the Scientific Method**
1.[|Bobo's Space Adventure webquest] This WebQuest allows students to collect scientific date and make inferences based on the information they have collected.

2. [|Chocolate Chip Cookies: To Eat or Not To Eat] This site offers a great way to help first time students learn how to use the scientific method to test their hypothesis. Just a great WebQuest because it is easy to understand for this age level, and it even breaks everything down for the students so it can walk them through their first scientific method process.

3. [|Take Off into Space] This teacher is amazing! Each day is broken down and it states as a checklist of what is expected of the students. I must say, this WebQuest format is clearer than water! Well organized!

4. [|Is Earth the Only Inhabitable Planet] This is a great WebQuest for younger students about the solar system. The WebQuest has many tools such as audio and interactive games! Some great ideas that can be used to develop a WebQuest for older students.

5. [|Time for Change] This is a great WebQuest for students to apply to real life while using the scientific method to solve the problem. The students pick a bad habit that they have, which is the topic of the project. They have to hypothesize what activities will help them eliminate the habit and if they think it will work. This is a great way for students to break a real life bad habit that has been bugging their parents as well as refine their scientific method skills.

6.[| Physics for Pirates]This WebQuest is a great scientific WebQuest. The student takes on the role of a scientist who joins a pirate crew to help maximize the amount of treasure their ship can hold, by examining the forces at play. This is a great way for students to apply physics to real world applications. The WebQuest is very well set up and organized.

7. [|The Scientific Method] Didja ya’ know that scientists have a process they follow when they do their jobs? It’s called the Scientific Method. Scientists don’t just sit down, come up with an idea, and then run out and share it with everyone

[|Science WebQuest Links] is a great source for all science majors. It contains a variety of WebQuests that pertains to science. It offers WebQuests that can be used for students in elementary schools right up through high schools. Many of the WebQuests that are on here are very well done and could be used the very day it is found.