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3 More specific details about the scene, arranged in logical order – probably
spatial or thematic that is, supporting the main point or claim 4
Transitional sentences or phrases that introduce the activities in the scene 5
A description of those activities, including a few specific examples.
2.7.4.3 Writing the First Draft
After the writers arrange the material, it is time to write a first draft.
2.7.4.4 Revising the First Draft
After writing the first draft, take a break for a few hours then view the draft with a clear mind and better judgment. Look at the arrangement of details. Also, look at
the beginning of each sentence. Then consider ways to rearrange the materials and add transitions.
2.7.4.5 Further Revising and Editing
On this part, the writers should go over the paragraph and revise it again, this time paying special attention to specific details and strong word choice. Then edit
and proofread the description, checking for misspelled words, and any other errors. Finally, hand in a clean copy of descriptive essay.
2.8 Concepts of WebQuests
WebQuests have become a popular instructional model for engaging learners on the internet. WebQuest is a teacher-designed web page that packages various
learning tasks and activities for students to complete using Internet resources. WebQuests are typically organized around several components: introduction, task,
process, resources, learning advice, and conclusion Vacca 2009:441.
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According to Rosenjack Burchum 2007:42, WebQuests are guided activities that can be used to engage students in learning about specific topics and
then applying that knowledge in new ways. Dr. Bernie Dodge and his former student, Tom March, are the creators of the WebQuests design Dodge 2001.
Dodge defines a WebQuests as “an inquiry oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the
internet”. A WebQuest is built around an engaging and doable task that elicits higher
order thinking of some kind. It is about doing something with information. The thinking can be creative or critical, and involve problem solving, judgment,
analysis, or synthesis Starr, 2005:14.March 2006 elaborates this opinion, WebQuest is a scaffold learning structure that uses links to essential resources on
the World Wide Web and an authentic task to motivate students’ investigation of a central, open ended question, development of individual expertise and
participation in a final group process that attempts to transform newly acquired information into a more sophisticated understanding. The best WebQuests do this
in a way that inspires students to see richer thematic relationships, facilitate a contribution to the real world of learning and reflect on their own metacognitive
processes. According to Rebecca Kelly on her journal article, Working with
WebQuests, WebQuests is a teacher-created lesson plan in the form of a simple
World Wide Web page with active, preselected Internet links and a specific purpose for students. It is designed to provide students with an independent or
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small group activity that incorporates research, problem solving, and application of basic skills. It can be created at no cost to the teacher and can be constructed on
a computer with a minimum 486 processor that has Internet access. The lesson then provides guided research using the Internet while incorporating skills such as
problem-solving skills Kelly 2000:1. WebQuest was created by Dodge in 1995, during the early stages of
widespread Internet access. With the increase in Internet access in university labs, Dodge began to experiment with effective ways to integrate the technology into
classroom instruction March 2000. As Dodge developed activities for teachers, “he launched the WebQuests, arguably the most popular approach for integrating
the Web in classroom learning” March 2000:1. A teacher conducting an online search of posted WebQuests will find many activities from all subjects and topics.
Whether for a long term or short term, quality of WebQuest has certain critical attributes Strickland 2005:2.
2.9 WebQuests Components