Culture

**WEBQUEST REVIEWS**  In this section I decided to review four WebQuests dealing with the same topic in order to compare them with each other. The topic chosen was Halloween, the same as the topic I picked for my thematic unit planning. I decided to use the same topic as I will likely use the thematic unit I planned in future teaching, and would like to incorporate some WebQuest related tasks into it.  **WebQuest 1** [] This WebQuest is best suited for Upper Intermediate to Advanced level learners. After completing all the steps students should have gained a significant amount of cultural knowledge and will have practiced their language skills in an autonomous way. It is very well organized, interesting and aesthetically pleasing. Each part progresses well to the next and the resources provided are relevant and interesting. It includes a wide varied of activities ranging from the watching of video clips to basic research and reading.  **WebQuest 2** [] This WebQuest requires Upper Intermediate to Advanced level students to visit and read nine web pages in order to locate specific information. It is essentially a stretched out reading comprehension exercise. It is a good way of getting students to visit a variety or Halloween related pages which contain a wide diversity of topics and information. However, the design is very basic and it lacks a rubric and appropriate explanations for all other parts of the WebQuest apart from ‘task’. Given the creative potential of WebQuests, I feel a lot more could have been done with it.  **WebQuest 3** [] This WebQuest is designed for 1st and 2nd grade native speakers of American English, but can be used by Intermediate level L2 learners as well. Here students can learn about all things Halloween in American and around the world. As with the WebQuest 2, I feel it is a little lacking in the imagination/design department.  <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**WebQuest 4** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">This WebQuest is of a similar nature (reading comprehension) to the second WebQuest reviewed here, but is more poorly executed. It is less linear, visually confusing and feels rushed - it does not even contain a single image. However it does provide links to some good sources of Halloween related information which can be incorporated into CALL or TEFL lessons. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**Conclusions:** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">WebQuest 1 is the clear winner!! Even I wanted to complete the task and would definitely recommend it to my students.