A Viking Quest

Third Grade

1.1 Integration of Learning Outcomes:

The students will use the informational text provided in the Web Quest to determine
the main idea, answer questions, research and relate to self. The students will use
the knowledge gained to write an imagined narrative as a Viking.

1.2 Standards:
CC.1.2.3.A: Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain
how they support the main idea.
CC.1.2.3.B: Ask and answer questions about the text and make inferences from
text; refer to text to support responses.
CC.1.4.3.S Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research, applying grade-level reading standards for literature and
informational texts.
CC.1.4.3.M: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events.

PA Social Studies Standards

7.3.3.A: Identify the human characteristics of places and regions using the
following criteria: Population, Culture, Settlement, Economic activities, Political
activities

1.3 Anticipatory Set:

The students have already been introduced to the Viking unit. Since they have some
background knowledge, the teacher will ask students to think about what it would
be like to live as a Viking. What are some of the activities you would participate
in? The teacher will then introduce the Web Quest. We are going to go on a Viking
quest and explore what it would be like living as a Viking. I want you to reference
the text when describing your life as a Viking!

1.4 Procedures:
Introduction of Strategy
1. The teacher will pass out the handout that goes along with the Web Quest. This
handout will serve as notes for the students.

Historians do a lot of research on the topic that they are studying, and we are
historians. So today we will be taking notes on the new information we discover.
This worksheet will help you determine what is important.
2. The students will each have their own computer or iPad to view the Web Quest.
You each have your own iPad so that you can read at your own pace while taking
notes.

Modeling
3. The teacher will briefly go over how to use the Web Quest for the class using the
Smart Board so that the entire class can see how to interact with the website. The
teacher will read the introduction and describe how to navigate through the
website.
4. At any time you can go back to the task page to remind yourself what is required
of you to complete the task. Lets go to Education page and research how Viking
children were educated. I see there is a document here and the directions say
Identify how the Viking children were educated by reading the document below.
5. The teacher will begin reading, she will stop after reading During their childhood,
they didnt attend school. It says here that children werent educated at school,
however we are Historians conducting research so we need to keep reading to find
out why and to discover what they learned instead. That is what we will want to
record in our notes.

Guided Practice
6. The teacher will call on a volunteer student to continue reading the passage
aloud. After the student reads, the teacher will ask a student to come to the board
to share what they think was important information.
7. I want you to highlight on the Smart Board one sentence or fragment that you
think is important to our research. After the student high lights one item which
may be Children were required to learn the jobs of the adults the teacher will ask
to explain why they thought it was important, connecting it to the original question.
8. After the student shares, the teacher will ask everyone to Record in your notes
what we researched together and continue researching the other topics, making
sure to only record what is relevant and important.

Independent Practice
9. The students will complete the remaining four questions on their own, navigating
through the Web Quest at their own pace.
10. The teacher will observe and attend to any student that is having difficulty.
11. After the students complete the Web Quest worksheet they will write their
narratives using the worksheet as a reference, as well as the Web Quest itself if
they choose to.

Can anyone remind me why we just conducted all this research about Vikings?
The teacher will remind students that we want to use research to write a wellplanned and thought out narrative that is realistic. We will use our notes to help us
write our stories. Use your writing journal to begin your rough draft.
12. The narratives will be continued to be worked on during Writers Workshop, and
the final draft will be written on specialty Viking themed paper of the students
choice.

1.5 Differentiation:
For English language learners and below level students, students may choose to
illustrate themselves living as a Viking and only expected to write a few short
sentences. They also will be permitted to work in groups or partners to help read
the web quest and share ideas, taking turns while reading.
For those who are gifted, students will also create a Venn-diagram comparing their
life to a Vikings life and will be permitted to conduct additional research at the
library independently.

1.6 Closure:
The teacher will review using the internet to research a topic and how that it also
helps them become better readers and writers by using the information in their
writing. The students will be given an opportunity to share their narratives at
whatever point they are with their writing with the class, whether in small groups,
partners or a few volunteers to read to the entire class.

1.7 Formative and Summative Assessment:

Formative
While students are working to complete their worksheet, the teacher will be
monitoring for understanding of the information presented in the Web Quest and if
students are having difficulties navigating through the web quest which can impede
on comprehension of the information. If students are having difficulties using the
Web Quest, the teacher will adjust the lesson by providing the information in plain
print for students to view.

Summative
The students will be evaluated on their narrative piece using a rubric that will be
provided on the Web Quest as well as a hard copy for each child. The rubric will be
scored on three domains and each worth up to four points. The teacher will be
looking to see that the student used his or her notes while writing the narrative.

1.8 Materials: List all materials/equipment necessary for

this lesson.
A Viking Quest handout

A selection of Viking themed writing paper to write and illustrate narratives for final
draft
The Viking Web Quest:
www.VikingQuest.weebly.com
Writing Rubric
Individual laptops, computers or iPads
Clipboard to write on
Pencil
Writing Notebook for rough draft of narrative

1.9 Technology:
A web quest is inquiry based and it is online on a website that is permanent. It is
also something students can go back to later at home if they wish. iPads or laptops
will be the instrument that students will be using to view the web quest, however if
technology is not available, each page of the web quest can be printed and used as
a hard copy.

2.0 Reflection on Planning:

The students were introduced to a new social studies topic, which was
Vikings. I had wanted to do a content based lesson, since I have yet to see language
arts. My co-op teacher told me she had to read this packet of unrelated information
to the students at some point during the unit. I took this as an opportunity to use
the information and create something interactive for the students. I offered to
create this web quest and integrate the language arts in the lesson by having the
students write a narrative, which they can also continue working on in their writing
workshop. The web quest was a challenge to create because the packet of
information was just random bits of topics pasted together from random sources
that had not been cited. I tried to find some better and more relevant sources to
include in my website as well as what was given to me.
When creating the web quest and the work sheet, I referenced Blooms
Taxonomy for writing objectives. I also had known that the students were working
on writing narratives and creating captivating endings so I felt that writing a
narrative from a different perspective would further enhance their writing. Doing a
web quest and following the writing workshop model allows students to work at
their own pace which is low risk for them and they have experience with sharing
their stories so we would be continuing the same respectful routine as we have in
the past when a writer is reading their story.

Resources for Web Quest:

"Primary history: vikings." BBC. BBC, n.d. Retrieved from

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/vikings/
James (2013, January 8). Facts about viking food, farming and feasts.
Retrieved from http://primaryfacts.com/357/facts-about-viking-foodfarming-and-feasts/
Skrmm, Y. (2006, January 4). The vikings. Retrieved from
http://viking.no/e/index.html
Bartlett, M. (2007, February 21). Viking children. Retrieved from
http://mrbartlett.wordpress.com/2007/02/21/viking-children/

Resources for Viking style writing paper:

http://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/t-t-2480-viking-page-borders

Resources for Planning

Anderson, L.W., Krathwohl, D.R., Airasian, P.W., Cruikshank, K.A., Mayer, R.E.,
Pintrich, P.R., Raths, J., Wittrock, M.C. (2001). A Taxonomy for Learning,
Teaching, and Assessing: A revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational
Objectives. New York: Pearson, Allyn & Bacon.

2.1 Reflection on Instruction

What went really well was the motivation and interest that the students had
in the lesson when I presented the Web Quest to them. This was the first web quest
that the students had completed, so before even getting into the lesson I asked the
students if they knew what it was and we discussed it, which brought the
anticipation even higher for the lesson. The downside was that we were unable to
obtain iPads or a laptop cart so that each student would have their own to work
with, so we split the class into their base groups. I thought that this worked well
because they were also able to practice their social skills with taking turns and how
to be respectful to each other, which is another thing the class and I discussed prior
to beginning the lesson. Since this was their first web quest, working in groups
helped them because they were able to discuss the ideas with their groups and take
turns reading, so as a modification for next time I would have them working in
groups if I found myself in the same position with it being their first experience with
a web quest. The only difference is that I think I would also provide them with a hard
copy of the information to follow along if it is too hard for everyone to see the
screen. Our groups were groups of four students. I also thought that the integration
of language arts with social studies went really well and naturally and it
corresponded with the students writing workshop.
One big change I would make is to plan for time a little bit better. If it were
my choice, the students would have begun the lesson during social studies,

continued it after lunch during their core extension period (where they do not learn
any new material), and then continued the writing during writing workshop. I didnt
coordinate/ express my ideas with my cooperating teacher to continue in that
fashion since I leave right after the social studies period, but I feel like the students
would have gotten more out of the lesson if it were set up like I originally imagined.
I made sure that the students also had a copy of the URL of the web quest and I
noticed that the next day after the lesson was taught that there was a spike in the
views on the website which was satisfying knowing that the students wanted to go
back to revisit the website even outside of class. It is something that I definitely
would do again if I felt that the material I had to teach wasnt meaningful or
interesting to the students.
The students worked collaboratively to complete the worksheet of notes, and
during my observations I heard students naturally comparing the Viking lifestyles to
their own life, which through accommodation and assimilation they are constructing
new knowledge that makes sense to them and adding to their schema. Due to time
constraints and my boundaries in the classroom my students weren't able to
complete the narrative as I had hoped, however through discussion and their notes I
have no doubt that they learned the content. I can confidently say that the students
met my first objective completely and thoroughly, but not the objective or standard
of writing a narrative. A goal of mine in the future is to continue integrating the
language arts with the other core subjects because I believe it creates a more
meaningful and solid experience for the students when a similar theme is carried
throughout the day while learning new and various skills and strategies. Anything
can be enhanced to include language arts, and social studies really allows for that
so I have to be on the lookout on how to incorporate language arts while still
remaining authentic and not forced.

A Viking Quest Work Sheet

Write in your answers to the web quest in the spaces below. Use your
answers as notes to help you write your story. If you need more space, write
on the back of the paper.

Education
1. Identify how the Viking children were educated:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. List some of the activities you would do as a Viking boy/ girl.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Diet
3. Compare and contrast the Viking eating habits to your own. List 2
similarities and 2 differences. This includes how they prepare and get
their food.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Sports and Games

4. How is Knattleikr related to a ball game we play here?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Marriage
5. Can you elaborate on the reason why Vikings got married so young?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Interesting Facts or Other Notes:

eScor

Narrative Rubric

Ideas and Content

Conventions

Organization

My writing is interesting.

My main idea is easy to

understand.

I used capitalization
correctly.

I used 4+ accurate
supporting details from
resources.

I have correct spelling,

even on difficult words.

I used punctuation
correctly.

My writing clearly shows

understanding of the topic.

My writing is somewhat
interesting.

I have 1-2 capitalization

mistakes.

I use transitions, with a few

repetitions.

I used 2-4 accurate

supporting details

I have 1-2 spelling

mistakes.

I have 2-3 paragraphs.

My main idea is somewhat

easy to understand.

I have 1-2 punctuation

mistakes.

I have an interesting
beginning and ending.

My writing shows

understanding of the topic.

I used 2-4 new words

found in the resources.

My details fit somewhat with

my story.

My writing is simple.

I have some supporting

details.

I have 2-3 capitalization

mistakes.

I keep reusing the same

transition.

I have 1- 2 paragraphs.

I used 1-2 accurate details

from resources.

I have 3-4 spelling

mistakes.

I have a simple beginning

and ending.

My writing shows some

understanding of the topic.

I have 2-3 punctuation

mistakes.

My details are somewhat

random.

My main idea is hard to

understand.

I have more than 3

capitalization mistakes.

I did not use transitions.

I have 5+ spelling
mistakes.

I have less than 4 sentences.

I did not use supporting

details from resources.

My writing does not show

my understanding of the
topic.

I didnt use any new words

found in the resources.

I did not have an ending

and/or beginning.

I used simple words.

I used smooth transitions.

I have 3+ paragraphs.

I have an interesting
beginning that captures
readers.

I used 4+ new words from

the resources.

I used 1-2 new words

found in the resources.

I have a satisfying ending.

My details fit really well with
my story.

My details do not fit with my

story.