Introduction	Task	Teacher's Page	Process
Resources	Conclusion	Evaluation	Credits

 

Introduction:

Bienvenue to our Web Quest on Le Carnaval de Quebec. As you may well know Le Carnaval de Québec, also known as , Québec's Winter Carnaval is the largest winter carnaval in the world. Over the years it has gained international recognition and international media attention. As a journalist your mission will be to report on this event for your television or radio network. In this Web Quest you will find many interesting facts about the carnaval's history, its mascot, Bonhomme Carnaval and all the events and people which make the carnaval the spectacular event it is. The sites you will visit will be in available in both French and English. Enjoy surfing in both of Canada's official languages.

#task  

Task:

You belong to a team of reporters ( 3 per team) who have been sent to prepare a news story on Québec's Winter Carnaval. You may choose to do a television or radio news report. If you choose to prepare a television news report you will also be required to find pictures to support your piece. Reporting will be live (in front of the class). The producer ( the teacher) will let you know when you will be on air. Each journalist will be responsible for a specific portion of the story.

• One journalist will give the historical perspective of the carnaval. How long has it been going on, information on the mascot, traditions of the carnaval (Le. la duchesse, le palais de glace etc.)
• A second journalist will provide information on the current carnaval including the dates of this year's event, location, interesting facts and information.
• The third journalist will focus on the events and activities tourists can enjoy if they attend Carnaval.
• You may consider learning and presenting a verse from one of the carnaval songs you will find on a site to enhance your presentation.

All three journalist must work together to present a well developed and coherent story. Each journalist is responsible for at least twenty sentences.

The Process:

Step 1

• Each journalist will decide which aspect of the carnaval they wish to cover. (historical, present day, events)
• Begin by exploring the sites together so you can get a n overall gist of the information available.

Step 2

• Each journalist will now begin to work on their individual section. Click on the resources and read the information. Focus only on facts and information relating to your particular topic. Be sure to jot notes as you surf.
• The expectation is you present at least fifteen to twenty sentences so be sure to consolidate and synthesize information. It is permissible , however, to use a sentence or two exactly as it appears on a site.

Step 3

• When each journalist has found enough information their topic they need to get together with their team to begin to plan "live presentation".
• The team needs to make sure the presentation covers all the aspects requested of the producer (history, present day carnaval and events). The story needs to be smooth and interesting ( it should be established who will present first etc.)
• Practice reading your part several times out loud. Your team can help you with correct pronunciation.

Resources:

You will find the information you need to complete your task on the following sites. So put on your journalist's thinking cap by clicking on the image below and enjoy your search.

http://www.carnaval.qc.ca/webzine/

http://members.tripod/com/jarsofclay10/quebec.html

http://www.ijs.k12.nf.ca/~voyageur/quebec/welcome.htm

http://www.cnn.com/TRAVEL/PURSUITS/GETAWAYS/9902/quebec.carnaval/index.html

http://www.travellady.com/articles/article-wintercarnival.html

Conclusion:

I hope you have enjoyed your assignment at the Quebec Winter Carnaval. Be sure you have all the information you need for your story. Use the checklist below to make sure you have covered all the bases:

• a minimum of 15-20 sentences for each member of the group
• information on the history of carnaval
• information about the dates and location of this year's carnaval
• interesting facts which will get your audience's attention
• information about the events and activities visitors can enjoy
• a plan on how to present this to the class (if it is a television broadcast then be sure to have some pictures to show)
• Once you have finished all your work you may complete a fun quiz Trivia Game on the following site to test how much you have learned about Le Carnaval. http://www.carnaval.qc.ca/musee/eng/jeu.htm  

Evaluation

Each member of the group will be marked individually using the rubric below.

Criteria	Expectations	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
Information	Accuracy of facts Information focused on topic 20 sentences	Few facts accurate or relevant Little info on topic Fewer than 12 sentences	Some facts accurate and relevant Some info. on topic Fewer than 15 sentences	Most facts accurate and relevant Most info on topic 15 to 20 sentences	All facts accurate and relevant All info on topic More than 20 sentences
Communication	Pronunciation Fluency Expression Quality of voice	Uses language with limited accuracy and effectiveness	Uses language with moderate accuracy and effectiveness	Uses language with considerable accuracy and effectiveness	Uses language with high degree accuracy and effectiveness
Language	Variety of sentences Interrogative Declarative Variety of verbs Use of present and passé composé	Limited variety of sentences. Most sentences simple and in the present tense	Some variety of sentences. Most sentences in present with few in passé composé	Variety of sentences. Both the present and passé composé used throughout	Complex sentence structure used. Present, passé composé and futur proche used
Project Requirements	Organization of ideas Sense of audience and purpose Research skills ( summarizing, interpretation of information, data gathering)	Ideas are presented but not organized or developed Little information is related to the audience and purpose Uses few research skills (most of presentation directly taken from sources)	Ideas are partially developed and somewhat organized Some information is related to audience and purpose Uses some research sills (beginning to interpret information)	Ideas are well developed and organized Most information is related to audience and purpose Uses most research skills	Ideas are logically organized and thoroughly developed All or almost all information is relevant to the audience and purpose Uses all research skills effectively

Evaluation of group work

Each group will receive a group mark based on the following rubric.

Criteria	Expectation	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
Collaboration	Encouragement	Rarely encourages others with supportive comments	Sometimes encourages others with supportive comments	Usually encourages others with supportive comments	Always or almost always encourages others with supportive comments
Active Involvement	Goals	Rarely works towards the achievement of group goals	Sometimes works towards the achievement of group goals	Usually works towards the achievement of group goals	Always or almost always works towards the achievement of group goals
Conflict Prevention & Intervention	Resolution & Problem solving	Rarely considers the immediate & long term effects of actions on others	Sometimes considers the immediate & long term effects of actions on others	Usually considers the immediate & long term effects of actions on others	Always or almost always considers the immediate & long term effects of actions on others

Credits

I would like to thank my colleagues, Doug Peterson, for introducing me to Web Quests and for all his support. My appreciation is also extended to Diane Picard, a truly dedicated professional whose enthusiasm for teaching and French language is always inspiring.

The evaluation rubric was adopted from those found in:
Carter, Bonnie & Georgette Bolger (1999), Getting Assessment Right: FSL, French as a Second Language , Data Based Directions.

If you have any suggestions for this Web Quest you can e-mail me directly by clicking on my name below.