Bernadette Low
Web Quest

The Quest

Information Sources

Activity

Activity Sheet

Evaluation

What is a Web Quest?

A web is a learning activity developed in 1995 by Bernie Dodge and Tom March from San Diego State University that engages students in a directed, independent research activity that accomplishes a particular learning goal. The web quest can be complex--a whole course--or simple--a learning activity that meets a goal. It involves instructor preparation of a web research activity that enables students to find and use information available through the web. It is active. It can be a collaborative or independent project. It should result in a particular measurable outcome.

Goal

This activity will engage you in a web quest so that you can see the elements of the activity, experience a search, and think about ways to adapt the activity yourself. You should leave with this activity completed and some ideas for using this activity yourself.

Background

The activity you will engage is taken from an English 102 course that introduces students to research. They have just finished reading the novel, The Assistant, by Bernard Malamud and will begin to write a short, documented essay using at least two sources that analyzes some aspect of the novel. They have engaged in discussion about characters, their motivations, inspirations, and actions. Now they are ready to begin research. This activity will get them started, take them to a few research sites, and ask them to write a paragraph that could be used in an essay on Bernard Malamud and The Assistant.

The QuestTop

Introduction

As you begin your study of Bernard Malamud, it would be be helpful to know a bit about his background. Most writers are influenced by their own lives, and Malamud is no exception. Reading quickly through the following material will enable you to see how Malamud's life shaped his fiction, in particular, The Assistant.

Task

Write a paragraph explaining the ways that Bernard Malamud's life influenced his novel, The Assistant.

Process

1. visit the sites listed below

2. skim the material looking specifically for information about his life and how it influenced The Assistant
3. jot some notes to yourself
4. talk to a partner or two to compare information
5. write a paragraph that:
   • has a topic sentence that generalizes about the points you will make
   • has at least five sentences
   • uses two critics or sources introduces each critic
   • Provides minimal information about source in parentheses at end of sentence

Information Sources Top

Suggested Web Sites:

• Bernard Malamud - Some biographical information with links to other web sites.
• Articles in Magazines, Journals & Newspapers: * List of all Databases for articles in magazines and journals. * Instructions for off campus access * Best Databases to use are the Literature Databases: o Literature Resource Center o LION - Literature Online o Humanities International Complete * Search for information on Bernard Malamud * After the search under the items found choose one or more of the following articles such as: * "Bernard Malamud," in Contemporary Authors. (A profile of the author's life and works) * "Bernard Malamud," in Contemporary Literary Criticism-Select. (A brief review of the author's life, works, and critical reception) * Leslie Field, "Bernard Malamud," in Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 28: Twentieth-Century American-Jewish Fiction Writers. A Bruccoli Clark Layman Book. Edited by Daniel Walden, Pennsylvania State University. The Gale Group, 1984, pp. 166-175.