Let's Go Shopping 1948! Elementary Webquest
Information for Teachers
Materials Required
Objectives | Duration | Outcomes
Curriculum Links
This Webquest will guide your students through a fun and
thought-provoking
interdisciplinary activity that simulates a family selecting and
purchasing articles
from the Eaton's
Fall and Winter 1948-49 Catalogue. It is designed for use by groups of
four
or five students over the course of several days.
When students are finished their task each day, or at the end of the
entire
Webquest, they can undertake one or more of the activities on the For
Students Page. These activities make use of the mail-order
catalogues
on this site and are designed for students to do independently with
minimal teacher
involvement.
Materials Required
Just about everything your students need to do this Webquest is
provided
on this site.
You will also need:
- a large map of Canada on a wall or
projected
onto a screen;
- paper, scissors, and glue for making collages;
- student access to a printer if possible. If students are unable to use
a
printer, print out:
- one copy per group of Worksheets 1 and
2
- one copy per student of Worksheets 3,
4,
and 5
- one copy per student and per group of the catalogue's
order form;
- grading rubric.
Objectives
Students will:
- learn and reinforce concepts related to Social Studies, History,
Geography,
Math, Art, and English Language Arts;
- develop skills in the following areas: primary-source research,
communications,
technology, teamwork, presentation, problem-solving, decision-making,
critical
thinking.
Duration
This activity is designed to be flexible and can accommodate any
classroom
schedule. If it is done in 40-minute periods, it can be completed in 4 or
5 days.
The Webquest can be shortened by eliminating some of the tasks. It can
also
be expanded by adding the teacher-led activities outlined in Supplementary
Activities.
Outcomes
In groups, students will:
- assume the identity of a 1948 family living in one of five regions of
Canada;
and
- locate the family on a map of Canada.
Independently, students will:
- assume the role of a member of their family;
- research their character's name, age, gender, ethnic
background, occupation,
and income, and determine what they want and need to buy;
- find and look at on-line pages of various sections of the
Eaton's
Fall and Winter 1948-49 catalogue;
- print out the illustration and description of the items they want to
buy
(optional); and
- fill out an order form and add up the cost of all items.
As a group, students will:
- discuss what each family member wishes to purchase and compile the
overall
cost;
- after balancing desires and needs with a family's budget,
determine
a final list with items for all family members;
- fill out a single order form;
- print out and assemble a collage of all items each member ordered
(optional);
- make a presentation to the class describing the family circumstances
in
1948, each member of the family, what they wanted to buy, and what they
finally
bought, with an explanation of how they went from their wants to their
needs;
and
- display their collages and order forms on the wall of the
classroom.
Curriculum Links
This interdisciplinary activity links to the following grades and
subjects
in Grades 4-8: Social Studies, History, Geography, Math, Art and English
Language
Arts. Click on your province to see the specific links to your provincial
curriculum.
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