F+page+II,+(Teacher+Resource,+Website+Evaluations)



 These website evaluations should not be used in the place of personal judgment, but rather as a guide to help survey the websites before using this webquest with your students.
 * Teacher Resource, Website evaluations​**

Fong, G. (n.d.). //Costs of consumption//. Retrieved from []

This website's intentions and directions are clear to most readers. It's listed as a resource to gain information about drilling, while keeping in mine the source of information.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration. (1998). //Oil (petroleum)//. Retrieved from []

This general information site is used to inform its readers of the basics behind oil consumption for energy in the United States. The site's focus towards young readers is made known through it's level of vocabulary and graphics.

//Oil-spill disaster in the gulf of mexico//. (2010, May). Retrieved from []

This is an informational video about the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It's an informative article about how the event happened and its affect on the local habitat and fishing community. It's vocabulary is approachable and graphics strong and captivating. Though short in time, it gets to the point and gives good points for students to expand upon.

//BP making it right -- claims//. (n.d.). Retrieved from [] This video explains the claims efforts from BP for people who live in the coastal region of Louisiana. Consideration should be made that this video is directly from the company. It gives no thorough explanation of how to file claims or who to contact. Its intention seems to be for campaign and awareness purposes.

Should we Drill?. (2010, April 26). //Scholastic News//, Retrieved from []

Scholastic is generally known in education for providing age appropriate, unbiased news to students and teachers. This informational pdf is colorful and filled with graphics, making it student friendly while being informative and relative to the assignment.

Szalavitz, M. (2004). //Webquests: explanation//. Retrieved from []

This teacher resource explains the framework and reasoning behind webquests. It provides research from Bernie Dodge, the "guru" of webquests as well as examples for teachers to follow. The website was required reading for class and contains reliable information. We used this website for our own research, and it helped lead us to our decision to include a webquest for this lesson plan.

Ember, S. (2010, June 18). //Oil spill in US gulf: the week's developments//. Retrieved from []

We decided to use this website because it is written for English learners making it easier for students to understand and because it includes a place where you can listen to the article for further differentiation. The article gives information about the recent oil spill but does not favor any side of the argument. This is a good place for students to get general information.

Freudenrich, C. (2001, April 12). //How Oil drilling works//. Retrieved from []#

This website is also purely informational. It teaches how oil drilling works and does not try to sway readers to one side of the issue. This is another good site for students to use to gain more knowledge about the use of oil and how it is obtained. This article also contains a video with information that is good for diverse learners.

//No offshore oil drilling: committee against oil exploration//. (2010, April 03). Retrieved from [] This site is primarily for the perspective against investing in oil drilling. However, it is intended for the other perspective to use as well in their final project debate. The site provides multiple reasons against oil drilling. Students will be guided to fully understand the source of the information.

//Top five reasons why we should be using renewables instead of oil//. (2010, May 5). Retrieved from [] This site was chosen because it's a straightforward resource for students taking either perspective. It's independently differentiating; lower to mid learners can use the site as given and higher learners can research the points made further.

Nixon, R. (2008, June 25). //Oil drilling: risks and rewards//. Retrieved from [] This website was chosen because it's a student resource for both perspectives of the investment argument. It's a science based site that uses language that will be easy to understand by most learners.

//73% of americans support offshore drilling//. (2008, June 24). Retrieved from []

This site was chosen for critical thinking purposes. The student user must evaluation the source of the information to decide if the information is objective enough to use. Videos are a valuable resource to reach multiple levels of learners, including those who may still be developing their English skills.

Thomas, R. (n.d.). //Benefits of drilling for american oil//. Retrieved from[| http://www.ehow.com/about_5085313_benefits-drilling-american-oil.html]

This site was chosen because it contains reliable information that can help make the students aware of the reasons people believe we should drill for oil. The article helps to balance the websites we used, so that the students do not think we are trying to lead them in a certain direction.