...Teacher's Page (Rationale)...
Renter's
Repair Rights
A WebQuest for
Adult Learners of English
Designed by Michelle Quiter
michelle@languagepowertutoring.com
www.languagepowertutoring.com
Introduction
In my four years experience teaching community adult education to learners of English, I heard about multiple problems with the rental properties that my students called home. Students had trouble with the heat, the toilets, and infestations of bugs. Despite these troubles, their voices were limited due to the lack of English and the lack of knowledge of their rights.
This WebQuest has been developed to inform adult English language learners of their rights as property renters and to empower them to stick up for themselves as needed. A secondary goal of this WebQuest is to help students share the information with members of their community. In this way, they not only empower themselves, but they help empower others in similar situations.
After completing this WebQuest students will be able to take the necessary steps required to resolve a problem with their rental property, including writing letters, leaving recorded messages, providing follow-up to their requests, and seeking further assistance in their cities, should the need arise. To accomplish this task, students will learn new vocabulary, read Web sites, summarize their notes, write letters, leave recordings, write a dialogue, and provide feedback to others in similar situations.
Learners
This lesson is designed for adult students over 18 years of age in an intermediate level English as a Second Language course. It is my hope that students will be able to pass the information they learn on to other members of their communities.
In order to succeed at this WebQuest, students must have basic computer skills such as viewing Web sites on the Internet, opening and closing windows, typing simple messages using Word, reading simple text, and making vocal recordings. You may need to provide a refresher course for those who are uncertain.
Curriculum Standards
This WebQuest meets the following standards:
Equipped for the Future:
http://eff.cls.utk.edu/fundamentals/16_standards.htm
- Observe critically
- Convey ideas in writing
- Speak so others can understand
- Read with understanding
- Solve problems and make decisions
- Cooperate with others
- Advocate and influence
- Resolve conflict and negotiation
- Guide others
- Take responsibility for learning
- Use information and communication technology
- Learn through research
- Reflect and evaluate
SCANS Competencies:
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/assment/as7scans.htm
- Works with others
- Aquires and evaluates information
- Works with a variety of technologies
Texas Adult Education Content Standards and Benchmarks:
http://www-tcall.tamu.edu/taesp/guide/cover.html
- Speak so others can understand for ESL
- Read with understanding for ESL
- Convey ideas in writing for ESL
Process
1. Class Discussion: Lead a discussion to get students thinking about their renter's rights and any current or past problems that they may have had with rental properties. Instruct students to jot down three problems to be used later in the WebQuest. Inquire how much is known about renter's rights before the WebQuest begins.
2. Vocabulary: Students will familiarize themselves with the vocabulary they are likely to come across in the various Web site readings.
3. Research: Students will gather data from Web sites in order to form a list of renter's rights and other information.
4. Consolidation: Students will consolidate data from Web sites in order to inform their learning of the steps to be taken when resolving an issue or making a complaint.
5. Local Resources: Students will gather local resources from Web sites and the local phone book.
6. Letter Writing: Students will write two letters to a fictional property manager.
7. Phone Message: Students will leave one phone message for a fictional property manager.
8. Dialogue: Students will write and perform a dialogue between a renter and a property manager. The dialogue will demonstrate a renter sticking-up for his or her rights.
9. Feedback: Students will respond and make suggestions to situational descriptions of rental property problems.
10. Survey: Students will complete individually a survey to reflect on their learning. As part of this survey, students will be asked to state how they can help others in their community stick-up for their renter's rights.
Students will work on this WebQuest in pairs. At least nine hours of classtime will be reserved for the completion of this quest. Pairs should be comprised of students with different native languages and skill levels, as possible. This WebQuest could be completed in class (with the whole class in a computer lab) or as an outside project for students to complete in a computer lab on their own time.
It is recommended that teachers complete this WebQuest before assigning it to students in order to familiarize themselves with the content and possible questions that may arise.
Variations
Guest Speaker
If a guest speaker who specializes in renters' rights could be invited to the class, that would be excellent! Such speakers may be lawyers, volunteers, housing authority workers, or state agency personnel.
Part of a Bigger Unit
This WebQuest would be a perfect addition to a larger unit covering vocabulary for the home, interpersonal communication, persuasion, computer skills, and research and note taking.
Resources Needed
Following is a list of resources that will be needed to complete this project:
- Access to the Internet and/or computer lab
- Access to Word or other word processor (optional)
- Access to cell phone with free long distance (optional)
- Drop.io Web page (free) or Audacity (free) (optional)
- Tape recorder and paper (low-tech options)
- Access to a local phone book
- Access to SurveyMonkey.com (free and optional)
- Teacher e-mail account
- Access to HotPotatoes (free) or other quiz making software
Vocabulary Practice
Vocabulary tools in this WebQuest are made with free HotPotatoes software. I've made a crossword puzzle. This item could be made with other quiz making software as needed.
Voice Recordings and Assignment Postings
An easy way to post students' work for everyone to view is to set up a free temporary Web page at http://drop.io/. This is an amazing site that can also provide the means for students to make voice recordings from their personal telephones. Although the site is free, making the recording does require a long-distance phone call. For most people with cell phones, this does not pose a problem. For those who do not have a cell phone or free long distance, you may want to provide a phone for their use, or have them choose to use Audacity (described below) or a tape recorder.
The drop.io site can also post e-mail messages using any e-mail program. When you set up a site on drop.io, they will provide you with the phone number, e-mail, and Web site address. Ideally, one creates forms on the task pages of this WebQuest and the forms post directly to the drop.io page. However, your server may not allow this. For example, I can send form data to an e-mail associated with my Web page, but not to any other e-mail addresses. Therefore, I will need to forward the form mail generated from the task forms from my e-mail box to the drop.io site. If you use drop.io, be sure to update the student pages of this WebQuest with the correct phone number and e-mail address for the drop (page) you set up.
Low-Tech Alternative
Another way to have students make recordings is to use the Audacity program, the free, downloadable program which makes sound recordings over the computer. You may need to train students to use this technology. For the low-tech at heart, students can also use an old fashioned tape recorder to make recordings. Assignments can be e-mailed to you directly or written on paper and handed in. I don't encourage this, as we are trying to teach students about technology, however, the alternatives do exist.
Technology Support
Students will need content support from teachers and technology support from computer lab personnel, should something malfuntion. The teacher may also need technology support to set up drop.io and the Web page forms.
Final Feedback
In order to generate final feedback from students as part of Task Nine, open a free account at SurveyMonkey.com. You can easily generate a survey in this way. Otherwise, you could create a paper survey or use some other method to gather feedback.
Evaluation
After completing the WebQuest, each learner will be evaluated individually on the following criteria.
| Needs Improvement 0 |
Developing 1 |
Accomplished 2 |
Exemplary 3 |
Score |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Task Completion and Deadlines
|
Less than 75% of the tasks are completed by the assigned deadline. | Over 75% of the tasks are completed by the assigned deadline. | All tasks are completed by the assigned deadline, however not in the order assigned. | All tasks are completed by the assigned deadline in the order assigned. | |
Quality of Detail in Tasks
|
Over 75% of tasks are missing essential details. | 50% of tasks are missing essential details. | 75% of tasks are completed with the essential details. | 100% of tasks are completed with the essential details. | |
Good Partnership
|
Student did not perform his or her share of the work. | Student performed less than most of his or her share of the work. | Student performed most of his or her share of the work. | Student performed his or her share of the work. | |
Creativity
|
Student demonstrates no original thinking in completion of tasks. | Student demonstrates little original thinking in completion of tasks. | Student demonstrates some original thinking in completion of tasks. | Student demonstrates much original thinking in completion of tasks. | |
Completion of Learning Objectives
|
Student shows no readiness to stick-up for his or her renter's rights. | Student shows little readiness to stick-up for his or her renter's rights. | Student shows some readiness to stick-up for his or her renter's rights. | Student shows readiness to stick-up for his or her renter's rights. |
Conclusion
After successful completion of this WebQuest learners will be ready to practice sticking-up for their renter's rights. They will know their rights, they will know the process for logging a complaint and following up on it, and they will know the local resources that can help if their problem is still not resolved. They may also want to help others in their community to know their renter's rights. They will be able to show resources, help write letters, and help make phone calls. Together they can make a difference!
Upon completion, learners may see what their classmates have created for this WebQuest. They will ask you for the password to http://drop.io/RRR_WebQuest. This is a temporary site that has been set up to capture the information generated from this WebQuest. The password is RRR.
Credits & References
WebQuest.org and Design Patterns
(See the student page for additional resources.)
Permission
We all benefit by being generous with our work. Permission is hereby granted for other educators to copy this WebQuest, update or otherwise modify it, and post it elsewhere provided that the original author's name (Michelle Quiter of Language-Power Tutoring) is retained along with a link back to the original URL of this WebQuest. On the line after Michelle Quiter's name, you may add Modified by (your name) on (date). If you do modify it, please let me know and provide your new URL so I can enjoy it too.
The page design is based on a template from The WebQuest Page| Created April 2008