Student Population: While this activity could be adapted to fit the needs of a variety of levels and age groups, it was created with the ELI Reading 4 class in mind. This is a group of intermediate English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students studying in the U.S.  They range in age from 18 to 60.

Objectives: Students will practice reading a variety of authentic English texts, while searching for and synthesizing information from the Web. Specific reading and searching skills are outlined below.

Materials: This lesson plan was designed for execution in a lab setting, and requires a computer, with reliable Internet access for each student, or pair. Any browser which supports images will do for the Scavenger Hunt, but the web page creation section was made with Netscape Composer in mind.  In addition, a projector will be needed for demonstration and answer-sharing purposes. Students are required to bring in floppy disks.

Evaluation: Students can be evaluated on the validity of their answers in the Scavenger Hunt, as well as the reading comprehension, presentation and effort (lack of plagiarism!) evident in their web pages.

I. Introduction (5-10 minutes, depending on student interest and enthusiasm):

1. Introduce concepts of mythical creature and mythology.

2. Elicit examples from students’ native cultures.

Rationale:

• Teach background vocabulary
• Raise schema

II. Internet Scavenger Hunt (about 30 min.)

Materials                

Suggested Answers

1. Students can be divided into pairs.

2. First, students download the object list as a Word document.

3. Students search for the answers (the “objects”).

4. When the students (or the first students) have completed the chart, they take turns sharing their answers by having their screens projected in front of the class. The students use their pasted and saved urls to demonstrate what they have found and where they found it. While they are showing the webpages they have found, ask questions about the reliability of the sources they consulted. Would you consult this source for
entertainment? an academic paper?

Rationale:

• Practice Skimming and Scanning skills
• Practice basic Web search skills
• Introduce idea of 'reliable source'
  
• Engage in extensive reading

III. Web Page Creation Assignment

Demo (20 min): Using the projector, demonstrate how to make a simple web page using Netscape Composer. Students are free to discover any features they care to use, but they need to learn how to write text, create an external link, and save the file they have created. This project will be handed in on a floppy and each page will be linked to the class website (example class website).

Assignment (1-2 hours, Homework):

1. Students work in pairs.

2. Each pair chooses a mythical creature to concentrate on and creates a web page about that creature. This must include:

1. The name of the creature
2. The name of the culture or cultures whose mythology the creature belongs to 
3. A description of the creature and its significance in the mythology of the culture it is from
4. At least 3 links to sources consulted for the project.

Rationale:

• Practice finding information about a topic
• Practice synthesizing and summarizing information about the topic
• Learn how to make a simple web page