First, decide if a webquest is the right teaching tool for your content area. Consider these questions:

1. Can you tie it to the TEKS? www.tea.state.tx.us/teks/
2. Will is replace a lesson you are unhappy with?
3. Does it use the web well?
4. Does it require understanding?

If you can answer yes to these questions, then you are on the right track.

Click on the following link for more details:
webquest.sdsu.edu/project-selection.html

Now that you have some ideas of topics, let's look at the key parts that make up a webquest.

Introduction
Introduce the activity in an inviting way to hook the students and peak their interest. Here is where an essential question is useful. Essential questions guide the process and generally have no right or wrong answer. In order to answer it, students must formulate other, fact gathering questions and then answer the essential question based on this data.

This link has some quick, useful information and examples of essential questions:
wwwgen.bham.wednet.edu/probsol2.htm

Task
Here you will give quick overview of what students are expected to do. Their mission, so to speak.

Process
The process phase of a webquest includes the detailed directions and links that the students will follow to answer their essential question or complete the tasks assigned. This is a great place to put links for kids to download or print, such as venn diagrams, spreadsheets, etc.

Here is a link from our district website that provides graphic organizer ideas:
www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/torganiz.htm

Evaluation
This is where students are able to see what caliber of work is expected of them and how they will be graded. Some ideas include links to grading rubrics, reminders of what to turn in to the teacher and responsibilities of each person in the group.

Here are some example rubrics and templates:
classroom.leanderisd.org/webs/inst.tech/rubrics.htm
www.spa3.k12.sc.us/webquestrubric.htm
www.scarborough.k12.me.us/middle/contribute/quest/indivrbr2.html
www.scarborough.k12.me.us/middle/contribute/quest/grouprbr.html
coe.west.asu.edu/students/jbeveridge/ppquest/eval.html

Conclusion
Here is where you will help students to sum up what they have learned while completing the webquest. You can include questions for further investigation or simply sum it up for them.

Now that you know a bit about webquests, it's time to get started on one of your own. The first webquest you make may be time consuming, but you will find that it is great to have during the year.

Here are some links that will help guide you in creating your first webquest. Some are guided questions, while others are diagrams. I found that the rubric for a good webquest was extremely useful in creating my first webquest.

general process:
webquest.sdsu.edu/about_webquests.html
webquest.sdsu.edu/Process/WebQuestDesignProcess.html
diagram format:
www.spa3.k12.sc.us/WebQuests.HTM
outline format:
www.spa3.k12.sc.us/WebQuest%20Development.htm
linear format:
www.spa3.k12.sc.us/WebQuestTemplate/webquesttemp.htm
rubric format:
webquest.sdsu.edu/webquestrubric.html
www.spa3.k12.sc.us/webquestrubric.htm
task design worksheet:
www.scs.k12.tn.us/STT2000/Task_Design.html
webquest.sdsu.edu/designpatterns/index.htm
webquest.sdsu.edu/designpatterns/all.htm

Here are some example webquests and some links to educational websites. It is sometimes useful to use the links you see in these webquests as links on the one you create.
www.norfolk.k12.ma.us/Pages/NPS_DiscoveryZone/teachers/webhunt.html
www.spa3.k12.sc.us/WebQuests.html scroll to the bottom for webquests
www.iwebquest.com/egypt/ancientegypt.htm
www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/5827/breakout.html
www.lubbockisd.org/webquests/MeetImmigrants/index.htm
classroom.leanderisd.org/webs/stacey.harmon/moon_webquest.htm

hot links:
GAMES - www.sheppardsoftware.com
www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html
www.wonderville.ca/
www.harcourtschool.com/index.html
GAMES -- classroom.leanderisd.org/webs/sciencegames/home.htm
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/index_flash.shtml
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ homepage.mac.com/cohora/ext/internethunts.html

Once you're done, you can add a little spice to your website using these hints:
classroom.leanderisd.org/webs/techhelp/netstart_gold.htm