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Louisiana Webquest 
A Library Skills WebQuest 
for 7-8th Grade Language Arts 
Designed by Connie McNabb 
cmcnabb@lpsb.org 
Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Teacher Page 

Introduction 
********************TOP SECRET******************** 
***Special Mission***
You have been selected as a Special Agent with the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation).  Your mission will be to research information about Louisiana, prepare an intelligence research report, and report this top secret information back to your fellow special agents.  Since this mission is of vital importance to our state, you will use every resource available to you in the library.   

When you have completed this top secret mission, you will have gained a better understanding of how atlases, almanacs, encyclopedias, dictionaries, the card catalog, and periodical literature may be used to gain important research information.   
 
 


The Task   

Your top secret mission is to prepare a complete intelligence report for Louisiana which contains the required information.   Information should be obtained through the use of atlases, almanacs, encyclopedias, dictionaries, periodical literature, books, the card catalog, and the Internet.  Information that is vital to the mission includes: 

  • a map of the state
  • a flag of the state
  • state bird
  • state flower
  • state motto
  • population
  • capital city 
  • economic conditions 
  • tourist attractions 
  • climate
  • government (governor, number of  members in the house and senate)

The Process  

To accomplish the task, each agent will use the following guidelines:  

Phase 1 - Operation Background Check 

  1. First,  your Commander-in-Chief will assign you to a team of three (3) agents.  You will be working undercover and will choose one of these three identities:  Tourist, Reporter, or Politician 
  2. You may review background information about the following reference sources:  Almanacs, Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Atlases, Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature, the Card Catalog, and the Internet. 
  3. A successful secret agent must be equpped with the proper tools to accomplish his mission.  It is vital that you understand how references sources are used to gather information.  You must first complete the Reference Fact Sheets before continuing the second phase of your mission. 
Phase 2 - Operation Brown Pelican 
  1. Once you've chosen a role to play, print out the Top Secret Fact Sheet.
  2. Assume your role and begin your undercover investigation for the required information. 
Phase 3 - Debriefing 
  1. After all information has been collected, share your findings with the other agents in your team. 
  2. Prepare an intelligence report that contains all of required information on the Top Secret Fact Sheet.

Evaluation  

Your grade will be based on the following: 

Top Secret Fact Sheet
Your Written Intelligence Report 
Your Oral Presentation 
Individual Work and Group Participation 
 
 

Conclusion  

At the conclusion of this webquest, you will have used Almanacs, Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Atlases, Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature, the Card Catalog, and the Internet to complete the research process.  It is hoped that you will have gained valuable experience in using a variety of research materials to locate information on a research topic.  Upon completion of this webquest, you will be able to apply what you have learned to any research topic.  

What other topics are you interest you?  You now have the skills to explore those areas of interest. 


Credits & References  

Special thanks to Mrs. Bobbette Larkey for her help and assistance with this webquest project. 

Background and images provided by: 


Last updated on April 25, 2002.  Based on a template from The WebQuest Page