Introduction

This webquest is designed to have students investigate the many different sources of sexual health information available to young people in their community. Based on their research and discussions, students are asked to prepare a poster, web page or insert for their school’s student handbook that contains the benefits, barriers and local contact information of these sources. Students also investigate the type of sexual health information that young people prefer.

Students are assessed on the content and presentation of their product. They are also asked to prepare a commentary on their experience with obtaining sexual health information and to reflect on the webquest in the private section of their Personal Health Journal. The posters, web pages and/or inserts/ads can be discussed in class and then displayed in your school, on your school web site or included in the student handbook/student agenda for the school.

These three products could be combined into a mini-campaign within your school to make students aware of where they can obtain sexual health information. If students do this, they should coordinate the URL of their web page with the posters and insert/ad in the student handbook.

This web quest can be also used to help the students to make contact with local health clinics, physicians and other local health care providers.

Resources

Students will need access to a computer and printer capable of printing high quality colour graphics and colour for their posters or inserts/ads. If students decide to prepare a web page, they will need access to software (such as Microsoft Front Page) that can create web pages. If this is not possible, an easy way to help students to design a simple web page is to go to an existing web page, open up that page with Netscape Editor and prepare their web page in that software. They will be able to display their product in that format, but not be able to publish on a website.

You can also help the students obtain permission to display their posters in the school, to publish their web page as part of the school’s web site or to have their insert/ad published as part of the school’s student handbook.

Task and Process

The end products of this webquest can be a poster, web page or insert/ad for the school’s handbook. The students should form teams of two-three students based on what type of product they prefer to work on. Make sure that all students read the relevant students tools for this webquest, including how to make a poster, web page or insert/ad.

They can decide if they want to have common visual elements for all three products. However, each team of two to three students should do the research and reading activities separately so that they benefit from working directly with the information.

The students begin by identifying the potential sources of information about sexual health. They read an international survey and a national study to learn about youth preferences and needs for accurate, appropriate sexual health information. They then visit a prominent Canadian web site to learn how to best access information from their parents, doctors and health clinics.

Based on this research, students are then asked to prepare a chart listing the sources of information, what youth prefer to receive from that source, the benefits of using that source, potential barriers and tips on how to use that source to obtain information. Students are provided with a sample chart to get them started. To access the answer sheet for this chart and for several other webquests, teachers will need to register (It’s free) with our web site.

The students then collect the contact information for their poster, web page or insert/ad. They can do this by starting with the list of clinics provided, or using the telephone numbers provided by Health Canada or by contacting the local health clinics. Some students may need help with this to get started.

Assessment Criteria and Process

There are three phases to the evaluation in this webquest. The first is to assess the facts and insights that students have gained and presented in their chart of findings and key messages. The second is to evaluate how well they have presented their results in the form of a poster, web page or insert/ad. Review the evaluation criteria and scoring rubrics provided with the webquest. (They are noted on the Student Instructions Page) Please feel free to revise or adapt them as you see fit. Those criteria try to measure both the knowledge gained and the participation level of the students. Some rubrics also include artistic criteria. The third phase of the webquest is reflective, asking the students to report on how any of these sources of sexual health information relate to their experience.

Conclusions and Extension

Students are asked to use the private section of their Personal Health Journal to record any other thoughts about sexual health information sources. The learning from this web quest can be extended by students participating in other webquests that evaluate existing youth sexual health web sites, visit their local Doctor’s office or health clinic or by lobbying for better sexual health education in their school. They can also conclude this webquest by organizing a mini-awareness campaign in their school.