Start with the Skills
Prior to a thematic unit or novel study, many teachers prefer webquests to build background over lecture. By providing students with links and questions, students are able to pace themselves and explore resources instead of being passive participants during lecture. However, with the increase of rigor and what feels like not enough hours in the day! Webquests must then serve two functions at the same time: prepare for the coming unit while building skills. 
Evaluate what skills I like to have my skills for the grading period written out. If there is a poetry standard, I know I’ll try to find a poem or song. Vocabulary and dictionary skills also tend to be TEKS for each grading period. I also try to use technology skills. Using the review feature in work for students to annotate the song “Imagine” for my Utopia/Dystopia webquest or using turnitin.com’s discussion board features or the synonyms feature of Word.
Search for Varied Genres and Sources
When creating a Webquest, I want to take advantage of the media sources on the internet both audio and visual so I like to include things like YouTube/TeacherTube videos, a poem on Poets.org with an audio recording of the poet reading his work, and PBS LearningMedia pictures and videos. I also think that a Webquest opportunity is wasted if students are not participating in an interactive or Web 2.0 activities. To me, if a Webquest could be completed with library books, what is the point? PBS has some great resources like putting students in the shoes of a African-American man trying to vote during Jim Crow, or analyzing how advertising tries to trick the viewer, or learning about Edgar Allen Poe by investigating his death or interacting with his texts or exploring the nature of self-segregation with the Parable of the Polygons (my personal favorite!!!!) .Web 2.0!
Taking a couple days in the computer lab just to have students write answers on a Word document is a crying shame of the plethora of easy Web 2.0. Students can use the snipping tool to grab evidence. Some easy Web 2.0 to use:- Read, Write, Think: Student Interactive
- Message boards and collaborative groups like Edmodo, Titan Pad, or Google Slides
- Make Beliefs Comix
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