International AIDS Awareness Day on December 1st:
Webquest Activity for ESL and EFL

Originally developed for an ESOL Computers and Language Learning Course,
Fall 1995 with Leslie Opp-Beckman from the American English Institute at the University of Oregon.

 

Overview

This is a self-paced "webquest" activity. It is an example of how to use the Internet to support health and literacy curriculum, and how to approach sensitive subjects through an emotional or personal approach. Work by yourself or with a friend or classmate. Click on any of the links below that interest you. Do the tasks and then answer the questions. Note that there is a list of additional informational resources at the bottom of this page.

 

Webquest Choices

Quizzes
1) Informational Quiz #1 from Internet TESL Journal.
2) HIV Quizzes from AVERT, with different subjects and different levels of difficulty.
3) HIV/AIDS Quiz from iVillage.
Task: Try one or more of the quizzes.
Question: How did you do on the quiz(zes)? What kind of additional information about HIV and AIDS would you like to know? Continue with this activity to see if you can get more answers!

AIDS LifeCycle from the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.
Task: Take the tour that explains and shows with images how the HIV virus causes AIDS.
Question: What did the site also say about ways in which scientists are working to stop the virus? (Hint: See Stage 2.)

UNAIDS
Task: This web site lists AIDS statistics by country. Choose two or more places of interest to you.
Question: Compare the places that you chose. How are they similar? Different?

HIV Glossary from the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Task: Not sure about a word you've heard? Look it up in this special dictionary.
Question: Does this seem like a glossary for medical people, or for "every day" people? What information was helpful, and what was not?

UNICEF
Task: Choose "Interactive game: What would you do?"
Question: What were your results the first time you played? Go back again and try for a different result. What choices caused what kinds of results?

The Immune System and AIDS Crossword Puzzle
Task: Guess the answers in the puzzle. If you need help with vocabulary, try the free online dictionaries at iTools or Bartleby.
Question: What words did you already know? What new words did you learn?

Global HIV/AIDS Timeline, 1981-2005, from Kaiser Family Foundation.
Task: Pick a date that has personal importance to you, some time between the years 1981-2005. It could be a year you graduated, celebrated a birth, made a special trip, etc. Check that date on the timeline on this page.
Question: What was happening with HIV-AIDS in that year? What happened in the year(s) prior to that? Afterwards?

HIV and AIDS Webcasts from Healthology.
Task: Choose one or more webcasts to listen to and/or watch. Note that you can read the transcript at the same time if you like. (Your computer should have RealPlayer installed in order to receive the webcast. RealPlayer is available for free from Real.)
Question: Who delivered the information in the webcast(s)? How does this form of delivery (voices, video) differ from traditional text? Which do you prefer (how do you learn best), and why?

Daily HIV News Update from the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
Task: Choose an article on AIDS and prepare a short summary.
Question: What questions would you like to ask the author of this article? How could you find the answers?

It's Up to Us, An HIV-AIDS Curriculum for ESL Students
Task: Choose one of the five lessons or one of the supplementary exercises that interest you.
Question: Was this old or new information for you? Can you think of someone else who should know about this? If yes, email him or her the information from this site.

Making a Difference
Question: What can you do to help inform people about HIV and to reduce its spread in the world?
Task: Send an e-postcard from one of the following sites:
1) The Body
2) Red Cross Red Crescent

Expressing Yourself
Question: Do you know anyone who has been directly or indirectly affected by HIV-AIDS? What feelings or opinions does this topic bring to mind for you personally?
Task: Choose from the four forms below and write a poem about someone or something that you associate with HIV-AIDS.
Cinquaine Five-line poems that are very easy to write.
Diamante Diamond-shaped poems - real gems! Seven lines in all.
Haiku A short, three-line poem (originally from Japanese) with the form: 5,7,5 syllables.
Renga A poem written by three people together.

 

More HIV-AIDS Resources

The resources listed below are large directories or "portals" with additional articles, information, reports, research and statistics.


http://www.uoregon.edu/~leslieob/CALL9.html
Leslie Opp-Beckman, Technology Coordinator and Senior Instructor
Email: leslieob@uoregon.edu
5212 University of Oregon, American English Institute
Eugene, Oregon 97403-5212 USA
© Copyright L. Opp-Beckman, 1995-2005. Last updated: 21 November 2005.