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In these activities you will:

• Develop a list of criteria for what makes a good website.

• Find and record information about the Shinto religion. Use the following questions as a guide.
  • In what country do people practice Shinto?
  • When did Shinto begin?
  • What kinds of beliefs are held by its followers?
  • What festivals are celebrated in the Shinto religion?
  • What do Shinto priests wear?
  • Where was the geographical centre of Shinto in ancient times?

• Decide which were the best websites you found and why.

• Present your information in a framework for a website.

1 Before You Start

In this task you will develop:

• a list of key words to use in your Internet search about the important aspects of the Shinto religion; and
• a list of criteria for determining the usefulness of the information you find.

What To Do

1. Discuss as a class what makes a website good and what makes it not so good. Develop a list of criteria for choosing the best website later on in this activity.

2. Working in groups, refer to the questions about Shinto religion above and compile a list of key words and short phrases that relate to the topic. This list will be used to search for information on the Internet.

2 Searching for Information on the Internet about the Shinto Religion

In this task you will use your key words and phrases to search for information on the Internet using a search engine.

What To Do

1. Set up a table in your notebook with the following headings.

   Word or phrases

   Information

   In the first column write down the search words or phrases you think will locate the most useful sites for answering your questions about Shinto. Under the second heading record information you find in your search.

2. Choose a search engine from the list provided by your teacher.

3. Conduct searches using the list of key words and phrases you developed. Use lower case letters in your query. Examine only the first ten results for each word or phrase.

4. Use the criteria for choosing a good website to judge the usefulness of each website. Bookmark or record the URL (website address) of good websites you find. You may want to set up a table in your notebook, using the following headings as a guide.

   Website name

   URL

   Comment

3 Designing a Website on Shinto Religion

In this activity you will use the criteria for good website design to assist you in designing your own website on the Shinto religion. Make sure you answer the questions raised at the beginning of this activity sheet.

What To Do

1. Choose the best website, using the criteria developed by the class to make your decision. Award points for each good feature and list the best features of your chosen website.

2. List the unsatisfactory features of your chosen website and think about how they could be improved.

3. Design a website to present the information you have researched about Shinto. Use your list of good website design features to help you design your site. Consider the graphics you might use as well as written information.