webquest
The main purpose of this webquest is to help you understand more about the author and setting of this book at the start of the novel in order to achieve greater understanding. The information in this webquest provides you with essential information about the social climate in the South during the 1930s, American history leading up to the social climate in the South, and author Harper Lee's background and motivation for writing To Kill A Mockingbird.
Prior knowledge is an absolutely essential component of a reader's comprehension. Although the 1930s weren't all that long ago, many students might not know or understand a whole lot about that time period. By providing you with background knowledge, you will be able to better understand character motivation and action, author point of view, and To Kill A Mockingbird's important message.
Another essential component of comprehension is prediction. The last question in every task asks the you to make a prediction about To Kill A Mockingbird based on what you learned from the task. By making a prediction before reading the book, you will have already connected with the literature and therefore make a stronger connection while reading.
This webquest will be finished in the classroom. Each group will meet together to discuss what was learned in the particular task. Then, the class will do a jigsaw activity in order for everyone to learn a little bit about each area covered in this webquest. By participating in the jigsaw activity in the classroom, you will become a teacher and a learner. This means that every student is accountable to their classmates for having the information on his/her particular task so everyone can learn.
Prior knowledge is an absolutely essential component of a reader's comprehension. Although the 1930s weren't all that long ago, many students might not know or understand a whole lot about that time period. By providing you with background knowledge, you will be able to better understand character motivation and action, author point of view, and To Kill A Mockingbird's important message.
Another essential component of comprehension is prediction. The last question in every task asks the you to make a prediction about To Kill A Mockingbird based on what you learned from the task. By making a prediction before reading the book, you will have already connected with the literature and therefore make a stronger connection while reading.
This webquest will be finished in the classroom. Each group will meet together to discuss what was learned in the particular task. Then, the class will do a jigsaw activity in order for everyone to learn a little bit about each area covered in this webquest. By participating in the jigsaw activity in the classroom, you will become a teacher and a learner. This means that every student is accountable to their classmates for having the information on his/her particular task so everyone can learn.
assignment
Step 1: Read your group responsibilities and research questions.
Step 2: Visit your linked websites and read through each carefully, purposefully looking for answers to your questions.
Step 3: Write down the direct answers or inferred answers on your lined sheet of paper. Be sure to numerically label which question the answer goes to.
Step 4: Design a PowerPoint presentation. (COLORS/IMAGES)
Step 2: Visit your linked websites and read through each carefully, purposefully looking for answers to your questions.
Step 3: Write down the direct answers or inferred answers on your lined sheet of paper. Be sure to numerically label which question the answer goes to.
Step 4: Design a PowerPoint presentation. (COLORS/IMAGES)
- The presentation must be between five to ten slides long.
- The slides should not be a full page of text, but rather short sentences, phrases, and images to represent the main topic for that page.
- Other classmates will be taking notes on the most important points that you gained during your research.
- Underline or otherwise indicate information that classmates should take notes on.
- Your electronic presentation will be graded on: Neatness and aesthetics, clarity of information, evidence of thorough research and a deep understanding of the topic
Group 1: about the author
Your job is to become an expert about Harper Lee. Click on this link and this link to read her biography. You will need to read both links to answer the questions.When you are finished, answer the questions provided to you. Be sure to read carefully because you will be teaching your classmates everything you know about her.
QUESTIONS
1. When and where was Harper Lee born? What was her family like?
2. Who was her childhood best friend?
3. What did she study in college? Did she participate in any extra-curricular activities? Why might this be important to consider while readingTo Kill A Mockingbird?
4. What year was To Kill A Mockingbird published? When was it adapted to screen?
5. Was Harper Lee honored in any way following the publication of To Kill A Mockingbird?
6. Harper Lee's real life influenced many of the characters and events in To Kill A Mockingbird. Given what have you learned about her life (including personality traits, friends, family, experiences) make a prediction about what kinds of issues might surface in the book. Do you think that your knowledge about Harper Lee will influence your reading of the book? Should it influence your reading of the book? Why or why not?
QUESTIONS
1. When and where was Harper Lee born? What was her family like?
2. Who was her childhood best friend?
3. What did she study in college? Did she participate in any extra-curricular activities? Why might this be important to consider while readingTo Kill A Mockingbird?
4. What year was To Kill A Mockingbird published? When was it adapted to screen?
5. Was Harper Lee honored in any way following the publication of To Kill A Mockingbird?
6. Harper Lee's real life influenced many of the characters and events in To Kill A Mockingbird. Given what have you learned about her life (including personality traits, friends, family, experiences) make a prediction about what kinds of issues might surface in the book. Do you think that your knowledge about Harper Lee will influence your reading of the book? Should it influence your reading of the book? Why or why not?
group 2: Brown V. Board of education
Your job is to become an expert on the the legal case Brown V. Board of Education. Click this link, this link, this link, this link , and this link to start learning about the case. When you finish reading, answer the questions below. Be sure to read carefully because you will be teaching your classmates everything you know about Brown v. Board of Education.
QUESTIONS
1. Briefly describe who the two groups are opposing each other in this legal case.
2. What was the main issue being argued in the case? Describe it in detail.
3. What was the final decision made in this case? How was the court's decision enacted?
4. How did the public respond to the court's decision?
5. How did this case change the previous historical pattern of education in America?
6. What were some daily changes that black and white American citizens experienced in the country after Brown v. Board of Education was passed?
QUESTIONS
1. Briefly describe who the two groups are opposing each other in this legal case.
2. What was the main issue being argued in the case? Describe it in detail.
3. What was the final decision made in this case? How was the court's decision enacted?
4. How did the public respond to the court's decision?
5. How did this case change the previous historical pattern of education in America?
6. What were some daily changes that black and white American citizens experienced in the country after Brown v. Board of Education was passed?
group 3: jim crow laws
Your job is to become an expert about the history of Jim Crow laws in America. Click on this link, this link and this link to read about them. When you are finished, answer the questions provided to you. Be sure to read carefully because you will be teaching your classmates everything you know about Jim Crow Laws.
QUESTIONS
1. Where did the term "Jim Crow" come from? List 3 ways the origin of this term is offensive.
2. How did the term "Jim Crow" become synonymous with the segregation laws in the South?
3. What ended Reconstruction in the South, and what effect did that have on southern blacks?
4. Legally, African-Americans had the right to vote. How was their right to suffrage compromised? Please list 3 ways whites made it nearly impossible for blacks to vote.
5. How did the Plessy v. Ferguson case (1896) uphold Jim Crow laws? What effect did this case have on the lives (transportation, education, social implications, etc) of southern blacks?
6. Who was W.E.B. DuBois? Where did he live? What did he believe was the best way for southern African-Americans to survive in the South?
7. How did many southern blacks escape the South? Where did they go? What was this movement called?
QUESTIONS
1. Where did the term "Jim Crow" come from? List 3 ways the origin of this term is offensive.
2. How did the term "Jim Crow" become synonymous with the segregation laws in the South?
3. What ended Reconstruction in the South, and what effect did that have on southern blacks?
4. Legally, African-Americans had the right to vote. How was their right to suffrage compromised? Please list 3 ways whites made it nearly impossible for blacks to vote.
5. How did the Plessy v. Ferguson case (1896) uphold Jim Crow laws? What effect did this case have on the lives (transportation, education, social implications, etc) of southern blacks?
6. Who was W.E.B. DuBois? Where did he live? What did he believe was the best way for southern African-Americans to survive in the South?
7. How did many southern blacks escape the South? Where did they go? What was this movement called?
Group 4: the great depression
Your job is to become an expert on the Great Depression. Click on this link and this link, and then answer the questions below. Be sure to read carefully because you will be teaching your classmates everything you know about the Great Depression.
QUESTIONS
1. What is "Black Tuesday" and why does it mark the beginning of the Great Depression?
2. Many people believe that WWII marked the end of the Great Depression. How did the war affect the economy?
3. What president was inaugurated in 1933? What were some of the changes made by this administration?
4. What was the New Deal? How did the New Deal affect American citizens?
5. What was the Dust Bowl?
6. How did the Dust Bowl affect the Southern Plains?
7. What affect did the Dust Bowl have on agriculture? How would this affect farmers and their employers?
8. Given what you learned about the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, make a prediction about what you think the setting of To Kill A Mockingbird will look like. What will the houses look like? What will the characters be wearing? How will the characters act towards each other? How will Scout's classmates act toward Scout knowing that her father is a lawyer?
QUESTIONS
1. What is "Black Tuesday" and why does it mark the beginning of the Great Depression?
2. Many people believe that WWII marked the end of the Great Depression. How did the war affect the economy?
3. What president was inaugurated in 1933? What were some of the changes made by this administration?
4. What was the New Deal? How did the New Deal affect American citizens?
5. What was the Dust Bowl?
6. How did the Dust Bowl affect the Southern Plains?
7. What affect did the Dust Bowl have on agriculture? How would this affect farmers and their employers?
8. Given what you learned about the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, make a prediction about what you think the setting of To Kill A Mockingbird will look like. What will the houses look like? What will the characters be wearing? How will the characters act towards each other? How will Scout's classmates act toward Scout knowing that her father is a lawyer?
group 5: growing up black/white in the 1930s
Your job is to become an expert on what it was like to group up white and black in the South in the 1930s. Click on this link and this link, then answer the questions below. Be sure to read carefully because you will be teaching your classmates everything you know about what it was like to be white/black in the South.
"Growing up black in the 1930s"
Ideas to THINK about while reading:
"Growing up White in the 1930s"
Ideas to THINK about while reading:
QUESTIONS
1. Compare the three ladies' backgrounds from "Growing up White in the 1930s." How do their backgrounds differ from Mrs. Barge's background from "Growing up Black in the 1930s"?
2. The ladies in "Growing up White in the 1930s" talk about what made a "good family" in the South. What do they say makes a "good family"? How do you think Mrs. Barge would describe a "good family"? Compare and contrast the three ladies' families to Mrs. Barges family, explain the similarities and differences. Based on your explanation, would Mrs. Barge's family be considered a "good family"? Why or why not?
3. List the occupations available to black women in the South in the 1930s according to Mrs. Barge's interview. How did these occupations influence Mrs. Barge's perception of white people? How did these occupations influence the perception of black people according to the three ladies' accounts from "Growing up White in the 1930s"?
4. Mrs. Barge ends her interview on a positive note by saying "you shouldn't put people into categories." Make a prediction based on these interviews about how Calpurnia might feel about the Finches. Why?
"Growing up black in the 1930s"
Ideas to THINK about while reading:
- What does Mrs. Barge know about her ancestry? How does she talk about her family?
- What were her and her family's living conditions like?
- When was the first time she noticed a difference between the lives of black people and the lives of white people? From Mrs. Barge's account, what do you think is the most astounding difference?
- What was school like for Mrs. Barge?
- What kind of jobs were available to black people in the South?
- Were black people allowed to vote?
- Mrs. Barge clearly has a different opinion of white people than her father does. What does she say that proves this? How does her perception of white people differ from her father's? Why do you think that is?
"Growing up White in the 1930s"
Ideas to THINK about while reading:
- What do these three ladies have in common about their ancestry? How do they talk about their families?
- What were the three ladies living conditions like?
- What were these ladies' first experiences with black people?
- Did these white ladies ever play with their black peers?
QUESTIONS
1. Compare the three ladies' backgrounds from "Growing up White in the 1930s." How do their backgrounds differ from Mrs. Barge's background from "Growing up Black in the 1930s"?
2. The ladies in "Growing up White in the 1930s" talk about what made a "good family" in the South. What do they say makes a "good family"? How do you think Mrs. Barge would describe a "good family"? Compare and contrast the three ladies' families to Mrs. Barges family, explain the similarities and differences. Based on your explanation, would Mrs. Barge's family be considered a "good family"? Why or why not?
3. List the occupations available to black women in the South in the 1930s according to Mrs. Barge's interview. How did these occupations influence Mrs. Barge's perception of white people? How did these occupations influence the perception of black people according to the three ladies' accounts from "Growing up White in the 1930s"?
4. Mrs. Barge ends her interview on a positive note by saying "you shouldn't put people into categories." Make a prediction based on these interviews about how Calpurnia might feel about the Finches. Why?
Group 6: The Civil rights Movement
Your job is to become an expert on the general ideological foundations, people, and events of the American civil rights movement. Click on this link, this link and this link, then answer the questions below. Be sure to read carefully because you will be teaching your classmates everything you learn about the civil rights movement.
Questions
1. What were the general ideologies/beliefs behind the civil rights movement? What did participants in the movement hope to gain as a result of their efforts?
2. What is a general timeline of major events during the movement? Especially consider when the movement began.
3. Who were some of the most famous, effective, or avant-garde participants in the movement?
4. How did the civil rights movement participants brought awareness to their cause?
5. How did the movement affect the daily life of both black and white American citizens in the 1960s?
Questions
1. What were the general ideologies/beliefs behind the civil rights movement? What did participants in the movement hope to gain as a result of their efforts?
2. What is a general timeline of major events during the movement? Especially consider when the movement began.
3. Who were some of the most famous, effective, or avant-garde participants in the movement?
4. How did the civil rights movement participants brought awareness to their cause?
5. How did the movement affect the daily life of both black and white American citizens in the 1960s?