To Kill a Mockingbird WebQuest

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To Kill a Mockingbird WebQuest

• To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the sleepy town
  of Maycomb, Alabama. Maycomb is a fictional
  representation of Harper Lees hometown of
  Monroeville, Alabama. Maycomb writhes in the
  quagmire of prejudice natural to the south in the
  1930s. The Finch family represent a new age of
  thinking not welcome to the majority of Maycombs
  residents including members of their own family.
  Our novel is narrated by Jean Louise Finch, the
  young daughter of Atticus Finch, and provides the
  reader with a childlike view of the complexities
  of racism and the evolution of the south as she,
  her older brother Jem, and friend Dill mature and
  begins to understand the injustices of the world.
  To best understand the lessons of this great
  novel, you must first understand the author,
  times, and the place in which the story is set.

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Task

• Visit the various websites (provided as links)
  to learn the background information before
  starting the novel. Each website will also have
  questions for you to answer, simply to ensure
  that you are finding the important material on
  each site. The WebQuest will give you a good
  feel for the 1930s and a good understanding of
  the historical context of the novel as well
  therefore, you will be much more equipped to
  understand the novel itself and define themes
  associated with this classic work of literature.

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Process

• All questions should be answered thoroughly.
  You have ample time to complete ALL questions, so
  be sure to spend your time wisely. The questions
  will be graded for correctness! Use complete
  sentences, type your responses, and submit via
  email attachment or as a shared Google doc on the
  due date given. Website 7 provides details of a
  poster project to be completed and turned in by
  the given due date.

4
Evaluation

• Questions will be graded for accuracy and
  detail. Website 7 will be graded per the rubric
  posted on the last slide of this document.

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Goals

• After completing this activity, examining the
  historical background of the times and
  information on the author and her work, you
  should be able to
• Identify elements of living during the Great
  Depression
• Identify the sources of prejudice, stereotypes,
  and racism within the 1930s in the Southern U.S.
• Explain why Harper Lee wrote about these topics.

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Website 1 The History of Jim Crow

• http//www.pbs.org/itvs/homecoming/jimcrowpop.html
  
• (Click on the link to access the website.)
• What was Jim Crow?
• Where did the term Jim Crow originate?
• What Supreme Court case upheld segregation, or
  separate but equal?
• What were the consequences of that decision?

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Website 2 Jim Crow Laws

• http//www.ferris.edu/news/jimcrow/what.htm
• Put at least two of these laws into your own
  words.

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Website 3 The Great Depression

• http//www.english.illinois.edu/maps/depression/ov
  erview.htm
• Explain how the Wall Street Crash led to The
  Great Depression.
• Who were the Presidents during the 1930s?
• How many people were unemployed in 1933? What
  did they do?

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Website 4 Sharecroppers

• http//www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.
  jsp?idh-1613
• What were sharecroppers or tenant farmers?
• Especially after the Great Depression, what
  problems did sharecroppers have and leave as a
  legacy?
• What is the difference between cash renters and
  sharecroppers?

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Website 5 Scottsboro Boys

• http//law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/scot
  tsboro/scottsb.htm
• Who were the Scottsboro Boys? How did they get
  into so much trouble?
• Where and when did the Scottsboro Boys original
  trial take place? How do you think this affected
  the outcome of their trial?
• What does the NAACP acronym stand for? Why did
  the NAACP decide not to help the Scottsboro Boys?
• The Communist Party came to the aid of the
  Scottsboro Boys. How did the South perceive the
  Communist Party, and how was it similar to the
  perception of blacks? What was the Communist
  Partys hidden agenda in providing aide to the
  Scottsboro Boys?
• The Scottsboro Boys were not provided with
  adequate defense lawyers. Please list at least
  three ways in which the defense lawyers were
  inadequate.
• Describe the trials. Were they fair or unfair?
  Please include at least three supporting facts to
  back up your opinion.
• Were the Scottsboro Boys ever pardoned of their
  convictions?
• The Scottsboro Boys trial took place during the
  childhood of Harper Lee. Make a prediction about
  how this trial might have an important affect on
  the novel.

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Website 6 Harper Lee

• http//neabigread.org/books/mockingbird/mockingbir
  d04.php
• http//www.biography.com/people/harper-lee-9377021
  
• When and where was Harper Lee born? What was her
  family like?
• Who was her childhood best friend?
• What did she study in college? Did she
  participate in any extra-curricular activities?
  Why might this be important to consider while
  reading To Kill a Mockingbird?
• How did her decision to move to New York make To
  Kill a Mockingbird a reality?
• What year was To Kill a Mockingbird published?
  When was it made into a movie?
• Was Harper Lee honored in any way following the
  publication of To Kill a Mockingbird?
• Harper Lees real life influenced many of the
  characters and events in To Kill a Mockingbird.
  Given what you have learned about her life make a
  prediction about what kind of issues might
  surface in the book. Do you think you knowledge
  about Harper Lee will influence your reading
  this book? Should it influence your reading of
  To Kill a Mockingbird? Why or why not?

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Website 7 Poster Project

• Using Google Images or similar image search
  program, find pictures that you feel depicts what
  you have learned about the South, the Great
  Depression, the Scottsboro Boys, Harper Lee, and
  any predicted events of the novel. Create a
  poster that displays your pictures with at least
  two facts from each of the websites used during
  this assignment. Your project should be
  decorated in a way that reflects the setting of
  the novel.

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Grading Rubric for Poster
Making A Poster TKM WebQuest Poster Project Making A Poster TKM WebQuest Poster Project Making A Poster TKM WebQuest Poster Project Making A Poster TKM WebQuest Poster Project Making A Poster TKM WebQuest Poster Project

         

Teacher Name Jenny Clough Teacher Name Jenny Clough


Student Name     ________________________________________ Student Name     ________________________________________ Student Name     ________________________________________ Student Name     ________________________________________

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1
Content - Accuracy At least 12 accurate facts are displayed on the poster. 10-11 accurate facts are displayed on the poster. 8-9 accurate facts are displayed on the poster. Less than 6 accurate facts are displayed on the poster.
Attractiveness The poster is exceptionally attractive in terms of design, layout, and neatness. The poster is attractive in terms of design, layout and neatness. The poster is acceptably attractive though it may be a bit messy. The poster is distractingly messy or very poorly designed. It is not attractive.
Graphics - Originality Several of the graphics used on the poster reflect a exceptional degree of student creativity in their creation and/or display. One or two of the graphics used on the poster reflect student creativity in their creation and/or display. The graphics are made by the student, but are based on the designs or ideas of others. No graphics made by the student are included.