Introduction
Welcome to your To Kill a Mockingbird webquest!
The purpose of this webquest is to build background knowledge before reading so you gain greater understanding of it. The information you research will help you learn about...
- the author, Harper Lee
- the Scottsboro Boys' Trial
- Jim Crow Laws
Task
The goal of this webquest is for your group to become experts on different topics that relate to To Kill a Mockingbird. On the next page, the Process page, find the topic your group or pair has chosen. Follow the directions, and answer the questions completely because you will be sharing your knowledge with the class. While other groups share information, it is your responsibility to take notes and ask questions if you need to. If you have extra time after you finish researching, check out the section at the bottom of the Process page called Extra Stuff.
On the Evaluation page, you will find the rubric for completing your webquest. This activity will be graded out of ten points, on how well you research your topic, and your notes from the other topics. This webquest is worth a quiz grade.
Process
Group A: About the Author
You will be researching about the author, Harper Lee. Her life growing up in the deep south during this time heavily influenced her writing.
- Choose someone to take notes down. This person will also be writing the important information on the grid on the whiteboard once you are finished.
- Read through the articles by following the links below.
- Answer the questions completely to prepare your group for sharing.
http://www.biography.com/people/harper-lee-9377021#synopsis
http://www.gradesaver.com/author/harper-lee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N3_wsjW7AY
Questions:
When was Lee born and where did she grow up?
Who was Lee's childhood friend (and fellow future writer)? Write 3-5 sentences explaining their friendship.
What famous trial happened when Lee was five-years-old?
What is the only other book that Lee wrote? Is it a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird? Explain.
Make a prediction about something from the book (characters, events, setting, etc) that could be based on Lee's life.
Group B: The Scottsboro Boys
You will be researching about the Scottsboro Boys' trial. This event occurred when nine black men were wrongfully accused of raping two white women on a train.
- Choose someone to write. This person will also be writing the important information on the grid on the whiteboard once you are finished.
- Read through the articles by following the links below.
- Answer the questions completely to prepare your group for sharing.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_scotts.html
http://www.scottsboro-boys.org/history.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWbq639bsYc
Questions:
What year did this happen? How old were the boys involved?
Describe the train incident that led to the boys getting arressted. Why were they riding the train?
Why did the women lie about being raped?
Where was the trial held? Who made up the jury?
What was the outcome of the trial? In other words, what were the sentences?
Was the Supreme Court successful in helping the boys?
Group C: Jim Crow Laws
Your group will be researching Jim Crow Laws. These laws had a significant impact on the lives of blacks and whites after the Civil War, and focused on segregation.
- Choose someone to take notes. This person will also be writing important information on the grid on the whiteboard.
- Read the articles by following the links below.
- Answer the questions completely to prepare your group for sharing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Crow_laws
http://www.nps.gov/malu/learn/education/jim_crow_laws.htm
http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/traveling/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChWXyeUTKg8
Questions:
Who was "Jim Crow"?
How long were these laws enforced (specific years)? Were they state or federal laws?
What did the Jim Crow laws mandate (officially order to do something)?
What was the famous court case in 1896? What was the verdict?
What group was formed during this time, because of segregation?
What are some examples of the segregation laws?
Extra Stuff: For when you're completely done your research.
Quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird
http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3275794-to-kill-a-mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird on Pinterest
https://www.pinterest.com/sec_solutions/teaching-to-kill-a-mockingbird/
Music from the time. Do any sound familiar?
Billie Holiday-- "Strange Fruit"
- What is the "strange fruit"?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ZyuULy9zs
Rosemary Clooney and Duke Ellington--"It Don't Mean a Thing"
- Can you guess Rosemary's famous nephew?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAL41jdMvQM
Lady GaGa and Tony Bennet--"It Don't Mean a Thing" Cover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkY05ZFwZlc
Louis Armstrong--"What a Wonderful World"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2VCwBzGdPM
If you still have time left over, try
- finding pictures that relate to the different topics
- searching covers or remixes of the songs above
- researching the other topics
Evaluation
This is the rubric I will use to assess the webquest notes you hand in.
| Score |
Independent Research |
Notes on Other Topics | Comments |
| 5 points | All the follow up questions were answered completely. | Appropriate notes were taken on each of the other research topics. | |
| 3 points | One or two follow up questions were missed in the research, but the rest are answered completely. | Notes were taken from each of the other research topics, but important pieces information may be missing. | |
| 1 point | Less than half of the follow up questions are answered, or answers are incomplete. | Little to no notes taken from other research topics. |