Introduction
"The Jenna Six" refers to six black teenagers who were convicted in the 2006 severe beating of a white student in Jenna, Louisiana. A series of racially charged incidents preceded the attack, which took place at a local high school. When the six young men were charged with attempted murder, many supporters in the African American community felt that the charges were excessive and racially discriminatory, leading to massive national protests.
Task
Please create a google document that answers the following questions:
What racially charged incidents led up to the attack?
How did the Superintendent of the Jena school district react to the incidents that led up to the attack?
How did the African American community react to the attack and the subsequent charges? Why did they believe the charges were excessive?
How did the Jena Six story end?
What has the town, and the nation, learned from the Jena Six story?
**Are there other questions that the students think should be added to the task?
Final Task: Create a detailed Venn Diagram that compares and contrasts the town of Jena, the incidents that took place there, and the attitudes of the main characters, with the fictional town of Cutter, Washington, the events of, "Meet Me at the Gates, Marcus James", and the attitudes of the characters in the story. You will present your diagrams to the class before you turn them in.
**Is there a different product that the students wish to present their findings that would still make a connection between real life events and the story? Examples: News Broadcast, Essay, Poster or other artwork, Video, Prezi
Process
You must answer each question on a google doc.
You may find the following websites helpful:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/jena-6/
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/21/us/21cnd-jena.html?_r=0
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/19/us/19jena.html
http://www.democracynow.org/2007/7/10/the_case_of_the_jena_six
http://newsone.com/1485935/jena-6-anniversary/
There are also video news clips of these events-if you watch a video, please use headphones.
Evaluation
The first five questions are a Formative Assessment, and must be answered in complete sentences.
Example:
Question 1: What racially charged incidents led up to the attack?
Answer: The racially charged events leading up to the attacks were
The final product (Venn diagram or other project) is your Summative Assessment, and will measure your understanding of both summary and analysis.
Conclusion
Reflection: What else did you learn from this webquest? Reflect on what happened in Jena, Louisiana. What emotions did learning about this incident bring up for you? Were there parts of the story you found yourself wanting to argue with? Could something like that happen here in Hardwick? Why or why not?
Your response to this question will be part of your Academic Habits Grade