Introduction
Frankenstein is a novel written by the English Author, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.
The story is about a young science student, Victor Frankenstein, who creates a monstrous, yet sentient creature in an unethical scientific experiment.
Shelley began writing the story at only eighteen years of age, and the novel was published when she was twenty.
The first edition of the novel was published anonymously in London in 1818. The second edition, published in 1823, listed Shelley's name.
The purpose of this WebQuest is for students to research the personal background of Mary Shelley's life to gain a better understanding of her development and reasoning of the Frankenstein story.
Task
In order to gain a better understanding of Frankenstein, it is important to have background knowledge about the life of the author. Students will research and record information about the life of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. This WebQuest is designed so that studnets can explore biographical information about Shelley, and ultimately create a timeline of her life. Students will record both personal and literary aspects of Shelley's life in their timeline.
The timeline that students will be creating will be on a "timeline sheet" that will be provided by the teacher. Students are required to document at least 6 major events in Shelley's life. (But encouraged to do 10+)
Process
Individually, students will research biographical information about the life of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Each student will be responsible for recording the information they find in their class journal, and then transferring it onto the "timeline sheet" they have been provided with.
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Links to websites:
About The Author: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Poetry Foundation: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Encyclopedia of World Biography: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Victorian Web: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Encyclopedia: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
BBC: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: Science, Science Fiction, or Autobiography?
Brandeis Biography: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Frankenstein as Mary Shelley's Autobiography
CBC Books: 10 Facts about Frankenstein author Mary Shelley
Evaluation
| 1 | 2 | 3 | Score | |
|
Number of Items on Timeline |
0-1 Items on Timeline | 6 Items on Timeline | 7+ Items on Timeline | |
| Relevance of Content | Content is irrelevant for understanding the story | Content is somewhat relevant for understanding the story | Content is very relevant for understanding the story | |
| Sources Used | 0-1 Sources Cited | 2-3 Sources Cited | 4+ Sources Cited | |
| Grammar/Organizational Skills | More than 3 grammatical errors; very disorganized | 1-2 grammatical errors; somewhat organized | 0 grammatical errors; very organized |
Conclusion
In conclusion, when students finish creating their timelines, they will share in groups of 3-4. Once all groups have discussed their timelines, one student from each group will present to the class the top 3 events in Mary Shelley's life, and provide reasoning as to why they are the most important, and how they influenced her writing of Frankenstein.
Credits
Author Biography:
Miss. Pressley
I am a Secondary English Education major at Anderson University.
This WebQuest was created here.