Introduction
Imagine the year is 1817, and as the 9 year old child of a plantation owner, your father has just announced his plans to move your entire family several hundred miles away. The Industrial Revolution is booming in Europe and New England and textile manufacturing is the number one industry. There is an increased demand for cotton which is driving up cotton prices. Your father wants to cash in on this good fortune. But where is this mysterious place with all of the fertile land? Can you solve the mystery?
Task
Task One: Visit each Primary source, read each article, and watch the video.
Task Two: Answer the questions to discover the name of the state where your new home will be located.
Task Three: Add one interesting feature from each source to your graphic organizer to use when writing your informative paragraph describing interesting features which may have influenced the decisions of early settlers to move to Alabama during the early nineteenth century.
Task Four: Write an informative paragraph using 5 interesting features, gathered during your web quest, describing Alabama which may have influenced the decisions of early settlers to move to Alabama during the early nineteenth century.
Process
The primary sources, articles, and videos are listed below. With your group, click on each source, read the source or watch the video with your group, and look for answers to the questions in each source to discover the name of the state your family will move. Also, find at least one interesting feature about the state from each source to add to the graphic organizer to use as you write the description of the state.
Primary Sources:
Letter to Messrs. Richards and Simmons
Articles:
Territorial Period and Early Statehood
Videos:
St. Stephens, Alabama's Territorial Capital
Mystery Move
Directions: Answer the questions and find at least one interesting feature about the state from each primary source and article you read.
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Question/Answer |
feature about the state found in each primary source, article, & video |
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1. The town and/or county the letter’s author lives. 2. How does the author describe the land in the new area where he has moved? 3. How expensive is the land to purchase? |
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4. How does the letter's author describe the lands in the area? 5. What is the main agricultural crop the author refers to several times in the letter? 6. What does the author mean when he says "We anticipate a great demand for Domestics this fall"? |
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7. What is the name of the road that cut through Indian frontier land and was originally meant to be a postal road. |
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8. A global demand for cotton was stimulated by new industrial ? 9. An expression referred to the frenzy to establish land claims on the area formerly known as West Florida or East Mississippi. |
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10. The name of the territory's first governor? |
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11. The date this territory became a state. |
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What is the name of the state where your new home will be located? |
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Evaluation
You will be evaluated based on completion of the graphic organizer and using the rubric to evaluate the paragraph about your state.
Mystery Move Writing Rubric
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Criteria |
4 Displays Evidence Beyond |
3 Consistent Evidence |
2 Some Evidence |
1 Little/No Evidence |
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Ideas |
Informative with clear focus and 5 supporting details (features about Alabama). |
Informative with clear focus and 3 supporting details (features about Alabama) |
Focus needs to be expanded and only one supporting detail (feature about Alabama) |
Topic needs to be developed/no supporting details (features about Alabama) |
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Organization |
Very well organized; easy to read |
Has a beginning, middle and end |
Little organization; needs transitions |
Organization is needed |
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Word Choice |
Nouns and verbs make paragraph informative |
Use of nouns and verbs |
Needs specific nouns and verbs; too general |
Little to no use of specific nouns and verbs |
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Sentence Fluency |
Sentences flow throughout piece |
Sentences mostly flow |
Sentences need to flow |
Sentences are difficult to read and do not flow |
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Conventions |
Zero errors |
Few errors (0ne to three) |
Several errors (four or more) |
Many errors make it hard to read |
Total Score: _____________________________
Conclusion
Write an informative paragraph describing features of Alabama that might have influenced early settlers' decisions to settle in Alabama in the early nineteenth century.
Credits
Primary Sources:
Letter to Messrs. Richards and Simmons in Cumberland, Rhode Island, from Messrs. Mason and Dexter in Cahaba, Alabama from: The Alabama Department of Archives and History - http://digital.archives.alabama.gov/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/1954
Letter from Joseph Noble in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama to Samuel B. Bidgood in Jackson, Alabama from: The Alabama Department of Archives and History - http://digital.archives.alabama.gov/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/1953
Articles:
Keith, LeAnna. "Alabama Fever." Encyclopedia of Alabama. Auburn University Outreach, 14 Oct. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2016. <http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3155>. …;
Hagood, Thomas Chase. "Territorial Period and Early Statehood." Encyclopedia of Alabama. Auburn University Outreach, 8 May 2008. Web. 13 Nov. 2016. <http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1548>. …;
Harrell, Kevin. "Federal Road in Alabama." Encyclopedia of Alabama. Auburn University Outreach, 22 Dec. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2016. <http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2999>. …;
Videos:
St. Stephens Alabama's Territorial Capital. University of Alabama Center for Public Television, n.d. http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/m-4239