Introduction
Welcome to my To Kill A Mockingbird webquest! The main purpose of this webquest is to help students understand more about the author and setting of this book before starting to read in order to achieve greater understanding. The information in this webquest provides students with essential information about the social climate in the South during the 1930s, American history leading up to the social climate in the South, and Harper Lee's background and motivation for writing To Kill A Mockingbird.
Prior knowledge is an absolutely essential component of a reader's comprehension. Although the 1930s weren't all that long ago, many students may not know or understand a whole lot about that time period. By providing students with background knowledge, they will be able to better understand character motivation and action, author point of view, and To Kill A Mockingbird's important message.
Another essential component of comprehension is prediction. The last question in every task asks the student to make a prediction about To Kill A Mockingbird based on what he/she learned from the task. By making a prediction before reading the book, the student will have already connected with the literature and therefore the student will make a stronger connection while reading.
This webquest will be finished in the classroom. Each group will meet together to discuss what was learned in the particular task. Then, the class will jigsaw in order for everyone to learn a little bit about each area covered in this webquest. By participating in the jigsaw activity in the classroom, each student will become a teacher and a learner. This means that every student is accountable to their classmates for having the information on his/her particular task so everyone can learn.
Task
The goal of this webquest is to have students become experts on a certain topic that relates to To Kill A Mockingbird. The topics are: About the Author, The Scottsboro Boys, Jim Crow Laws, Growing up White/Black in the South, and The Great Depression. Each student will learn all about one of these areas by reading through the websites provided, answering questions, and by doing a jigsaw activity back in the classroom. This can be divided up into separate days; one or two days in the computer lab, and one or tow days in the classroom depending on class size and availability to computers.
1. Give each student a number 1-5. This number corresponds to the group the student is in. Each group covers an area to be investigated. Group 1: About the Author, Group 2: The Scottsboro Boys, Group 3: Jim Crow Laws, Group 4: Growing up White/Black in the South, Group 5: The Great Depression.
2. Students will click on their group number and independently read through the websites and answer the questions provided. If a student finishes early, he/she may click on the "Fun Stuff" link to learn more about To Kill A Mockingbird.
3. In the classroom, each group will get together to discuss what was learned from the websites and answering the questions.
4. After the groups meet, students will jigsaw their information. This means that new groups will be formed that have one student from Group 1, one student from Group 2, one student from Group 3, one student from Group 4, and one student from Group 5. Each student will teach their new groups about their topic of expertise.
Process
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Group 1 About the Author |
Your job is to become an expert about Harper Lee. Click on the links below to read her biography. You will need to read both links to answer the questions.When you are finished, answer the questions provided to you. Be sure to read carefully because you will be teaching your classmates everything you know about her. Questions: 1. When and where was Harper Lee born? What was her family like? 2. Who was her childhood best friend? 3. 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? 4. How did her decision to move to New York make To Kill A Mockingbird a reality? 5. What year was To Kill A Mockingbird published? When was it adapted to screen? 6. Was Harper Lee honored in any way following the publication of To Kill A Mockingbird? 7. Harper Lee's real life influenced many of the characters and events in To Kill A Mockingbird. Given what have you learned about her life (including personality traits, friends, family, experiences) make a prediction about what kinds of issues might surface in the book. Do you think that your knowledge about Harper Lee will influence your reading of the book? Should it influence your reading of the book? Why or why not? ` |
https://www.biography.com/people/harper-lee-9377021
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Group 2 The Scottsboro Boys |
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Group 3 Jim Crow Laws |
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Group 4 Growing Up White/Black in the South |
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:A4tXPALDn-4J:montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/schools/magruderhs/mediacenter/GrowingUp1930s.doc+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us | |
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Group 5 The Great Depression |