A Web Quest for 11th Grade English
Designed by
Mrs. Tabb
reka.tabb@cmcss.net
Introduction / Task / Process / Resources / Evaluation / Conclusion / Credits
Imagine you are sitting at home in the late 1800s, when your son comes home and declares that he wants to enlist to fight in the Civil War. As a parent, you naturally fear for your child's safety. Like Henry's mom, in The Red Badge of Courage , you tell your son to not rush into anything, and you remind him that he is needed at home. However, your child is fired up and is talking about all the great battles he will be in and how exciting it will be. As a parent, you want to make sure your child has all the facts because war isn't always like it's portrayed in stories and pictures.
The first part of your task is to investigate what daily life was like for soldiers, like Henry, during the Civil War. You want to help your son make an informed decision. In order to do this, you will need to answer the following questions:
* What were living conditions like for the soldiers in the Civil War?
* What did soldiers typically eat and what were their rations?
* What did soldiers do for entertainment?
* How long did it typically take for soldiers to get communication to loved ones?
* Was desertion a big issue in this war?
* What were the medical facilities like?
* What were some of the biggest problems and complaints soldiers had in the war?
After compiling this information, you will:
• Write an informative or persuasive letter to your son about what he can expect if he enlists.
• Turn in the above Q & A gathered from your research that you based your letter on.
PART TWO
Now that you know about what the daily life of a soldier was like in the Civil War, do some further investigating to find out how this compares to the life of a soldier fighting in the war in Iraq today. To find out this information you may use the Internet sites I've provided, or you may do a face-to-face interview with a soldier that you know. Find out the same information you did above but for the modern day soldier.
After compiling this information, you will:
• Create a comparison/contrast T-chart showing the differences between the life of a soldier in the Civil War and a soldier today.
• Turn in the Q & A you came up with based upon your research or interview. If you interviewed someone, please include their name, rank, and war(s) they served in.
• Share at least two interesting things you learned about the daily life of soldiers with the whole class the day the assignment is due.
• If you choose to use any resources not listed below, please document where you got them and include them in MLA format with your other project requirements when you turn them in.
**Good luck!!! Happy investigating. :) Top of Page
1. You will begin by getting all your materials together to go to the library. Remember to bring your Red Badge of Courage book. It provides some valuable insight to camp life during the times of the Civil War. You might want to consult it as a resource.
2. Once you arrive in the library, you will need to listen as the librarian instructs you about how to get to this web quest via the library website. Yes, you can get to this site at home! :) However, make sure you don't substitute that for the time I'm giving you to spend in the library now. Use your time wisely.
3. Before you begin, look at the rubric at the end of this web quest. You will want to know how I plan to assess you now, so you don't have to go back and do additional work later.
4. Now, head to the computers! You will need a pencil or pen and paper. You will want to go through the list of questions provided above and answer each one thoroughly using the web resources below as a guide. PLEASE try the websites I've provided first before striking out on your own. I have assessed these sites, and I know they are accurate and reliable.
5. Once you have answered all the questions, you will need to step into the shoes of a Civil War mother or father and decide what points are most important for your son to about know before enlisting. Also think like the teenager you are and consider what points would make the biggest impact on you. Decide, as a parent, is it your goal to convince your son or daughter to not go to war (persuasive), or do you just want them to be aware of the reality of what they are doing (informative)?
6. Next, come up with an outline for your letter. How do you want to organize what you want to say?
7. Now write your first draft. When you finish, have a friend or parent proofread for errors.
8. Finally, create the final draft of your letter. If you really want to get creative, you might want to look at real letters from Civil War soldiers and try to recreate the look and format for authenticity.
7. Moving on to part two! Continue your investigation to find out how things have changed for soldiers. What is the day-to-day like for soldiers in Iraq? Follow the same question format as before.
8. Next, create a chart comparing/contrasting the lives of the Civil War and modern day soldier. Remember to make this neat and attractive. This, as well as your letter, will go into a display outside our classroom for all to see.
9. All parts of this project will be due Jan. 9th. I will accept no late grades on this since you've had time in class to work on it.
HAPPY INVESTIGATING! :)
Below is the rubric I will be using to evaluate the different aspects of your project.
PART ONE:
|
Beginning 1 |
Developing 2 |
Accomplished 3 |
Exemplary 4 |
Score |
Content Accuracy |
The letter contains no accurate facts about the topic. |
The letter contains 1-2 accurate facts about the topic. |
The letter contains 3 accurate facts about the topic. |
The letter contains at least 4 accurate facts about the topic. |
|
Organization of Ideas
|
The letter seemed to be a collection of unrelated sentences. It was very difficult to figure out what the letter was about . |
Ideas were somewhat organized, but were not very clear. It took more than one reading to figure out what the letter was about. |
Ideas were expressed in a pretty clear manner, but the organization could have been better. |
Ideas in the letter were expressed in a clear and organized fashion. It was easy to figure out what the letter was about. |
|
Grammar & spelling (conventions)
|
Writer makes more than 4 errors in grammar and/or spelling. |
Writer makes 3-4 errors in grammar and/or spelling. |
Writer makes 1-2 errors in grammar and/or spelling. |
Writer makes no errors in grammar or spelling. |
|
Length |
The letter is less than 5 sentences. |
The letter is 5-7 sentences. |
The letter is 8-9 sentences. |
The letter is 10 or more sentences. |
|
Civil War Q & A |
Student did not answer over half of the required questions or did not turn them in at all. |
Student did not answer all the required questions or they were so messy that they were difficult to read. |
Student answered all the required questions, but they needed to be more detailed. |
Student answered all the required questions thoroughly and neatly. |
|
PART TWO:
|
Beginning 1 |
Developing 2 |
Accomplished 3 |
Exemplary 4 |
Score |
Visual Chart
|
Student created a very poor chart addressing almost none of the similarities and differences or did not do the chart at all. |
Student created a chart but did not address well enough the similarities and differences between the daily lives of soldiers in the Civil war and Iraq war. |
Student created a basic chart addressing the similarities and differences between the daily lives of soldiers in the Civil war and Iraq war. |
Student created a visually appealing chart thoroughly addressing the similarities and differences between the daily lives of soldiers in the Civil war and Iraq war. |
|
Iraq Q and A
|
Student did not answer over half of the required questions or did not turn them in at all. |
Student did not answer all the required questions or they were so messy that they were difficult to read. |
Student answered all the required questions, but they needed to be more detailed . |
Student answered all the required questions thoroughly and neatly. |
|
Sharing learned information
|
Student did not share any information . |
Student shared their information with the teacher, but they did not share with the rest of the class. |
Student shared at least one appropriate thing they learned with the with the class. |
Student shared at least two appropriate things they learned with the class. |
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Conclusion
It is my hope that after completing the web quest you have a better understanding of Henry's character in the novel The Red Badge of Courage . I also hope you have learned some historical facts about the Civil war as well as gained some insight into daily life of the war in Iraq.