Title: Back in Time - Life in Elizabethan England WebQuest
Grade Level: 8
Subject Area: English
Unit: English Unit Four: Discoveries
Description: The purpose of this WebQuest is to provide students with an
historical context of the late 16th century before reading William Shakespeare's As You Like It. Students
are assigned a role in a group of four and do research from provided websites. They
will develop an understanding of their character by taking notes in journals
and/or graphic organizers. Students will join their original group to share
information using provided their journals and/or graphic organizers which will
become study guides for a written evaluation.
Essential Question: How does language create images of people, events, places and feelings?
Focus Indicator: Writing 3.6.6.2 - Write reports (in this instance using a journal or a graphic organizer) for an intended audience and purpose that convey a clear and accurate perspective on the subject; support main ideas with facts, details, examples and explanation; pose relevant and tightly drawn questions about the topic.
Ongoing Indicators:
Reading 1.8.5.2 - Analyze the structure and features of functional workplace documents, including format, graphics, sequence and headers, and how authors use these features to achieve their purposes and to make information accessible and useable.
Reading 1.8.5.7 - Summarize text in a manner that reflects the main ideas, significant details and underlying meaning.
Writing 3.8.1.5 - Use the writing process to create an organizing structure.
Language 4.8.1.6 - Identify the connotation and denotation of new words and apply them to speaking.
School Library Media Indicators:
Identify and locate resources in the library media center.
Define and refine an information need.
Evaluate specific materials to determine appropriateness for the task.
Recognize information that answers the question when it is found.
Apply appropriate note taking processes
Identify source materials (bibliography)
Lesson Outcome: Students will be able to answer a list of targeted questions about life in Elizabethan England.
Time Frame: 135 minutes (one and one-half 90 minute blocks or three 45 minute periods)
1. Journals
Existing Journals
Journals created for this project
Loose leaf paper to take notes and then combined to act as a journal
Graphic Organizers for note taking - might be used by all students or just for students who need a specific structure.
2. Access to the Internet (See Resources on Student Page)
3. Access to MCPS online subscription services (See Resources on Student Page)
4. A reserve cart of print materials - See Annotated List of Suggested Resources.
Teacher and Media Specialist Preparation:
Schedule time in the media center.
Review the stages of the Life in Elizabethan WebQuest on the Student Page.
Collect appropriate print materials from the school's
collection to create a reserve cart. See an
Review the roles the students will play and the accompanying websites that will help them answer targeted questions - Resources
Pull together information concerning bibliographic format for students to use.
Journals -- See suggestions in Materials/Technology.
Photocopy Graphic Organizers, if they are going to be used.
Photocopy Four-Role Experience Graphic Organizer.
Photocopy Self-Evaluation Table.
Photocopy group checklist.
Group students in teams of four before the research begins.
Student Prior Knowledge and Skills/Pre-assessment:
1. Students know their school's procedures for accessing online resources.
2. Students know the school's rules concerning proper use of computer networks including login procedures.
3. Students have been introduced to the purpose and stages of a WebQuest (Students, teachers media specialists may need to refer to the WebQuest Page for this information).
4. Students have been introduced to the Life in Elizabethan WebQuest on the Student Page
5. Students are assigned their groups of four before going to the media center. These groups can be teacher or student selected; although this project may work better with groups with heterogeneous ability levels.
Lesson Design/Learning Sequence: See Also: The Task and The Process on the Student Page
Session 1 (45 minutes)
In the media center:
Students are seated in their groups of four.
Students are introduced to the Life in Elizabethan England WebQuest
Students are introduced to the print and web Resources including reminders on the use of the MCPS online reference resources and their individual school online reference resources.
Students are given information about the bibliographic format to be used and forms of this format if available in your school.
Students meet with their groups to choose roles.
Students begin using the print and web resources
according to their assigned role.
a. Students take notes in journals
or on
graphic organizers
b. Students record bibliographic information.
Teacher and media specialist observation - teacher and media specialist observe each student to make sure they are on track and also that each group member is working on assigned roles.
Session 2 (45 minutes)
In the media center:
1. Students are seated in their groups of four to briefly meet in order to discuss each member's progress including whether or not they are or are not having trouble finding answers. It is possible that group members can help each other - a member assigned to one role may have found information about another role while reading, and that information could be shared.
2. Students continue research using Journals or graphic organizers to take notes. Teacher and media specialist again observe each student to make sure they are on track and remind them to keep bibliographic information.
3. Students meet with their groups during the last 10 minutes of the period to make sure that they have each answered all the questions. If not, they would need to make arrangements with their teacher and/or the media specialist for time to finish.
In the media center, computer lab or classroom (#4, #5 and #6 could be homework assignments):
Students meet with their group members for group evaluation using the Four-Role Experience Graphic Organizer.
Each member of the group presents the answers to his/her role's questions to the other members. The other students in the group take notes on each presentation in the Four-Role Experience Graphic Organizer.
Students exchange Four-Role Experience Graphic Organizer in order to review the comments of their peers.
Students revisit and revise their notes if necessary, based on the comments of their group members.
At the end of the presentations, exchange and revision sessions, each group member answers one final question: "Now that you have heard information about each role, which role would you like to assume? Support with details from your notes on the Four-Role Experience Graphic Organizer or from your own notes if you have chosen the role you researched."
Students fill out a Self-Evaluation Table.
Students combine all of their notes, Four-Role Experience Graphic Organizer, Self-Evaluation Table and bibliographies along with a group checklist and hand them into their teacher for group and individual grades.
Assessment/Evaluation:
Students evaluate each other using the
Four-Role Experience Graphic Organizer.
See Session 3. Each group hans in the following
in a folder with a
group checklist to the teacher for a final group and individual
grade.
Therefore, students will:
Additional/Extension Activities:
Write a letter, poem or short story - Use the information in your Journal or graphic organizers to create an authentic letter, poem or short story of the times for a friend. Also, consult books or websites (See Resources) to help you with Elizabethan vocabulary.
Write - A plot line taking place in the time of Shakespeare that incorporates the four roles you have played.
Design Costumes for a Scene- Take a scene from As You Like It and use the Elizabethan Costuming to design the costumes for the characters in the scene. A good example might be when Celia and Rosemund turn into Ganymede and Aliena.
Choose Your Own Adventure – Create alternate endings to scenes, "What would happen if. . .
Orlando had lost the wrestling contest.
The shepherd hadn’t taken the “girls” in.
Duke Frederick had killed his brother not exiled him.
Research - Girls/Women posing as boys/men in history
Research - Am I My Brother's Keeper? - brother against brother in history starting with As You Like It. Examples: Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, North and South in the Civil War
Research - Find summaries/synopsis of As You Like It. Compare them. Which one or ones are the most accurate based on your reading of the play.
Creators: Bobbie Chase, Media Specialist, Cabin John Middle School and Marjorie Geldon, Media Specialist, Newport Mill Middle School
2/24/03:2:00 p.m.