To Kill a Mockingbird A Webquest Introduction

To Kill A Mockingbird: A Webquest A. Introduction B. Directions C. Group 1: About the Author D. Group 2: The Scottsboro Boys E. Group 3: Jim Crow Laws F.Group 4: Growing up White/Black in the South G. Group 5: The Great Depression H: Fun Stuff

A. 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.. 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.

A. Introduction 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.jigsaw

Group One: About the Author Your job is to become an expert about Harper Lee. To read her biography click the links: ; 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?

Group Two: Scottsboro Trial Your job is to become an expert on the Scottsboro Boys. Click on the link: When you are finished, answer the questions below. Be sure to read carefully because you will be teaching your classmates everything you know about The Scottsboro Boys and their trials. Questions: 1. Who were the Scottsboro Boys? How did they get into so much trouble? 2. Where and when did the Scottsboro Boys' original trial take place? How do you think this affected the outcome of their trial? 3. What does the NAACP acronym stand for? Why did the NAACP decide not to help the Scottsboro Boys? 4. The Communist Party came to the aid of the Scottsboro Boys. How did the South perceive the Communist Party, and how was it similar to the perception of blacks? What was the Communist Party's hidden agenda in providing aid to the Scottsboro Boys? 5. The Scottsboro Boy were not provided with adequate defense lawyers. Please list at least 3 ways in which the defense lawyers were inadequate. 6. Describe the trials. Were they fair or unfair? Please include at least 3 supporting facts to back up your description. 7. Were the Scottsboro Boys ever pardoned of their convictions? 8. The Scottosboro Boys' trial took place during the childhood of To Kill A Mockingbird's author, Harper Lee.. Make a prediction about how this trial might be an important impetus for the book.

Group Three: Jim Crow Laws Your job is to become an expert about the history of Jim Crow laws. Please read the link: 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 Jim Crow Laws. (For #9) Questions: 1. Where did the term "Jim Crow" come from? How is the origin of this term offensive? List 3 ways. 2. How did the term "Jim Crow" become synonymous with the segregation laws in the South? 3. What ended Reconstruction in the South, and what effect did that have on southern blacks? 4. Legally, African-Americans had the right to vote. How was their right to suffrage compromised? Please list 3 ways whites made it nearly impossible for blacks to vote. 5. What was the purpose of the Freedmen’s Bureau? 6. Which amendment gave black men the right 7. How did the Plessy v. Ferguson case (1896) uphold Jim Crow laws? What effect did this case have on the lives (transportation, education, social implications, etc) of southern blacks? 8. Regarding segregation which presidential candidate promised fair treatment to the blacks? Once elected president, to what degree did he follow through with his promises? 9. ( From the second link) Describe the “Green Books” used during the Jim Crow era.

Group Four: The Great Depression Your job is to become an expert about the history of the Great Depression. Please read the link: When you are finished, answer the questions provided to you. Be sure to read carefully because you will be teaching your classmates everything you learned 1. Which president suggested that the depression would end in 60 days? 2. Who suggested the New Deal? 3. What is the Dust Bowl? What was the cause? How did it affect the nation? 4. What was the largest migration in American history called? How many people left, from where, and to where? 5. What was Black Sunday? What caused it? Who did it impact? 6. Name two of the programs and acts from the New Deal. How did they provide relief to the American citizens? 7. Name the act allowed Roosevelt to be “sure that the federal government would be connected to the people for a long time to come.” 8.Given what you learned about the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, make a prediction about what you think the setting of To Kill a Mockingbird will look like. What will the houses look like? What will the characters be wearing? How will the characters act towards each other? How will Scout’s classmates act toward Scout know that her father is a lawyer?

Group Five: Harlem Renaissance Consider the Harlem Renaissance and how it gave voice to the oppression and social injustice of the time. Answer the questions after reading the information at the following links: & Questions from first link: 1. Explain the purpose of the Harlem Renaissance. 2. Who was drawn to participate in it? 3. List at least four people who participated in the Harlem Renaissance. 4. What was Marcus Garvey’s view about the importance of wealth? 5. Who was the editor of the Crisis? What “voice” did he give the magazine. Questions from from second link: 1. What is the theme of the poem? 2. What social taboo is addressed? 3. What does Hughes infer about the social status of his parents.

Group Six: Growing up Black in the Great Depression You will read some firsthand accounts about the time period. Clink on the following link: W hen you are finished, answer the questions provided to you. 1.What does Mrs. Barge know about her ancestry? How does she talk about her family? 2. What were her and her family's living conditions like? 3. When was the first time she noticed a difference between the lives of black people and the lives of white people? From Mrs. Barge's account, what do you think is the most astounding difference? 4. What was school like for Mrs. Barge? 5. What kind of jobs were available to black people in the South? 6. Were black people allowed to vote? 7. Mrs. Barge clearly has a different opinion of white people than her father does. What does she say that proves this? How does her perception of white people differ from her father's? Why do you think that is?

Fun Stuff If you're all done becoming an expert on your topic, here's some stuff for you to check out about To Kill A Mockingbird. Some quotes from To Kill A Mockingbird: Pictures of the Scottsboro Boys: Pictures from the Great Depression: The original trailer for To Kill A Mockingbird from 1962:

Works Cited Plaunt, Kelsey. "Sitemap - To Kill A Mockingbird Webquest." Sitemap - To Kill A Mockingbird Webquest. Googlesites, 27 Oct Web. 20 Jan