A WebQuest for Social Studies Students Designed by Becky Griffith
and Ruth Shirley
Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Teacher Page In this WebQuest you are going
to be a detective finding similarities and differences among three founding
documents: The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, and The Federalist
Papers. What common themes are represented in each of the documents? What
fundamental democratic principles are prevalent in each document?
The Task Prepare a visual and oral presentation using the
information you find during your investigative work. Be creative and use
you imagination to find at least five similarities and five differences
among the Founding Documents. Remember the following when preparing your
culminating project:
The Process First, to begin your investigation you will explore the following sites on the Web. Look for similarities and differences in each document. Simple description of each Federalist Paper Excellent description of each paper. The Avalon Project and the Federalist Papers Full text of each paper. Thomas: Legislative Information on the Internet Interesting information about all Founding Documents United States Historical Document Archive This sight includes all the founding documents as well. Liberty and Limits Excellent site from PBS! The Anti-Federalist Papers An explanation of each Anti-Federalist Paper Alexander Hamilton Page: Interesting information about Hamilton The American Revolution Homepage The National Archives And Record Administration--Declaration of Independence Hypertext Version of Declaration of Independence History Channel Declaration of Independence Resources Stylistic Artistry of Declaration of Independence from National Archives and Record Administration History of Declaration of Independence from National Archives and Record Administration Avalon Project's Copy of Declaration of Independence Independence Hall's site for Declaration of Independence and related resources Library of Congress's "About the Declaration" Library of Congress's Rough Draft of Declaration of Independence A User's Guide To The Declaration of Independence Text of Constitution from Cornell National Archives and Records Administration text of Constitution and related links National Archives and Records Administration Transcription of Constitution Library of Congress "About the Constitution" All
Three Major Founding Documents
Next, bring the information from your research together using a visual. This could be a powerpoint presentation, model, chart, or some other presentable visual. (Check with your teacher for approval.) Make sure that you have a clear understanding of the common attitudes and concepts in each of The Founding Documents. Finally, make your presentation as creative as possible. Projects will be graded on creativity of visual, oral presentation, grasp of knowledge, and overall amount of work produced for this project. (Please note students working in groups need to distribute work equally.)
Conclusion The completion of the project will benefit the student in several ways. Students will use the internet as a research tool, plan and present a project that will involve higher level thinking skills, and use presentation skills in their final project presentation.
Credits & References This WebQuest was put together as part of a workshop
conducted July 30, 2001 by the RCOE of Appalachian State University and
Avery County High School Cooperating Teachers.
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