WebQuest

The Crucible WebQuest
A WebQuest for 8th Grade (English Language Arts)

Designed by

Emily Johnson and Stefanie R Keller
[email protected] [email protected]

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Teacher Page

Introduction
America's justice system has come far in the past 200 years. Arthur Miller's play The Crucible was set (1692) before our founding fathers wrote the constitution that gave us our rights to a fair trial. Anyone could be accused of anything and sent to a trial by jury. There was no "hear-say," in the court of law because the courts were solely based on it. Basically, if your were accused, you were doomed!

Think about the play The Crucible that we just read in class.

Imagine that you are back in Salem, MA in 1692.

Imagine that you are a journalist that has been sent on a mission to find out what is going on with the witch trials taking place there. What angles of the story would you cover? Would you interview one of the accused or would you want to hear from one of the" innocent" victims? Perhaps you disagree with the way the trials are being held and wish to find out whether any of the townspeople agree with you. Whatever you decide to do, be careful or you might find that the victims have named you!

How would you survive? Would you become an accuser or the accused?

With this in mind you are now in the shoes of the characters of The Crucible. Now you are ready to embark on a journey through time. It is going to take caution to make it past all the obstacles that may be ahead.

Travel to the task that follows!

The Task
You and a partner are assigned the task of creating a newspaper that focuses on the events that happened in The Crucible and in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. You will be reading, researching, writing, and exploring the web for ideas. Focus on events, policies, and characters from the play. You will need to include references to characters from the play and references to what you learn about the Puritan lifestyle.

Your Newspaper Must Include Each of the Following:

Front page headline story
Editorial
Interview
Obituary

********

The Process

To accomplish this task, you will need to view the following links and decide which items are of the most interest to you and your partner. Keep in mind that you should relate your articles to the events tied to The Crucible or the Salem witch trials, and don't be afraid to be creative.

1. You and your assigned partner should view the links together so that you can brainstorm (you want your pieces to correlate).

2. You may choose to divide the work, but this IS a cooperative effort. Print out a contract to sign that shows what each of you are responsible for doing.

3. Watch the video in the following link to get some background information on the actual events. Try to answer the following questions while you watch:

    a. What were the young girls doing that may have caused them to feel guilty or fearful of            consequences prior to their "fits?"

    b. What did the first three women who were accused have in common?

    c. What finally stopped the hysteria?

    d. What did Anne Putnam's final statement imply?

        i. Video:

4. Look through the following links and narrow down your topics. Keep your eyes open for pictures that can be included in your final product.

    a. Witchcraft-- Fact or Fiction? Is it possible?

    b. Crime and Punishment within the Puritan community (read the section entitled "Beliefs about Witches" and the sections that follow).

    c. Puritan beliefs and daily life
d. You might also want to take the time to see what it was really like to be accused. Just check out the following link: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/salem/

Once you have completed your research, take the time to brainstorm some ideas for your newspaper and get started. Use Microsoft Publisher to create your newspaper and review the grading rubric before beginning so that you are both aware of what is expected.

When you have completed the project, create a contract that displays which responsibility each group member had. Sign it, and turn it in with your final project.

Evaluation

Your final product will be graded using the following rubric. Each student will receive an individual grade. Your final product will be worth a total of 12 points which will be equivalent to 100%. Good Luck!

Beginning

1

Developing

2

Accomplished

3

Exemplary

4

Contributions
of each group member

One or more students in the group required quite a lot of assistance from peers before contributing one article. Each person in the group has contributed at least one article with some minimal assistance from peers. Each person in the group has contributed at least one article and one graphic with a few reminders from peers. Each person in the group has contributed at least two articles and one graphic without prompting from teachers or peers.

Layout

Headings do not relate to the articles and headlines are irrelevant or do not stand out from the other text. Columns are not set properly or there are no columns. Pictures are not captioned and the overall layout looks rushed or pieced together. Headings are somewhat clear and headlines relate somewhat to the articles. With the exception of a few mistakes the columns are set and only one picture has a caption. Overall the layout looks somewhat unprofessional. Most headings are clear and headlines clearly relate to the article. Columns are clearly set and most pictures have captions. Overall the layout looks somewhat professional. Headings are clear and headlines grab the reader’s attention. Columns are clearly set and pictures are captioned. Overall, the layout has a professional appearance

Spelling and
Proofreading Several spelling or grammar errors remain in the final copy of the newspaper. No more than 3 spelling or grammar errors remain after one or more people (in addition to the typist) read and correct the newspaper. No more than a couple of spelling or grammar errors remain after one or more people (in addition to the typist) read and correct the newspaper. No spelling or grammar errors remain after one or more people (in addition to the typist) read and correct the newspaper.

Conclusion

Congratulations! Through this WebQuest you have discovered more about Salem, MA in 1692 as well as The Crucible. You have researched actual events from the past and looked deeper into the play to create "historical" documents. You have also had a chance to work with Microsoft Publisher to make your newspaper.

Good job on all your hard work. It was a journey, but you made it.

Credits & References

Images from:

http://media.timeoutchicago.com/resizeImage/htdocs/export_images/138/138.x600.theat.crucible.rev.jpg?
http://www.artsjournal.com/bookdaddy/newspaper.jpg

http://www.heartpunchstudio.com/images/WitchHunt.jpg

http://www.jerichoschools.org/hs/webquest/crucible_files/hanging.jpg

http://www.logosportswear.com/embroideryclipart/Teacher%20.CD080406FJ.jpg

Last updated on August 15, 1999. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page