A WebQuest for Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities
A WebQuest for 12th Grade British Literature
Designed by
Addie Klaehn
aklaehn@honeoye.org
Link Back to Table of Contents
| Introduction |
Task |
Process |
Evaluation |
| Conclusion |
Credits |
Lesson Plan |
Table of Contents |
Introduction
"It
was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of
wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it
was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the
season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of
despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were
all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other
way..." These famous first lines from Charles Dickens' classic
1942 novel, A Tale of Two
Cities, represent the time period of the late 1700s, when
social ills plagued both France and England. As you read the
novel, you will need to understand the events of the French Revolution
and the impact that it had on European society. Through this
WebQuest, you will explore the turbulent atmosphere of the French
Revolution.
ConclusionTask
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You will be working in groups of
three to complete this WebQuest. You must complete the following
tasks:
1. A series of 10 journal entries composed from the perspective of an individual living in either France or England during the Revolution. Your entries must make reference to specific events, places, and people relevant to the Revolution.
2. A newspaper editorial from the time period of the Revolution that identifies factors contributing to the French Revolution (at least four factors: social, political, religious, etc.) and your (group's) opinion on who should be blamed for the devastating events that took place during the Revolution. You want to be persuasive in your article as means of gaining support.
3. An explanation of how the French Revolution impacted other countries (for example, think in terms of trade and travel). You may do this in any type of format that you choose: written response, graphic organizer, time line, etc. This is the task that allows you to be more creative, but you must okay your idea with your teacher prior to beginning.
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Process
1. The first thing that you will do is to meet with your group members (assigned by your teacher). In your group, you will decide who will be responsible for which role. You will each be responsible for one portion of the research. One of you will be the Historical Events Coordinator, one of you will be the Famous Figure Finder, one of you will be the Important Landmark Locater, and one of you will be the Cause and Effect Expert.
2. Once you have chosen your roles, you need to research your area of investigation and take notes on your findings. Use the websites provided to gather information.
3. After you have gathered information about your specific topic (outlined in role descriptions below), meet back with your group to plan out your tasks. You will need to divide the work load among the four of you and submit everything as a group. You must also submit your individual notes.
Role Descriptions
1. Historical Events Coordinator: Your role is to identify specific events that were important to the French Revolution. You must have dates and locations of these events and accurate, complete descriptions of them. You must find at least five significant events. Helpful sites include:
http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/WestEurope/FrenchRev.html
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/terrace/adw03/c-eight/france/frevents.htm
http://www.unlv.edu/faculty/gbrown/hist462/resources/chrono.htm
http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/
http://www.historychannel.com/frenchrevolution/
2. Famous Figure Finder: Your role is to identify important figures from the French Revolution. You must have background/biographical information and reasons explaining their relevance to the Revolution. You must find at least five important people. Helpful sites include:
http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/WestEurope/FrRevPeople.html
http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/frenchrev/terms.html
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/REV/LOUISXVI.HTM
http://www.historychannel.com/frenchrevolution/
http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/
3. Important Landmark Locater: Your role is to identify locations (landmarks, cities, etc.) there were significant to the French Revolution. Explain why they were of importance. You must find at least five locations. Helpful sites include:
http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/
http://www.historychannel.com/frenchrevolution/
http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Paris/Monuments-Paris/Bastille.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Force_Prison
http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/117.php
4. Cause and Effect Expert: Your role is to find the reasons for the rise against the French monarchy and upper-class. That is, the causes of the French Revolution. What caused the uprise of the Patriots/Rebels? What effects did this Revolution-positive or negative-have on France? Europe? The rest of the world? You must find at least five causes and effects. Helpful sites include:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French-Revolution
http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/
http://www.historychannel.com/frenchrevolution/
http://www.thecorner.org/hist/f3/fr_revo_causes.htm
(please note you may have to copy and paste the above site into your address bar)
http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/westn/frenchrev.html
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Evaluation
The following rubric will be used as assessment for this webquest.
1. A series of 10 journal entries composed from the perspective of an individual living in either France or England during the Revolution. Your entries must make reference to specific events, places, and people relevant to the Revolution.
2. A newspaper editorial from the time period of the Revolution that identifies factors contributing to the French Revolution (at least four factors: social, political, religious, etc.) and your (group's) opinion on who should be blamed for the devastating events that took place during the Revolution. You want to be persuasive in your article as means of gaining support.
3. An explanation of how the French Revolution impacted other countries (for example, think in terms of trade and travel). You may do this in any type of format that you choose: written response, graphic organizer, time line, etc. This is the task that allows you to be more creative, but you must okay your idea with your teacher prior to beginning.
back to top
Process
1. The first thing that you will do is to meet with your group members (assigned by your teacher). In your group, you will decide who will be responsible for which role. You will each be responsible for one portion of the research. One of you will be the Historical Events Coordinator, one of you will be the Famous Figure Finder, one of you will be the Important Landmark Locater, and one of you will be the Cause and Effect Expert.
2. Once you have chosen your roles, you need to research your area of investigation and take notes on your findings. Use the websites provided to gather information.
3. After you have gathered information about your specific topic (outlined in role descriptions below), meet back with your group to plan out your tasks. You will need to divide the work load among the four of you and submit everything as a group. You must also submit your individual notes.
Role Descriptions
1. Historical Events Coordinator: Your role is to identify specific events that were important to the French Revolution. You must have dates and locations of these events and accurate, complete descriptions of them. You must find at least five significant events. Helpful sites include:
http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/WestEurope/FrenchRev.html
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/terrace/adw03/c-eight/france/frevents.htm
http://www.unlv.edu/faculty/gbrown/hist462/resources/chrono.htm
http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/
http://www.historychannel.com/frenchrevolution/
2. Famous Figure Finder: Your role is to identify important figures from the French Revolution. You must have background/biographical information and reasons explaining their relevance to the Revolution. You must find at least five important people. Helpful sites include:
http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/WestEurope/FrRevPeople.html
http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/frenchrev/terms.html
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/REV/LOUISXVI.HTM
http://www.historychannel.com/frenchrevolution/
http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/
3. Important Landmark Locater: Your role is to identify locations (landmarks, cities, etc.) there were significant to the French Revolution. Explain why they were of importance. You must find at least five locations. Helpful sites include:
http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/
http://www.historychannel.com/frenchrevolution/
http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Paris/Monuments-Paris/Bastille.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Force_Prison
http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/117.php
4. Cause and Effect Expert: Your role is to find the reasons for the rise against the French monarchy and upper-class. That is, the causes of the French Revolution. What caused the uprise of the Patriots/Rebels? What effects did this Revolution-positive or negative-have on France? Europe? The rest of the world? You must find at least five causes and effects. Helpful sites include:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French-Revolution
http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/
http://www.historychannel.com/frenchrevolution/
http://www.thecorner.org/hist/f3/fr_revo_causes.htm
(please note you may have to copy and paste the above site into your address bar)
http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/westn/frenchrev.html
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Evaluation
The following rubric will be used as assessment for this webquest.
| 4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Score |
|
| Individual
Work Time |
utilized
every minute of class time and stayed on task; evidence of work outside
of class |
stayed
on task in class and utilized class time; didn't take advantage of time
outside of class |
had
to be reminded to stay on task and use class time for this project; was
sometimes distracted |
spent
little time working on role in class; was frequently off task and
disruptive |
|
| Individual
Notes |
Clear
concise notes; detailed information, provided group members with a deep
understand of other parts of the French Revolution; went above and
beyond expectations |
satisfactory
notes; provided group members with a surface level understanding of
other parts of the French Revolution; completed what was expected |
notes
were lacking some important information; not very detailed; left group
members with gaps in understanding of other parts of French Revolution |
notes
were presented but were not consistent with role; lacked all important
information and were not beneficial to group members |
|
| Journal
Entries |
10
entries handed in; extensive reference made to people, places, and
events of the French Revolution; creative and historically
accurate |
10
entries handed in; adequate references to people, places and events of
the French Revolution; historically accurate |
completed
less that 10 entries (but at least 7); historical references are
lacking or inaccurate |
less
than 7 entries handed in; inconsistent with history of French
Revolution; not relevant to theme/topic |
|
| Newspaper
Editorial |
historically
accurate; makes reference more than four factors contributing to the
Revolution; group's opinion is clearly stated and supported; very
persuasive |
historically
accurate; makes reference to at least four factors contributing to the
Revolution; group's opinion clearly stated and slightly supported;
somewhat persuasive |
mostly
accurate; makes reference to at least three factors contributing to the
Revolution; group's opinion stated but lacks support; not persuasive |
historically
inaccurate; makes reference to less than three factors contributing to
the Revolution; group's opinion is not clearly stated or supported; not
persuasive |
|
| Impact
of French Revolution on World |
extensive
and detailed representation of impact of Revolution on other countries;
very creative and demonstrative of dedication and effort |
representation
of impact on other countries; unoriginal but demonstrative of
dedication and effort |
lacks
detailed description of Revolution's impact on other countries;
unoriginal and does not demonstrate a great deal of effort |
barely
touches on the impact of the Revolution on other countries; very little
effort put into this task |
Now that you have completed this WebQuest, you should have a better understanding of the causes and effects, important figures and places, and events of the French Revolution. This will help you to better understand Dickens' novel, A Tale of Two Cities, and will make the novel more meaningful to you as you now have an understanding of the references to events made in the novel. The slogan of the French Revolution was, "Freedom, Equality, Fraternity, or Death!" Would that have been worth it for you to risk your life?
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Credits
All images from this WebQuest can be found via Google Image:
http://www.images.google.com/
Inspiration for this WebQuest comes from Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, copyright 1942 by The L.W. Singer Company. Thanks to Meg Schneider for introducing me to the novel and Jo Slovak for encouraging me to teach it.
A special thanks to Sabrina Johnson-Taylor for her excellent technical assistance!
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