1. Victorian Nightly News
Introduction
Task
Process
Society Reporter
Science Reporter
Human Interest Reporter
Evaluation
Grading Criteria Rubric
Conclusion
A Web quest for Junior English by Mrs. Denée Tyler
Begin

2. Introduction This web quest focuses on two essential questions:
Why is the face we show the world different from our real face?
Why is it important to “keep up appearances”?
Beginning
The Task

3. The Task
, Part 1
Your group has been approached by a business acquaintance with a startling proposal.
Apparently, there has been a new fangled invention (this is the age of the industrial revolution, you know) called television or “the telly.”
She has offered to have your group produce a newscast called the Victorian Nightly News.
Beginning
Introduction
Task Part 2

4. The Task, Part 2
Your targeted audience is particularly interested in these pressing subjects:
Darwinism and religion,
the rights and roles of women and men,
the divide between rich and poor,
the industrial revolution,
the importance of etiquette, and
keeping up appearances.
Task Part 1
The Process

5. The Process Society Science
Your group is responsible for creating a newscast, the Victorian Nightly News, that will appear on the telly in every Victorian home. Your newscast will consist of three different three minute reports:
Society
Science
Human Interest
Beginning
Task Part 2
Evaluation

6. The Society Newscast
The society reporter’s job is to find some juicy stories or tidbits of news information to share as a three minute part of your newscast that reflect on
the importance of etiquette and
keeping up appearances.
Guidelines for the Society Reporter
The Process
Resources for the Society Reporter
Beginning

7. 1. Find your focus—try to explain the importance of the story in one sentence.
2. Find your lead. Find the lead by asking yourself, “What was the most interesting part of what I researched?” With a focus and a good lead, the rest will flow naturally.
3. Write your first draft! Then, look over your notes to see what ideas, info, etc., are missing that you might want to include. You do not have to use everything.
4. Read your finished draft out loud--you will hear the rough parts that hide when you read it.
5. Create a newscast headline. Make sure it is one that will catch everyone’s attention!
6. Envision your newscast as a story with a plot: beginning, middle, end. Make your audience see, hear, and care about the story that you have to share.
Society Newscast

8. Resources Society Newscast
Victorian Charm at Camden – Tidbits about all aspects of etiquette in Victorian society, from calling cards to courting etiquette to wedding propriety
Victorian Society – Etiquette for those in the upper echelons of society, including rules such as the proper forms of address and even what to wear, including which pieces of jewelry would be appropriate. (For the lower class, there wasn't time for etiquette.)
The Gentleman – What a gentleman was, what his essential characteristics were, and how long it took to become one
Etiquette for the Ball Room (1880) – A list of the actual “rules” for courting in a public place
Sex, Scandal, and the Novel – Victorian Britain is mainly remembered for two things: sexual prudishness and long novels.
The Gentlemen’s Page: Victorian Manners and Morals – A brief excerpt from a Victorian etiquette presentation
Society Newscast

9. The Science newscast
The science reporter’s job is to give a three minute newscast of updates and information about the effects on the populace of
1) Darwinism and religion and
2) the industrial revolution.
Guidelines for the Science Reporter
The Process
Resources for the Society Reporter
Beginning

10. Resources Science Newscast
Child Labor during the British Industrial Revolution – This article examines the historical debate about child labor in Britain.
The British Industrial Revolution – Profiles the difficulties Victorian society had in adapting to the changes.
Victorian Science & Religion – During the nineteenth century, the entities we refer to as 'science' and 'religion' both underwent dramatic changes.
Charles Darwin – With the publication of On the Origin of Species, an age of faith was plunged into profound religious doubt, sparking a fresh battle in the long-running battle between science and religion.
The Industrial Revolution: An Overview – This site has some particularly interesting information about the chronology of the Industrial Revolution.
Victorian England: An Introduction – This site explains the rapid growth and subsequent fear and distrust that the Industrial Revolution caused in Britain.
Science Newscast

11. 1. Find your focus—try to explain the importance of the story in one sentence.
2. Find your lead. Find the lead by asking yourself, “What was the most interesting part of what I researched?” With a focus and a good lead, the rest will flow naturally.
3. Write your first draft! Then, look over your notes to see what ideas, information, etc., are missing that you might want to include. You do not have to use everything.
4. Read your finished draft out loud--you will hear the rough parts that hide when you read it.
5. Create a newscast headline. Make sure it is one that will catch everyone’s attention!
6. Envision your newscast as a story with a plot: beginning, middle, end. Make your audience see, hear, and care about the story that you have to share.
Science Newscast

12. Human interest Newscast
The human interest reporter’s job is to focus on a three minute newscast illustrating the situation of women, children, and servants due to
1) the rights and roles of women and men and
2) the divide between rich and poor.
Guidelines for the Human Interest Reporter
The Process
Beginning
Resources for the Human Interest Reporter

13. Human Interest Newscast
1. Find your focus—try to explain the importance of the story in one sentence.
2. Find your lead. Find the lead by asking yourself, “What was the most interesting part of what I researched?” With a focus and a good lead, the rest will flow naturally.
3. Write your first draft! Then, look over your notes to see what ideas, information, etc., are missing that you might want to include. You do not have to use everything.
4. Read your finished draft out loud--you will hear the rough parts that hide when you read it.
5. Create a newscast headline. Make sure it is one that will catch everyone’s attention!
6. Envision your newscast as a story with a plot: beginning, middle, end. Make your audience see, hear, and care about the story that you have to share.
Human Interest Newscast

14. Human Interest Newscast
Resources
Victorian Society – Daily life of upper, middle, and lower class Victorians
Welcome to the Life of the Victorian Woman – What it was like to be a woman in all socioeconomic levels
Victorian Era: Social Institutions - Britain had a very rigid social structure consisting of three distinct classes: The Church and aristocracy, the middle class, and the working poorer class.
Victorian Era: The Fallen Woman – Information on the differing moral standards for men and women.
Victorian Morality – The contradictions between the cultivation of an outward appearance of dignity and restraint and the prevalence of social phenomena that included prostitution, subjugation of women and the poor, and child labor
Victorian Servants – Wages, rules, and lifestyles
Women’s Status in Mid 19th-Century England – Most women of the mid-19th century lived in a state little better than slavery.
Human Interest Newscast

15. So, don’t be the weak link!
Evaluation
You will receive a group grade for your newscast.
Each newscast (society, science, and human interest) will count as part of your group’s total grade.
If one member doesn’t do their part, it will reflect on the group grade.
So, don’t be the weak link!
Beginning
The Process
Grading Criteria

16. Grading Criteria
Group Cohesion: you worked well together and supported each other
10 points
Overall Flow of Newscast: you planned and practiced so that your newscast went smoothly
20 points
Quality of Information: you came up with interesting, important, and insightful information
Performance: you used voice, props, visuals, etc., to give your newscast a unique style
Analysis and Synthesis: you went beyond mere facts to give your interpretation of their meaning
30 points
Total Points Possible:
= 100 points
Beginning
Evaluation
Conclusion

17. Conclusion
Let me remind you of the essential questions we’ve been talking about:
Why is the face we show the world different from our real face?
Why is it important to “keep up appearances”?
What are your answers to these questions?
How does the idea of “keeping up appearances” apply to us today in our society?
Grading Criteria
Beginning