1. What was life like during the 1930’s? 9 th Grade Language Arts Mandy Gleason HomeHome Introduction Assignment StepsIntroductionAssignmentSteps EvaluationConclusionReferences

2. Introduction The South during the 1930’s was a very tumultuous time in American history. To Kill a Mockingbird is a story that is based during this time and it is important to understand what was going on to truly understand the novel. By the end of this webquest, you will know what life was like for many different people in 1936. HomeHome Introduction Assignment StepsIntroductionAssignmentSteps EvaluationConclusionReferences Objectives: *The students will be able to compare and contrast the lives of white and black people during the 1930’s. *The students will be able to apply a real life situation to one found in the novel to better understand its significance. *The students will be able to create a news article that might have been found during this era based on the information they gather.

3. Your Assignment/Task You will gather background information on what life was like for a variety of different people living in the South during the 1930’s. You will read personal accounts from both black and white people, view photographs, learn about the laws that governed the people, and understand how far the dollar went during this time. When you are finished, you will be able to read To Kill a Mockingbird with a better ability to understand situations and inferences. HomeHome Introduction Assignment StepsIntroductionAssignmentSteps EvaluationConclusionReferences

4. Steps 1.Create a graphic organizer 2. Reflect with a personal response. 3. Research the Scottsboro Trials. 4. Compare Depression Era costs. 5. Write a newspaper article. HomeHome Introduction Assignment StepsIntroductionAssignmentSteps EvaluationConclusionReferences Steps Home Steps Home Step 1 Step 2 Step 3Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6

5. www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer On this step, you will examine photographs from the time of the novel and learn about Jim Crow laws. First, go to the following websites to gather your information. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/085_disc.html http://www.ferris.edu/news/jimcrow/what.htm http://academic.udayton.edu/race/02rights/jcrow02.htm Next, choose a graphic organizer from the website below to organize your information. You might use a Venn diagram to compare laws from then and now. Or use a T-chart to jot down your ideas. Feel free to choose one of these or create your own! Step 1 Steps Home Steps Home Step 1 Step 2 Step 3Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 HomeHome Introduction Assignment StepsIntroductionAssignmentSteps EvaluationConclusionReferences

6. Step 2 Next, please go to the following websites and read through the interviews. It is important to get a personal perspective from real people. http://library.thinkquest.org/12111/girl.html http://library.thinkquest.org/12111/mculley.html?tqskip1=1&tqtim e=0730 After reading the interviews, I want you to write a 1-2 page reflection on what you’ve read. Imagine you were alive during the time these were recorded. How would you feel to be white or black? Do you think your life would be significantly different than it is now? What struck you the most during this reading? There are not right or wrong answers, only your thoughts! Steps Home Steps Home Step 1 Step 2 Step 3Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 HomeHome Introduction Assignment StepsIntroductionAssignmentSteps EvaluationConclusionReferences

7. Step 3 It is widely speculated that the main trial case in To Kill a Mockingbird is based on the Scottsboro Trials in Alabama. Please read this website: http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/scottsboro/SB_ HRrep.html http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/scottsboro/SB_ HRrep.html There are many links that have fascinating information about what the trials were like and the attitudes of the people involved. Then, write a fictional account of what the trials might have been like. Pretend you were there. Write a letter to a friend in another part of the country. Or tell someone who wasn’t there what the atmosphere was like in the court room. What information is most amazing or shocking to you? This should be 1-2 pages. You may do this groups of 2 or 3, or on your own. Steps Home Steps Home Step 1 Step 2 Step 3Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 HomeHome Introduction Assignment StepsIntroductionAssignmentSteps EvaluationConclusionReferences

8. Step 4 Steps Home Steps Home Step 1 Step 2 Step 3Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 HomeHome Introduction Assignment StepsIntroductionAssignmentSteps EvaluationConclusionReferences Now for a little bit of fun! Go to the following websites and see how much everyday items cost during the Depression Era! http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.plhttp://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl Enter 1936 to see what Scout would have spent on items you can’t live without! http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160- 15481_19268_20778-52530--,00.htmlhttp://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160- 15481_19268_20778-52530--,00.html This site lists prices during the Great Depression! Be prepared to show a few of the costs you found most surprising with the class.

9. Steps Home Steps Home Step 1 Step 2 Step 3Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 5 –Final Project Newspaper Rubric.docx HomeHome Introduction Assignment StepsIntroductionAssignmentSteps EvaluationConclusionReferences To finish this online research for background information to better understand To Kill a Mockingbird, you will write a newspaper article using your new knowledge. The article can be written from a 1930’s point-of-view or present-day. You must use information from the websites provided to you, so don’t forget a WORKS CITED page. It is important to give credit where credit is due. Your article can be investigative; such as a report of the trials or treatment. It can be a call to action to persuade others in something that should be done. Or your article can be in a reporting manner, telling readers what is going on. Please see the rubric below to see all requirements.

10. Step 6 Tell us about it! You will be asked to share what you’ve learned with your classmates. In a 5-10 minute conversation, tell us about what graphic organizer you used and why, what you found out about the Scottsboro Trials, your cost findings, and about your newspaper article. Steps Home Steps Home Step 1 Step 2 Step 3Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 HomeHome Introduction Assignment StepsIntroductionAssignmentSteps EvaluationConclusionReferences

11. Evaluation You will be evaluated on your depth of research, creativity, and completion. This project is worth 100 total points. Step 1 – 10 pts for a completely filled in graphic organizer, 5 for partially filled in, 0 for missing graphic organizer. Step 2 – 10 pts for your 1-2 page personal response. All or nothing. Step 3 – 10 pts for a descriptive letter, 5 for few details, 0 for little detail. Step 4 – 5 pts for comparing costs and sharing. All or nothing. Step 5 – 60 pts for a well written news article. See rubric for specific guidelines. Step 6 – 5 pts for sharing your completed assignments with the class. All or nothing. *Please note, points for steps 1 and 3 may be awarded anywhere between 0-10, this is just a frame of reference. HomeHome Introduction Assignment StepsIntroductionAssignmentSteps EvaluationConclusionReferences

12. Conclusion Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. ~George Santayana History never looks like history when you’re living through it. ~John W. Gardner HomeHome Introduction Assignment StepsIntroductionAssignmentSteps EvaluationConclusionReferences It’s important to remember our past and learn from it. From this activity, I hope you not only gained experience in using Internet search engines and information found on the World Wide Web, but learned about a very tumultuous time in our nation’s history all while preparing to read To Kill a Mockingbird. Another website that has information about this era is http://docsouth.unc.edu/index.htmldocsouth.unc.edu/index.html I encourage you to continue to research as we read the novel to get a truly enriched experience.

13. References for Teachers This webquest is written for a 9 th grade English Language Arts class preparing to read To Kill a Mockingbird. I would plan 1 or 2 class periods for each step and then assign the writing component as homework. Unit Goal: The students will gain a new perspective of a different era in race, society attitudes and biases, economy, and equality using before, during, and after reading activities based on the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Objectives: *The students will be able to compare and contrast the lives of white and black people during the 1930’s. *The students will be able to apply a real life situation to one found in the novel to better understand its significance. *The students will be able to create a news article that might have been found during this era based on the information they gather. I gathered ideas for this webquest from: http://www.tvhs.k12.vt.us/WMHS/Faculty/Kurucz/html/eng9/TKAM/Bird1.htm http://www.tvhs.k12.vt.us/WMHS/Faculty/Kurucz/html/eng9/TKAM/Bird1.htm http://www.hardin.k12.ky.us/nhhs/teachers/linder/To_kill_a_mockingbird_web_quest.htm http://www.kirkwood.k12.mo.us/parent_student/KHS/arenske/tkam_index.html http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/scottsboro/SB_HRrep.html http://library.thinkquest.org/12111/girl.htmlhttp://www.hardin.k12.ky.us/nhhs/teachers/linder/To_kill_a_mockingbird_web_quest.htmhttp://www.kirkwood.k12.mo.us/parent_student/KHS/arenske/tkam_index.htmlhttp://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.plhttp://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/scottsboro/SB_HRrep.htmlhttp://library.thinkquest.org/12111/girl.html HomeHome Introduction Assignment StepsIntroductionAssignmentSteps EvaluationConclusionReferences