Introduction
This WebQuest serves to introduce students to William Shakespeare through resarch both on his life and on the Elizabethan Era, emphasizing the items they feel are most contextually relevant to the later study of his works.
The students will research Shakespeare using the links provided, making note of significant events in his life and during the era. This information will be used to create a timeline and a short presentation to the class about the most significant information.
Task
Ready, gumshoes? Here goes!
Your task is to find out as much as you can about the ever-elusive Mr. William Shakespeare. You'll be divided into groups of 4 or 5 to do your research, create your project, and give your presentation to the class. Throughout the project you will:
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Create a PowerPoint or Prezi presentation with a minimum of 10 slides/entries. On these slides you will describe the different stages of Shakespeare's life, enumerate a few of his popular plays/sonnets, provide an explanation of the conspiracies surrounding his authorship, and, using analysis, detail your own theory about the man behind the mystery. (Reminder! No more than 15 words per slide! Present, don't read!)
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Create a timeline of significant events concerning Mr. Shakespeare.
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Give a 5-7 minute oral presentation to the class using the PowerPoint or Prezi.
Here's your research!
Process
- You will be assigned to groups of four to five.
- You will conduct research and form your own theory about Shakespeare.
- Each person in the group will be responsible for doing at least two slides.
- One person will focus on early life
- One person will focus on middle life to death
- One person will focus on popular plays/sonnets
- One person will focus on the different conspiracies.
Evaluation
| Beginning 1 |
Developing 2 |
Qualified 3 |
Exemplary 4 |
Score |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research | Limited research was done about Shakespeare and the conspiracies. | Some research was done, yet not enough to fully describe his entire life. | Substantial amount of information, but lacking in one of the areas. | Great amount of information given about the subject and all aspects of his life and conspiracies were covered. | |
| Group Work | Student had a lack of participation in group, and or a poor attitude. | Student gave little effort to group at times, and was not fully committed. | Student was mostly committed to group work and gave a fair amount of effort. | Student was an active member of the group and respected every other member in the group. | |
| Time Line | Unorganized time line. Little to no effort completed on his life. | Few facts about his life are explained on the time line with little organization. | A fair amount of information is explained about his life and is clearly organized. | A great amount of information is explained about his life and is extremely organized and clear. | |
| Visual Presentation | Less than 10 slides and lacks visual appeal, with little effort or relevance to topic covered. Does not cover any of the four factors. | Less than 10 slides and gives a few facts, but does not cover all four topic areas. | Less than 10 slides and gives most of the facts, but is vague in one of the four topic areas. | A total of 10 slides that are visually appealing and organized and covers all four topic areas. | |
Conclusion
Now that you are familiar with the context of Shakespeare's works and the environment in which they were written, you will have a better understanding of the meaning behind his words as we work through his play "Romeo and Juliet" and his Sonnets!
Credits
Photo Credit:
"Shakespeare" by It may be by a painter called John Taylor who was an important member of the Painter-Stainers' Company.[1] - Official gallery link. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
"William Shakespeares birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon 26l2007" by John - originally posted to Flickr as Stratford upon Avon. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Teacher Page
West Virginia 9th Grade ELA CSO's (10/14/2014)
ELA.9.R.C3.3 -- analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums of informational texts (e.g., a person’s life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.
ELA.9.W.C11.2 -- gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
ELA.9.SL.C14.1 -- present information, findings and supporting evidence clearly, concisely and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance and style are appropriate to purpose, audience and task.