Who killed John F. Kennedy?

Introduction

                  

Pres. John F. Kennedy has gone down as one of America's most beloved and popular presidents of all time. His biggest legacy is not related to the things he did as the President of the United States, but in his death as President of the United States at the hands of an assassin's bullet.

On November 22, 1963 a lone gunman named Lee Harvey Oswald gunned down Pres. Kennedy as he rode in an open topped limo through the streets of Dallas, Texas. But Mr. Oswald never stood trial for his crimes, himself being gunned down at the hands of Jack Ruby on his way to the courthouse to be arraigned.

Pres. Kennedy's biggest legacy is that fact that many people believe there was a larger, more powerful conspiracy behind his death. Could it be that Lee Harvey Oswald did not, in fact, act alone?

Task

You are reopening the case of the assassination of Pres. John F. Kennedy, looking at potential conspirators into the death of Pres. John F. Kennedy including the original perpetrator Lee Harvey Oswald.

Process

Click on the link below to help you investigate potential conspirators and theories into the death of Pres. John F. Kennedy. When the link opens, scroll down to section titled "Primary Sources: Theories" to provide you with links to the 8 possible theories you will investigate. 

                           http://spartacus-educational.com/JFKprimary.htm

1. You will create a table in Microsoft Word or Google Docs to enter the data as you gather it during your investigation. Your table should include the following pieces of information:

     A. Identify each of the 8 conspirators

     B. Describe each conspirator's involvement in killing Pres. Kennedy. Use the sources provided in each reading in order to completely describe the conspirator's motivation for a potential killing of Pres. Kennedy.

     C. Rank the 8 theories 1-8 with 1 being the most likely theory to be true and 8 being least likely theory to be true.

2. In 1-2 sentences under your table, explain which conspirator(s) you believe to be the killer of Pres. John F. Kennedy. You can combine more than one theory if you believe there is a connection, but explain how or why the theories are connected. Use at least 1-2 pieces of information from the reading and sources to fully explain your beliefs.

3. When you are finished please email me the attached word document or share the google doc with me... kmmcgraw@oregonsd.net.

Evaluation

Who killed Pres. Kennedy? Table

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Score

Table contains information on all but 5+ conspiracy theories; and/or some theories missing descriptions or descriptions missing some key information

Table contains information on all but 4-5 conspiracy theories; and/or some theories missing descriptions or descriptions missing some key information

Table contains information on all but 2-3 conspiracy theories; or each theory description is detailed, but missing some key information

Table contains information on all but 1 conspiracy theory; each theory description is thorough and detailed

Table contains information on all conspiracy theories with thorough description of conspiracy theories

 

 

Who killed Pres. Kennedy? Ranking

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Score

All conspiracy theories present and ranked except 5+

All conspiracy theories present and ranked except 4-5

All conspiracy theories present and ranked except 2-3

All conspiracy theories present and ranked except 1

All conspiracy theories present and ranked

 

 

Who killed Pres. Kennedy? Explanation of Assassination

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Score

Explanation does not name or explain who you think is responsible for the death Pres. Kennedy & why; less than 1-2 paragraphs

Explanation does not name or somewhat explain who you think is responsible for the death Pres. Kennedy & why; less than 1-2 paragraphs

Name and somewhat explain who you think is responsible for the death Pres. Kennedy & why; less than 1-2 paragraphs

Name and mostly explain who you think is responsible for the death Pres. Kennedy & why

Name and thoroughly explain who you think is responsible for the death Pres. Kennedy & why in 1-2 paragraphs

TOTAL SCORE:

Conclusion

Congratulations! By completing this WebQuest, hopefully you have learned more about one of the most important and most tragic periods of American history.  You analyzed many sources and thought critically to form your own opinions of what occurred. These are valuable skills to have to successfully learn and understand history.