An Interdisciplinary WebQuest
for Intermediate Grades

 

Introduction | Task | Resources | Process | Evaluation | Learning Advice | Conclusion
 

Introduction

Know ye that His Royal Highness, the King of England, has hereby offered his approval in establishing a colony across the ocean on the shores of America. The site has been found and the preparations have already begun in anticipation of the arrival of the new colonists. If all is not accounted for...the colony will fail!

It be thou charge to insure the success of the colony and the health and welfare of the King's subjects.

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The Task

It be thou charge to prepare for life in the new colony. This work is to be very complete because an error on thou part may cost the lives of many colonists.

Thou task be to complete the following:

• Thou need to provide the Royal Inspectors (ye teachers) with a detailed presentation of what ye have found.
• Since there be only one colony, thou shall cooperate with the others, also in the American colonies, to complete thou task.
• Once gathered, the details of the task shall be combined with that of thou fellow colonists and prepared for presentation to the other members of the Royal Commission (thy class).
• Ye presentation need be oral, including multimedia, using any combination of these as approved by the Royal Inspectors.

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The Process

To more efficiently carry out these tasks, thou Royal Inspectors may organize the Royal Commission into smaller groups so as to spread the workload.

1. First thou need visit the Royal Sites gathered for thou task. Look around and read ALL THAT YE SEE!
2. Choose a role to play in this gathering of information:

    

   • Seeker of the Web -  thee shall be in charge of Ye Olde Mouse
   • Leader of the Web - thee shall be in charge of seeing that all Royal Sites have been searched for valuable information
   • Taker of the Notes - thee shall be in charge of taking notes from the Royal Sites which are of vital importance to the success of thou colony
   • Apprentice to Taker of the Notes - thee shall also be in charge of taking notes from the Royal Sites
   • Keeper of the Supplies - thee shall be in charge of keeping all supplies for thee group
   • Speaker of the Group - thee shall be in charge of all communication between thou group and the Royal Inspectors

    

3. After ye have gathered all information that be critical to the success of thou colony, ye must prepare to present thou findings to the Royal Commission. Ye presentation need include the following:

• one piece of information from Ye Olde Encyclopedia
• one piece of information from Ye Olde World Wide Web
• one piece of information from Ye Olde Royal Reference Books (those to which are in the possession of the Royal Inspectors)

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Resources

By Royal Proclamation, 'Be ye advised that ye are to use these Royal Sites to gather thou information':

Entertainment

• The Virginia Reel
• About Colonial Music
• Leisure Time and Games
• Colonial America Resources

Clothing

• Pilgrim Clothing
• More Pilgrim Clothing
• Dress in Early New England
• Colonial America Resources

Religion

• The Pilgrims Religious Beliefs
• Historical Facts - Puritans
• Strict Religion Rules New England
• The Search For Religious and Political Freedom
• Colonial America Resources

Farming / Food

• The Gardens of Plymouth Plantation
• Interesting Facts
• The First Thanksgiving Dinner
• Colonial Kitchens
• Colonial America Resources

Family

• Fun Facts about Pilgrim Children
• Family Life
• Colonial America Resources

Trades

• Woodworking in Colonial America
• Colonial Soap Making
• Trades - a list of various trades
• Colonial America Resources

History of the Mayflower

• Common Mayflower Myths
• Mayflower Passengers
• History of the Mayflower
• Colonial America Resources

Law

• Crimes and Punishment in Plymouth Colony
• Weapons and Armor of the Pilgrims
• Historical Facts - Puritans
• Colonial America Resources

Salem Witch Trials

• Salem Witch Hysteria
• The Salem Witch Trials 1692
• Salem Witch Museum
• Colonial America Resources

Education

• Schooling, Education and Literacy in Colonial America
• Early Schools
• Colonial America Resources

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Evaluation

• Thou need to provide the Royal Inspectors (thou teachers) with a detailed presentation of what ye have found (thou notes).
• Once gathered, the details of the task shall be combined with that of thou fellow colonists and prepared for presentation to the other members of the Royal Commission (thy class).
• Thou colony presentation need be oral, including multimedia -- as outlined in The Process.
• Thou shall cooperate with the others, also in the American colonies, to complete this task (thou Student Evaluation Rubric).
  

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Remember to make sure that thou notes are neatly presented in cursive and with where thee found the information. Be sure to use your best researching, note taking, and cooperative group skills while preparing for the presentation.

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Conclusion

By using various resources and through thou colonist's presentation, thou, and thou fellow colonists, have helped establish a new Royal Colony in the Americas. Additionally, you have learned some of what it took to be a 15th century colonist. Do you think you have what it took to be a colonist?

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