Do Humans Learn from Mistakes?
(From reading Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities)
WEBQUEST
HUI ALTMAN
MORRIS HIGH SCHOOL – ESL Department
E-mail: lahu85@aol.com
O DUCININITIONI
INTRODUCTION
“It was the best of times,
it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of
hope, it was the season of despair.”
What does this poem-like statement
mean to you? Why is it so controversial? Could its opposites be happening the same
time? Why was it happening? What was occurring at that time? Through reading and studying Charles Dickens’
novel A Tale of Two Cities, you
will find out all the questions that are being asked, what the novel is about,
and how the most important things that you learned from reading can help you
understand human behavior and history.
1.
You will read the
story A Tale of Two Cities.
(Discussions will follow based on the understanding of the book.)
2.
You will watch
the movie version of A Tale of Two
Cities.
3.
You will compare
the novel and movie and find out the similarities and the differences.
4.
You will do some
research on the Internet to find out information about the French Revolution and the
author, Charles Dickens.
5.
You will write a
three-page report on the reading of the novel and the research.
6.
You will give an
oral presentation to the class to share your responses and information.
1.
You will be
divided into small groups to discuss the novel, and to ask and answer questions
about what you found on the Internet. Handouts will be given as an assignment.
2.
You will use the
6-step Public Policy Analyst format to develop your report:
a. Define the social problem: worksheet # 1
b. Gather evidence: worksheet # 2
c. Identify causes: worksheet # 3
d. Evaluate a policy: worksheet
# 4
e. Develop solution: worksheet # 5
f. Select the best solution: worksheet # 6
3.
You will be given
a test after your presentation to reinforce what you have learned through this
activity.
4.
You will have a
review discussion in the class after the test.
Novel – A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Movie – “A Tale of Two Cities”
www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/the
French Revolution
www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/tips
www.news.harvrd.edu/gazette/Charles
Dickens.html
www.ask.com
Excellent – A
· Show a thorough understanding of the project
·
Provide excellent research information
·
Demonstrate strong ability of using the Internet
– PPA or other research tools
·
Develop excellent skills of writing and oral
presentation
·
Gain a high mark on the test
Good - B
· Show a fair understanding of the project
· Provide rich research information
· Demonstrate ability of using the Internet – PPA or other research tools
· Develop skills of writing and oral presentation
· Gain a pretty good mark on the test
Satisfactory – C
· Show some understanding of the project
· Provide some research information
· Demonstrate some ability of using the Internet – PPA or other research tools
· Develop some skills of writing and oral presentation
· Gain a satisfactory mark on the test
Poor – D
·
Show a little understanding of the project
· Provide a little research information
· Demonstrate a very little ability of using the Internet – PPA or other research tool
· Develop no skills of writing and oral presentation
· Gain a low mark on the test
After finishing this project, you have learned about the historical background of this novel, including what a revolution really is, what the French Revolution was about, why the French people had this revolution, why human beings suffer from repeating mistakes, and what happened in this story. You have learned that these events are related to your own life today. You are able to answer the following question: Do human beings learn from mistakes? Do human beings still do the same things now as in the past? In what way are the same mistakes repeated today? You have learned how to use the Internet as a research tool, and you have had the opportunity to share and help others understand life. Most importantly, you will use what you have learned in your future study of literature and history.
English Language Arts
Standard 1. Students
will listen, speak, read, & write for information and understanding; they
will collect data, facts, & ideas and use electronically produced texts.
Standard 4. Students will listen,
speak, read, and write for social interaction.