The Great Gatsby Webquest

A Webquest by Thomas Rigney, Adlai E. Stevenson High School

It is a summer in the mid 1920s. You have been engaged study on the effectiveness of Prohibition in the United States. You and a person you are dating have driven out to East Egg, Long Island and attended one of the fabulous parties thrown by Mr. Jay Gatsby each fortnight that summer. You are of course aware that Congress passed the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919, outlawing the making, sale and consumption of all alcoholic beverages throughout the country. And you are also aware that alcohol is made available by bootleggers for consumption by those with access. But this is the first you have seen people consuming it so readily and openly. Many appear to be enjoying themselves, harmlessly. Others appear to be victims of demon alcohol.

You have been contracted by a key congressional committee to put together a team to evaluate the policy in effect, and make recommendations regarding maintenance or change in the national policy regarding Prohibition.

You will conduct research on the conditions that led up to the national decision to outlaw alcoholic beverages. You will research why this policy was seen as necessary, who was in favor of such a policy, and how the decision to enact the Eighteenth Amendment came to be made.

You will write a 3-4 page paper based on your research, and make substantive recommendations regarding change of the policy, whether Prohibition should be maintained or abolished in the United States.

You will work in a group of four students and present your findings and position in a television talk show debate between your group and another group.

You will use the following strategies to complete the tasks.

1) You will be assigned to a group of four students to research expert opinions about causes that lead up to the Eighteenth Amendment. You will also research expert opinions on the effectiveness of Prohibition.

2) You will investigate the websites listed, as part of that study group.

3) Each group will gather the following information, based on the research:

a) What reasons led to the imposition of Prohibition?

b) Is Prohibition helpful in controlling the social problem?

c) What are some alternatives to making drinking unlawful?

4) Each group will complete the Public Policy Analyst worksheets:

a. Defining the Social Problem

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/select.html

b. Evaluating existing public policies

http://maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/existing.html

5) You will write a carefully organized 3-5 page paper.

6) You will combine your findings in a group report that will be presented in the format of a televised talk show debate.

You will research the following websites:

https://www.google.com/

http://www.altavista.com/

http://www.chenowith.k12.or.us/tech/subject/social/depression.html

http://home1.gte.net/res0kzdq/WONPR1929_1933.htm

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/Allen/ch10.html

http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/library/studies/wick/wick10.html

http://www.druglibrary.org/prohibitionresults.htm

http://www.cpcug.org/user/billb/prohibition.html

http://www.colorado.edu/AmStudies/lewis/2010/klan.htm

http://www2.andrews.edu/~karr/prohib.html

http://65.23.136.214/publications/brochures/prohibition.shtml

http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/United%20States%20Prohibition%20Party

http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/history/e1920/fabian4.htm

http://mbhs.bergtraum.k12.ny.us/user/b6504/research.html

http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/PP/vap1.html

http://www.drugtext.org/library/articles/craig101.htm

Your work will be evaluated both individually and as part of your group. The group work will be evaluated according to the television talk show presentation. The written report will be your individual evaluation.

1) Public Policy Worksheets / Team participation 20 Points

2) Written report: 50 Points

a. three to five pages

b. typed, double spaced, font size 12

c. bibliography listing any sources

d. MLA style www.mla.org/

3) Team Presentation 30 Points

Performance Standards

Language Arts:

E1c Read and comprehend information materials.

E2a Produce a report of information.

E3b Participate in group meetings.

The student produces a report that:
•	engages the reader by establishing a context, creating a persona, and otherwise developing reader interest;
•	develops a controlling idea that conveys a perspective on the subject;
•	creates an organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience, and context;
•	includes appropriate facts and details;
•	excludes extraneous and inappropriate information;
•	uses a range of appropriate strategies, such as providing facts and details, describing or analyzing the subject, narrating a relevant anecdote, comparing and contrasting, naming, explaining benefits or limitations, demonstrating claims or assertions, and providing a scenario to illustrate;
•	provides a sense of closure to the writing.

Your work will be evaluated according to the following rubric:

GRADE:		2	3	4
Oral Presentation	No knowledge of the uses of PPA. Presents no data to support the proposed policy.	Little knowledge of the uses of PPA. Presents several sources of data in a logical format to support the proposed policy.	Acceptable amount of knowledge Of the uses of PPA. Presents several sources of data in a logical and organized format to support the proposed policy.	Superior knowledge of the uses of PPA. Presents an exceptional amount of data to support the proposed policy.
Research	Links are not relevant to support the proposed policy.	Enough links but few support the proposed policy.	Many links that support the proposed policy.	All links support the proposed policy.
Report & Worksheets	Incomplete Does not use the conventions of standard written English.	Weak usage of the conventions of Standard Written English.	Acceptable usage of the conventions of Standard Written English	Superior use of the conventions of Standard Written English

Once you have completed the project, each of you will have a greater understanding of how events shaped the political decision to impose Prohibition on the citizenry of the United States. You will also have a greater understanding of how to search for and evaluate alternative solutions.

Oral Presentation

Research