WEBQUEST
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
And The Life of
EDGAR ALLAN POE
Kara Bopp
INTRODUCTION
After
viewing the A&E biography of Edgar Allan Poe, you will explore the effects
of his substance abuse on his writing.
First, you will explore the social problem of substance abuse in
general, and then apply this research to the life of a famous artist. The question that you should keep in mind
during your research is, “To what extent should we be aware of the
circumstances surrounding a writer’s personal life if we are to more fully
understand his work?”
TASK
Your
task in this WebQuest is, first, to use the TIPS Public Policy Analyst as well
as the websites provided in the Resources section to help you research the
general social problem of substance abuse; and second, to apply this research
and websites specific to Poe to create a visual timeline and to try to draw
conclusions about the influences on Poe’s writing.
PROCESS
1.
Working
in pairs, you will research the general social problem of substance abuse in
our society. You will use the TIPS PPA
worksheets and the websites provided below to help you in your research.
a.
Define
the problem: Worksheet #1
b.
Gather
evidence of the problem: Worksheet #2
c.
Identify
the causes of the problem: Worksheet #3
d.
Evaluate
an existing public policy: Worksheet #4
e.
Develop
your own original public policy: Worksheet #5
2.
Use
your class notes about Poe, as well as the research and original ideas from
step 1, to create a timeline/poster detailing Poe’s life and work. Include all information pertaining to Poe’s
excessive drinking and opium use.
3.
Write
a one-page essay in which you will state and expand on an original thesis on
the following questions: (a) How do the events of Poe’s life contribute to the
themes in this writing? (b) How might have Poe’s stories and poems been different
if he didn’t drink or smoke?
4.
Make
a 3-5-minute oral presentation to the class on the most important findings your
pair has made.
RESOURCES
Use
the following websites to help you in your research:
General problem of
substance abuse:
http://www.focusas.com/SubstanceAbuse.html
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/substanceabuseproblems.html
Substance abuse and Poe’s
life and art:
http://www.usna.edu/EnglishDept/poeperplex/deadpoep.htm
http://www.poetrybay.com/winter2004/poe.html
http://www.ncteamericancollection.org/litmap/poe_edgar_allan_ny.htm
EVALUATION
Your
work will be evaluated according to the following rubric:
Assignment
Component |
Grade
4 |
Grade
3 |
Grade
2 |
Grade
1 |
Research
& Worksheets |
Answered all questions adequately, showed
advanced understanding |
Answered all questions adequately |
Answered most questions adequately |
Did not answer most questions adequately |
Timeline/Written
Analysis |
Above and beyond, well prepared, included
interesting visuals |
Generally well done, but is missing pertinent
visuals |
Adequately done, with or without pertinent visuals |
Poorly done, with or without pertinent visuals |
Oral
Presentation |
Shows how each required issue is relates to your
side, and the presentation is clear and convincing |
Has all of the required issues, but the presentation is not very
convincing |
Did not address all of the issues or make a very convincing argument |
Did not address any of the issues or make a very convincing argument |
The
following Standards are addressed by this WebQuest:
c |
Read
and comprehend informational materials. |
Writing
a |
Produce
a report of information. |
Speaking, Listening, and
Viewing
a |
Participate
in one-to-one conferences with the teacher. |
b |
Participate
in group meetings. |
c |
Prepare
and deliver an individual presentation. |
Conventions, Grammar, and
Usage of the English Language
a |
Independently
and habitually demonstrate an understanding of the rules of the English |
B |
Analyze
and subsequently revise work to improve its clarity and effectiveness. |
Public Documents
A |
Critique
public documents with an eye to strategies common in public discourse. |
b |
Produce
public documents. |
Functional Documents
a |
Critique
functional documents with an eye to strategies common to effective functional
documents. |
b |
Produce
functional documents appropriate to audience and purpose. |
Applied
Learning
Information
Tools and Techniques
a |
Gather information to assist in completing
project work. |
b |
Use
on-line sources to exchange information for specific purposes. |
c |
Use
word-processing software to produce a multi-page document. |
d |
Write,
add content to, and analyze a relational data base. |
Tools
and Techniques for Working With Others
a |
Participate in the
establishment and operation of self-directed work teams. |
CONCLUSION
Having
completed this WebQuest, you now understand the general social problem of
substance abuse in our society. You have
applied this knowledge to the life of a great artist, drawing conclusions about
the effect of narcotic substances on his art.