WEBQUEST
RACISM
in
and in Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
Liam McAndrew
INTRODUCTION
Put yourself in Ellen Foster’s shoes. You are a poor white girl/boy in the
pre-Civil Rights American South whose father’s an alcoholic whose mother has
just recently passed away. You have no
other relatives, and you find that you no longer have a family. A black family down the road agrees to raise
you. They take you in, feed you, clothe
you, and send you to school. They do
this despite having little themselves.
Before moving in with the black family, however, Ellen was extremely
judgmental of them. She was prejudiced,
having negative feelings about them which were influenced by her alcoholic
father. In the story, Ellen overcomes
her prejudice.
TASK
Your task in this WebQuest will be to research the social problem of
racism in the American South n the 1940’s, before the onset of the Civil Rights
movement. You will use the TIPS Public
Policy Analyst and the websites provided in the Resources section to help you
in your research. Next, you will discuss
how Ellen Foster overcomes her own racial prejudice. Finally, you will create a scenario similar
to that in Ellen Foster, in which you
will describe how you personally would react in such a situation. You will present your final product – a
poster – to the class.
PROCESS
1.
Research the problem of racism in the American South during the
1940’s, before the onset of the Civil Rights movement. Use the websites provided below to help you
in your research. Summarize your
findings and original ideas on the following TIPS PPA worksheets:
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 public
policy solutions: Worksheet #4
e. Develop your own
original public policy solution: Worksheet #5
2.
Write a 1-2-page essay explaining how Ellen Foster overcame her
racial prejudice when she went to live with the black family. In your essay, answer the following question:
Is Ellen’s experience realistic? Why or why not?
3.
Create a scenario in which you are in Ellen Foster’s shoes and have
to live with a family that is completely different from you and that has
completely different values, customs, etc.
What would your experience be like? How would you react? How would this
experience change you, if at all?
4.
Create a poster in which you will show Ellen’s experience (as well
as your own experience) “Before” and “After” going to live with the
family. Include at least one visual
(picture, cartoon, etc.) and at least one paragraph for the Before
part and one for the After part. Be
prepared to share this with the class in a 3-4-minute oral presentation.
RESOURCES
Use the following websites to help you in your research:
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-segregation.html
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/encyclopedia/U/U/U.S._Southern_States1.htm
EVALUATION
Your work will be graded according to the following rubric:
ASSIGNMENTS |
IN PROGRESS… KEEP WORKING. |
SATISFACTORY |
IDEAL |
POSSIBLE SCORE |
YOUR SCORE |
Six PPA
Worksheets |
Answered most questions adequately |
Answered all questions adequately |
Answered all questions adequately, showed advanced
understanding |
50% |
|
Oral
Presentation, Including Visual |
Did not address all of the issues or make a very convincing
argument |
Has all of the required issues in the Presentation, but the
PPT is not very convincing |
Shows how each required issue is relates to your side, and
the PPT is clear and convincing |
100% |
|
|
Unprepared, poorly presented and developed |
Presented most arguments adequately |
Above and beyond well prepared, excellent research,
excellent development |
20% |
|
Standards
This WebQuest addresses the following English Language Arts
Standards:
Standard 1:
Language for Information and Understanding
Students
will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As
listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas.
Standard 3:
Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation
Students
will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation.
Standard 4:
Language for Social Interaction
Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction.
Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted
conventions of the English language for effective social communication with a
wide variety of people.
CONCLUSION
Having completed this WebQuest, you have learned about the racism
existed in the American South before the Civil Rights movement began. You have related this knowledge to the story
of Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons,
analyzing Ellen’s experience in light of this historical knowledge. Finally, you have developed a fictional
scenario of your own, in which you place yourself in the role of protagonist to
see how you would personally experience and be affected by similar events.