WWII WebQuest

Create a Google Document and share it with me at shipdog65@gmail.com.  Follow the directions below on that document.  Please copy and paste the question with your answer into that document.  Have fun.

The purpose of this webquest is to help you get a feel for World War. The war took place in two arenas, or theaters, the Pacific with Japan, and Europe with Germany. This webquest does not attempt to sugar-coat what happened during this war.  Some of the readings and pictures can be disturbing.  The point is that this was a war where millions of people were injured or killed.  There isn't a way to really soften the realities of war.


 1. Read about the after-effects of World War I  and the  Treaty of Versailles http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/treaty_of_versailles.htm 

This website has stats about how many people were killed, who the Big Three were, and the four areas of the Treaty.  Write 5 important facts from this site.

2.  Go to the following site and scroll through the timeline.  http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/ww2time.htm#stpaul 

A. What year did Adolph Hitler become the leader of the National Socialist Nazi Party?  (Hint - look in the 1920's)
B. Go to 1925.  Click on Mein Kampf.  What does Mein Kampf mean?  (Third or fourth paragraph)
C. What is an Aryan, according to Hitler?  (Around the fourth paragraph)
D.. Look at the bottom of the article, when did this book become hugely popular? To answer this, you have to read the article, then go back to the timeline to find out when Hitler became Chancellor.
E. What year did the Nazis hold a book burning? List some authors whose works were destroyed.
F. Scroll down to 1941.  Look at December.  What happened on Dec. 8 and Dec. 11?
G. Scroll to the very end.  Click on the Statistics of World War II.  Which country had the most fatalities?    How many countries were involved in World War II?  

3.Now go to http://www.pbs.org/childofcamp/history/        
A. Where were the camps located?
B.  State 5 facts about the conditions at the camps.
C. Explain in detail what it was like for the children.

4. Go to https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005852  and read through this site.  When you are done exploring write five facts about Nazi book burning.
 
5.Go to the following website.  http://time.com/3494421/hiroshima-and-nagasaki-photos-from-the-ruins/ 
Click on pictures that interest you.  Read the captions under the pictures.  Explain your thoughts on how the Japanese must have felt immediately after the Atomic Bomb was dropped on them.    


6.  Navajo code talkers. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aihmcode1.html  This site has information about the Navajo code talkers.  Who came up with the idea to use Navajo?  Why?  Why were the code talkers heroes?

 Just an interesting site.  https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2008-featured-story-archive/navajo-code-talkers/  This website has a code talker dictionary.  If you are interested in how the code worked, click on this site.

7.  Concentration camps.  http://history1900s.about.com/library/holocaust/blmap.htm  This site has a map of all the concentration and extermination camps.
A. What was the camp to the furthest point north?
http://fcit.usf.edu/holocaust/timeline/camps.htm  The site has a lot of links and photos of the camps.  Some are very disturbing and sad.
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005263 You will find more information about the camps at this site.  There is a chart of how many were killed at each camp and how.
B. Which two camps had the highest rate of deaths?  Did you locate them on the map?
http://history1900s.about.com/library/holocaust/blchart.htm  This chart shows all the camps, concentration and extermination.
C. What was the difference?
D. How many did the U.S. shut down?

8. D-Day  http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/find_out/guides/world/d-day_/newsid_3754000/3754731.stm
A. What was D-Day?
B. Why was it called D-Day (use the link)?
9.  Iwo Jima/ Okinawa Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Go the following link and watch the video.  (You have to suffer through a commercial first.)
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day What is your response?

Civil War WebQuest

Civil War Web Quest

This Web Quest focuses on students exploring the different perspectives of the American Civil War, and creating three different writing pieces.

Introduction

 

There are many causes of the American Civil War. The leading cause that resulted in the tension between the North and the South over the issue of slavery and property rights. The other main causes are the Compromise of 1850, the differences between the Northern and the Southern economies, the argument of the legality of slavery and states rights, and Secession. In this Web Quest, you will listen and read about the treatment of slaves, how the Southern plantation owners felt about slavery and its impact on their economy, and the position that the North and South held on the resulting causes of the Civil War. This Web Quest will take you approximately 2 to 3 class periods. As you are completing the Web Quest, imagine if you had to live during the 1860's. Think about all the possible perspectives that were held at that time period.

Task

Imagine you’re living through the beginning of the Civil War. Your task will be to complete three different processes and have three different writing pieces where you are exploring the different perspectives of the causes of the Civil War. In this Web Quest you will complete:

1.      A Journal entry

2.      A news article

3.      A chart explaining the North and the South’s differences

Process

Introduction

Begin by completing an introduction to the topic.  Click on this link:

http://www.history.com/civil-war-150

  

This is a site commemorating the 150^th anniversary of the civil war as done by the History Channel.  It is a top notch resource.  There are 7 different major links that are on this site.  Explore all of them, and their sub-links as they will do a tremendous job explaining the civil war to you.  When you have completed this task, create a cover page with name, class, and topic on it.  Make it creative.  Then create a 3 to 5 paragraph introduction to your project with this site as the sole source. 

Process 1:

Slavery was a major cause of the Civil War. It was an uncontrollable conflict between the North and South.  In the West, the United States was expanding, and questions over the territories becoming a slave or free state caused conflicts in Congress. 

Northern opposition to slavery caused the South to fear a threat to them owning slaves and their economy (slave based Plantation systems).  Abolition movement ( a group of people who considered slavery to be morally wrong) was growing strong in the North.   Southerners found slavery profitable and considered slavery to be good. 

Approximately ¼ owned slaves and a ½ of the families that owned slaves had fewer than 5.  Most Southerners who did not own slaves supported slavery because they believed the Southern economy would collapse without slaves and Blacks were inferior to whites. 

Assignment: Imagine you were a slave during the 1800's, and the horrible treatment you would face. Use your previous knowledge on slavery and the following Web sites to write a journal entry where you are pretending to be a slave. This journal should be about 1 page in length.  Include the following criteria:

1. How slaves were treated by their masters?

2. What different obstacles slaves faced?

3. Describe working and living conditions?

4. Describe slaves’ lives outside of working on the plantations?

Web sites:

http://newdeal.feri.org/asn/asn00.htm

- Read the narratives of the slaves that Worked on the Plantations.

http://www.civil-war.net/narratives/slavenarratives.asp

- Read through 3 narratives of what these 3 slaves went through.

http://www.historynet.com/abolitionist-movement

- Read All 

Process 2



The South’s population in 1860 was approximately 12 million, with about 4 million enslaved people. Most people lived on farms in spread-out communities, lived on self-sufficient plantations, and cities were trading centers. The economy was based on agriculture, supported by slave labor, and the growth of cash crops such as cotton, tobacco, and sugar. Large plantation owners controlled much of the Southern traditional and conservative society.

 Assignment: Imagine you were plantation owner during the 1800's, and you are defending the need for slavery and how abolishing slavery would negatively affect the South’s economy. Use your previous knowledge on the South’s economy in the 1800’s and the following Web sites to write a news article explaining why slavery should still be used. This article should be 1-2 pages in length.  Include the following criteria:

1.     Why Southerners believed slavery was okay?

2.       Describes the South’s economy in the 1800’s.

3.       How the South’s economy would be affected if slavery was abolished?

Web sites:

http://www.civilwarhome.com/kingcotton.htm

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lincolns/filmmore/ps_grayson.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lincolns/filmmore/ps_fitzhugh.html

Process 3

The following are Causes of the Civil War:

Slavery: The North and South argued over the morality of slavery, and the treatment of slaves.

Compromise of 1850: This was a group of acts that were passed to settle the slave question and give satisfaction to both the North and South. Henry Clay proposed that One, California be admitted as a free state (slavery not permitted); Two, Utah and New Mexico would use Popular Sovereignty (decide to be either a free or slave state); Three, The US would allow slavery to continue, but would abolish the slave trade in Washington, DC. Four, A stricter fugitive slave law that would require Northerners to return escaped slaves back to their owners.

Legality of Slavery: The North and South continually argued over the legality of slavery. The North feared it might bring competition between slave laborers and wage earners, or would threaten to reduce the status of white workers. They also supported the Wilmot Proviso. In the South, whites feared a social and economic revolution if slavery was not legalized, and believed slaves as property were protected by the Constitution. They were against the Wilmot Proviso. 

Secession: In December 1860, South Carolina seceded, and was the first state to secede.  In January 1861, Mississippi , Florida , Alabama , Georgia , and Louisiana seceded. On  February 4, 1861, representatives met in Montgomery , Alabama and established the Confederate States of America . The President elected was Jefferson Davis (of Mississippi ) and Vice President elected was Alexander H. Stephens (of Georgia ). On March 2, 1861, Texas seceded.

Economies: The North’s economy was based on manufacturing, producing textiles, ships, iron, and lumber, and foreign trade. The South’s economy was based on agriculture, slave labor, and the growth of cash crops.

States Rights: The North and South argued over how much control the federal government had over the states.

Your Assignment is to create a chart that explains what the North and South’s position was on EACH of the above causes of the Civil War.  Use the following Web sites to complete the assignment and the chart example.  

Chart Example:

	North	South
Compromise of 1850
Slavery
Secession
Economies
Legality of Slavery
States Rights

 Web sites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War

http://www.americancivilwar.com/kids_zone/causes.html

http://www.historynet.com/abolitionist-movement

http://www.nps.gov/liho/planyourvisit/upload/cw_slavery_site_bulletin.pdf

http://www.civilwarhome.com/gordoncauses.htm

https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Compromise1850.html

Evaluation

Evaluation of the task and assignments of the:

Which side would you have chosen during the Civil War? 

WebQuest Rubric

	3-Excellent	2-Satisfactory	1-Unsatisfactory
Slave Journal Entry	Creative, clear descriptions, includes an accurate explanation of the specified criteria, and has specific references from the given Web sites	Minimum explanation on the specified criteria, and references to the given Web sites.	Did not follow the specified criteria, provides no references to the Web sites, no explanation, and is unclear.
Southern Plantation Owner News Article	Creative, clear descriptions, includes an accurate explanation of the specified criteria, and has specific references from the given Web sites	Minimum explanation on the specified criteria, and references to the given Web sites.	Did not follow the specified criteria, provides no references to the Web sites, no explanation, and is unclear.
North and South position on the Causes	Chart Clearly explains what the North and South positions were on the Causes of the War, and uses specific references from the given Web sites.	Chart has Minimum explanation on the North and South’s positions on the Causes of the Civil War, and uses minimum references from the given Web sites.	Chart does not accurately explain the positions of the North and South, provides no explanation, there are no references from the Web sites, and is unclear.

Posted by shipdog65 at 10:39 AM 

Conclusion

This WebQuest was to help you understand a variety of perspectives from that of the North and the South over the resulting causes of the American Civil War. It was also to help you be able to describe the life of a slave and explain the Southern mentality about slavery and their economy. Just to remind you, the North’s cause was to keep the nation together and to abolish slavery, while the South’s cause was to keep their economy strong and keep their cheap workforce intact. Which side would you have chosen to fight for? In a one-page summary, tell me which side you would have been on and why?

The Union Army or The Confederate Army??

War of 1812 WebQuest

The War of 1812

Our national anthem began as a poem celebrating a battle during the War of 1812. The song is better known than the war. What was the fight about? Why would a country as young as ours become involved in another war against Britain?

*Note - some of the questions may have to be looked up in different areas or may have to be interpreted from what you read on the site I linked.  

Visit http://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/the-war-of-1812.aspx

• Why was the United States irritated with the British?

• Why did the War Hawks want to go to war?

• How did the war go for America in 1812–1813?

• What happened to Washington, D.C., in 1814?

• Describe Andrew Jackson's victory in New Orleans.

• Explain the practice of impressment.

• What did Thomas Jefferson hope to accomplish by passing the Embargo Act?

Now go to http://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/ It tells about the writer of "The Star-Spangled Banner." 

• Who was Francis Scott Key and why did he go to Baltimore?

• What inspired him to write "and the flag was still there"?

• When was Key's poem adopted as our national anthem?

Now go to: http://www.navy.mil/local/constitution/visitors.asp.

• Why can the USS Constitution be called a national ship?

• Why was she important to the War of 1812?

• Why was she nicknamed "Old Ironsides"?

Now go to: http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/outlines/history-1990/the-formation-of-a-national-government/second-war-with-england.php

•  How many warships did the British Navy own?
• Who became president in 1609?
• What two areas were most upset by the Embargo Act?
• Why did some sailors desert the British navy and end up on American vessels?

Now go to: http://www.nps.gov/pevi/historyculture/battle_erie_detail.htm

• What did the Indians want created south and west of Lake Erie?
• Why did Americans dislike the British support of the Indians?
• Who was the Indian Chief that pressed for unification of the tribes?
• Who was the leader of the War Hawks?
• By 1812, how many American vessels had the British captured?

Now go to: http://www.history.com/topics/war-of-1812

• List the THREE causes of the War of 1812.
• 1.
• 2.
• 3.

Now go to: http://www.tcha.mus.in.us/battlehistory.htm

• Which side won the Battle of Tippecanoe?
• Who was the American commander at Tippecanoe?

Now go to: http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/naval/p/War-Of-1812-Commodore-Oliver-Hazard-Perry.htm

• What was Commodore Oliver H. Perry’s famous quote at the Battle of Lake Erie?

Now go to: http://history1800s.about.com/od/americanwars/tp/1814washingtonburns.htm

• Who was the British General that attacked Washington D.C.?
• What did the British do to the Capitol building, the White House, and various other federal buildings?

Now go to: http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h2499.html

• When did the British finally defeat Napoleon?
• What fort was the key to Baltimore’s defense?
• How long did the British bomb the fort?
• What is the other name of the War of 1812?
• What inspired Francis Scott Key to write the National Anthem?
• How many stars are on the flag above Ft. McHenry?

Now go to: http://www.history.com/topics/treaty-of-ghent

• When was the Treaty of Ghent signed?
• What did the treaty say about conquered territory?
• When was the Battle of New Orleans?
• Why did the Battle of New Orleans occur after the peace treaty was signed?
• Who became the hero of the Battle of New Orleans?
• If Americans heard about the Treaty of Ghent and the Battle of New Orleans at the same time, who did the Americans think won the War of 1812?

Extension ActivityMake an illustration of the Star-Spangled Banner on the back of this sheet.