John Brown

‘The Harper’s Ferry Informers’

Presents

“Live on Location!”

(Designed for 5th grade students)

Introduction

Task

Process

Evaluation

Conclusion

Resources

Introduction

Hello Student,

We’ve been transported back in time to the days before the Civil War. You now work for the ‘Harper’s Ferry Informer.’ A newspaper established to keep the good hearted Americans advised on the happenings of Harper’s Ferry in the 1850’s and 1860’s. Click on the Task button below, or scroll down to see what your first assignment will be as the rookie reporter.

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Task

Process

Evaluation

Conclusion

Resources

Task

Create a sketch dialogue featuring you as the ‘live action reporter’ on location in Harper’s Ferry. You can choose the day of the raid, the day after the raid, or during John Brown’s Trial.

You will want to be thorough in your coverage of the topic you choose.

Practice your sketch and be ready to answer questions from the ‘newsroom’, also known as your classmates.

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Introduction

Process

Evaluation

Conclusion

Resources

Process

1.  Use the Resources button below to find the three recommended websites designed to inform you on the topic of your choice.

2.  Explore those websites and learn as much as you can about the Harper’s Ferry Raid or John Brown’s life.

3.  When you have finished collecting data and learning about the events that took place on that fateful day in 1859, try to imagine yourself as a live reporter at the scene of the event reporting the happenings to a worried nation.

4.  Begin you sketch dialogue with something like, “This is Chet Youbetcha, with the Harper’s Ferry Informer, Live on location…”

5.  Refer to the rubric under the Evaluation button to see the format that will be used to grade your work, and do your best. Remember, a rough draft always helps.

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Evaluation

You are graded according to the following Rubric 

Writing
	Advanced 5 pts	Proficient 4 pts	Basic 3 pts	Fair 2 pts	Poor 1 pts
Content and Presentation	Advanced There are six or more clear and well-focused facts, which are supported by important details. Word choice makes the report interesting to the viewer.	Proficient Five or more facts present, and are supported by some detail. Message in the report is clear and pertains to the topic.	Basic Three to four facts present, and have a clear message pertaining to topic.	Fair One or Two recognizable facts present. Report is rough but comprehendible.	Poor There are no facts incorporated in the presentation. Has little to do with the topic.
Organization	Advanced Details are in order, relevant, and make the writing seem interesting to the reader.	Proficient Details are in order and relevant.	Basic Some details are not relevant or in order.	Fair Many details are not relevant or in order.	Poor The writing is unorganized and makes little or no sense to the reader.
Sentence Fluency	Advanced All sentences are well constructed and varied. Word choice makes the writing seem interesting to the reader.	Proficient Sentences are well constructed and varied.	Basic Most sentences are well constructed and varied.	Fair Sentences are not varied- they have a similar structure.	Poor Sentences are incomplete or rambling.
Gramma, Spelling and Mechanics	Advanced Writer makes no errors in grammar, spelling or mechanics that distract the reader.	Proficient Writer makes few errors in grammar, spelling or mechanics that distract the reader.	Basic Writer makes many errors in grammar, spelling or mechanics that distract the reader.	Fair Writer makes several errors in grammar, spelling or mechanics that distract the reader.	Poor Errors in grammar, spelling or mechanics make the writing impossible to comprehend.
Effort in the Writing Process	Advanced Student devotes a lot of time and effort to the writing process to make the writing his/her best.	Proficient Student devotes some time and effort to the writing process to get the assignment finished promptly.	Basic Student devotes some time, but not much effort, to the writing process.	Fair Student seems to rush through the writing process with little effort or care in the quality of his/her work.	Poor Student does not put forth effort in the writing process. Quality of work is unacceptable.

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Introduction

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Resources

Conclusion

After completing this WebQuest each student should have a better understanding of what events took place during and after John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry. In addition, each student should better understand the reasons John Brown and his raiders took on such a dangerous and illegal activity.

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Introduction

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Resources

Resources

Use these web sites to gather the information you need to present the best “On Location Report.”

 John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/brown/peopleevents/pande09.html

John Brown’s Life Timeline:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/brown/timeline/index.html

John Brown’s Life Map:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/brown/maps/map.html

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Introduction

Task

Process

Evaluation

Conclusion