Time-Travel Spies

Introduction

Our WebQuest asks student teams to research particular years during the Civil War from the personal perspective of specific stake holders of that era. They will then use their research to create a time capsule for those years containing various realistic artifacts that are relevant and clearly communicate the "signs of the time".

Learners

Prior to beginning this lesson, the students should have studied the Civil War in their Social Studies class and/or read a novel from the Civil War era in their Language Arts class. Learners will need to have some familiarity with Internet resources and navigation, as well as research skills, such as analyzing primary and secondary source documents, note taking, paraphrasing, organizing and summarizing their information.
 

Curriculum Standards

• Formulate historical questions based on primary and secondary sources, including documents, eyewitness accounts, letters and diaries, artifacts, real or simulated historical sites, charts, graphs, diagrams and written texts
• Gather information from multiple sources, including archives or electronic databases, to have experience with historical sources and to appreciate the need for multiple perspectives
• Distinguish between primary and secondary sources
• Interpret data in historical maps, photographs, art works and other artifacts;
• Examine data to determine the adequacy and sufficiency of evidence, point of view, historical context, bias, distortion and propaganda, and to distinguish fact from opinion
• Analyze data in order to see persons and events in their historical context, understand causal factors and appreciate change over time
• Develop written narratives and short interpretative essays, as well as other appropriate presentations from investigations of source materials
• Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of major events and trends of United States history (e.g., the American Revolution, the Civil War, industrialization, the Great Depression, the cold war);
• Explain how roles and status of people have differed and changed throughout history based on gender, age, class, racial and ethnic identity, wealth, and/or social position; 
• Describe examples of how societies throughout history have used various forms of visual arts, dance, theater, myths, literature and music to express their beliefs, sense of identity and philosophical ideas;
• Explain reasons for conflict and the ways conflicts have been resolved;
• Identify and analyze the various causes and effects of movements of groups of people; 
• Describe, explain and analyze the impact of the exchange of ideas on societies, politics, religion, etc.
• Display empathy for people who have lived in the past; and 
• Describe relationships between historical subject matter and other subjects they study, current issues and personal concerns.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the historical background of the Declaration of Independence;
• Describe how the public agenda is shaped by political leaders and parties, interest groups, the media, public opinion, state and federal courts, and individual citizens

• Students will identify and use primary and secondary sources to paraphrase, elaborate on and integrate information into a final product, e.g., I-Search paper, historical fiction, news article, research paper, documentary.
• Students will demonstrate proficient use of capitalization, punctuation, usage and spelling skills appropriate for their grade level and individual goals and develop proficiency in the use of resources for proofreading and editing.
• Students will recognize the difference between the spoken and written syntax of standard and nonstandard writers and speakers of English and will choose the most appropriate words for the particular purpose.
• Students understand that authors and readers are influenced by their times and experiences and identify those influences in the works they read, listen to and view.
• Students will read works from different literary periods to determine how literature represents the human experience.
• Students will read works with archetypal characters and themes to determine the political and social issues of concern to ancient peoples and the relationship to political and social issues of concern today.
• Students will read and respond to works that reflect various American experiences and those of the milieu of traditional literature.

• Identify key words for searching information sources with minimal assistance; 
• Identify, locate and use an array of print, non print and electronic resources available through their library media center independently, and with assistance, access resources outside the school;
• Use Boolean logic to search electronic databases; 
• Demonstrate the ability to navigate through a variety of software menus to access information; and 
• Understand the variety of ways indexes are used as organizers for information systems.
• Use organizing features of print, non print and electronic materials (tables of contents, menus, indexes, bibliographies and hyper links) to locate and use information; 
• Select and use appropriate resources and/or equipment to accomplish a given task; and 
• Demonstrate ability to take notes, print out or record selected information from a wide range of sources of information.
• Differentiate among fiction, nonfiction and opinion; 
• Discern stereotypes, biases and propaganda techniques in print, non print and electronic resources;
• Use critical evaluation skills in viewing and listening; and
• Develop and apply criteria for evaluating Internet resources
• Assess the quality and quantity of retrieved information and, with assistance, assess the credibility of retrieved information against the assigned need;
• With assistance and during the process, analyze and adjust their information search strategy; 
• Demonstrate responsible and ethical use of hardware and networks. 

Process

Finally, students on the teams representing the North will be assigned one of the following roles: free African American, Union military person, politician, abolitionist, and a female citizen. Students on the teams representing the South will be assigned one of the following roles: slave, Confederate military person, politician, plantation owner, and a female citizen. Each student on the team must develop and submit 3 artifacts to be included in their team's time capsule. At least one of the artifacts must be either a journal entry or a letter written to the group's "commander". In addition, students must prepare a written caption for each artifact describing the item and it's significance or relevance to the period.

This lesson allows for a fun cooperative learning experience, and provides students with opportunities to develop and practice necessary team skills, such as listening, sharing ideas, encouraging, cooperating, and compromising. There may be times when the teams will struggle to get past an issue related to effective teamwork, but this in itself is a learning opportunity. The only other stumbling block we anticipate is the level of difficulty in reading some of the primary source documents from the Civil War era. If transcriptions of these documents are available, students may be more successful with reading and comprehending them.

Teachers who want to teach this lesson should be comfortable with accessing information on the Internet, and have knowledge of the Civil War era.
 

Resources Needed

• Computers with Internet access and word-processing software, at least one computer for each pair of students
• E-mail accounts for all students (so team members can email each other and themselves in order to work on their projects at home) 
• Reference materials in the classroom or school library about the Civil War
• Video or audio materials about the Civil War
• Construction paper, rulers, scissors, colored markers, glue sticks, and other miscellaneous art supplies for use in creating the artifacts

Evaluation

In addition, we have developed an analytical grading rubric which each student will complete and submit together with the group's completed time capsule. Each student must evaluate his/her work using the "student" column on the rubric prior to submitting the final project for teacher's evaluation.

If the teacher has creative ability and wants to, (s)he can create a sample time capsule in order to show the students an example of what a the final project should look like.

Credits & References

We all benefit by being generous with our work. Permission is hereby granted for other educators to copy this WebQuest, update or otherwise modify it, and post it elsewhere provided that the original author's name is retained along with a link back to the original URL of this WebQuest. On the line after the original author's name, you may add Modified by (your name) on (date). If you do modify it, please let me know and provide the new URL.