"The Times They Are A-Changin"

A WebQuest for 10th and 11th Grade U.S. History

jluddy@swindsor.k12.ct.us ,jroche@simsbury.k12.ct.us ,
sharman.tait@new-haven.k12.ct.us ,marilyn.wilson@new-haven.k12.ct.us

Introduction

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." The Sixties were years of celebration and struggle. It was a decade that exhibited extremes which ranged from freedom, joy and hope to despair, conflict and confrontation. Americans faced choices as they never had to in the past.Four major movements (Anti-War, Civil Rights, Musicians and Women's Rights) challenged political, sexual, moral, and cultural mores were being challenged. Dormant tensions surfaced and extreme dialogues became intense. Yet, out of this confrontation, the lives of Americans were radically transformed.

This WebQuest challenges you to investigate some of the famous individuals of the Sixties generation and to discover how and what each contributed to the variety and complexity of the times. How did prominent individuals promote revolutionary political, social, and cultural changes during this turbulent decade? Today people still have divided opinions about this decade. Was it a time when over self-indulgent baby boomers caused unnecessary turmoil or a time when American society became more compassionate and tolerant?

Task

Fifty years after the Woodstock Festival, Gonzo V. Flowerchild, an eccentric hippie millionaire, has decided to give money to your town for a monument which will be erected to commemorate the sixties. Representatives from four 60's movements want to persuade Mr. Flowerchild that their movement was the most significant. These movements are: Anti-War, Civil Rights, Musicians and Women’s Rights. You will join one of these groups and take on the role of a famous activist. Your group will attempt to persuade Mr. Flowerchild that your movement made the most significant changes to our society. You will also be responsible for one of these positions in your group: Team Leader, Research Manager, Presentation Manager, Note Taker, Technology Coordinator or Discussion Leader. For your group presentation you will be assuming the persona of a famous activist from the 1960's.

Process

1. Select a group of your choice: Civil Rights, Women’s Rights, Anti-War Movement, or
Musicians.

Team Leader will be responsible for staying in contact with the teacher, encouraging teamwork and managing all tasks involved.

Research Manager will operate the computer using the resources provided to search the Internet for the information your team needs to accomplish its task.

Presentation Manager will organize the group's final presentation.

Note Taker will scan through the documents provided by the Research Manager and will underline, highlight or write down important information in note form in order to complete the task assigned.

Technology Coordinator will keep track of all materials and Internet sites used during the project. You will also be responsible for keeping a safe copy of the documents produced.

Discussion Leader will lead the discussion as the group meets to share its research and design its presentation.

3. Click on your group's category to learn about the about the famous activists, your tasks and web resources

Anti-War Movement
Civil Rights
Musicians
Women's Rights

4. The next stage will be the presentation to Mr. Flowerchild. The teacher will conduct the discussion. Questions should allow the students to introduce their characters. The characters will give persuasive arguments which will prove that their group had the most lasting impact on American society.

Print Resources

Care, John, Rosemary C.R. Taylor. Co-ops, Communes and Collectives: Experiments in Social Change in the 1960s and the 1970s. New York: Pantheon, 1979.

Davis, Flora. Moving the Mountain: The Women's Movement in America Since 1960. Urbana, Ill: University of Illinois Press, 1999.

Gitlin, Todd. The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage. New York: Bantam, 1993.

Grimbly, Shona, Ed. The Story of Music: From Rock and Pop to Hip-Hop. v. 6. Danbury, CT: Grolier, 2001.

Holland, Gini. The 1960s: A Cultural History of the United States Through the Decades. SanDiego: Lucent Books, 1999.

Kronenwetter, Michael. America in the 1960s. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 1998.

Morgan, Edward P. The 60's Experience: Hard Lessons about Modern America. Philadelphia: Temple University, 1991.

Reynolds, Simon. The Sex Revolt: Gender Rebellion and Rock and Roll.Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1995.

Singleton, Carl, Ed. The Sixties in America. v.1-3. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 1999.

Sochen, June. Movers and Shakers: American Women Thinkers and Activists, 1900-1970. New York: Quadrangle, 1973.

Whayland, Jack. Beyond the Barricades: The Sixties Generation Grows Up. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1989

Evaluation

Learners will be graded as individuals using the following rubric.

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4
Collaboration	Displayed minimum effort in assigned role and in cooperating with other group members.	Performed role adequately and contributed to the group.	Performed assigned role and worked with the group in an above average way.	Performed assigned role and worked with other group members in an exceptional manner.
Completeness of Research	Used minimal amount of recommended resources.	Used most recommended resources.	Used all recommended resources.	Used all recommended print, nonprint and primary resources plus additional resources.
Group Presentation	Lacks sequence. No visuals. Poor delivery.	Poor sequence.Visuals rarely support text. Too quiet. Incorrect pronunciation.	Logical sequence. Visuals related to text and presentation. Clear voice. Most words correctly pronounced.	Presents information in logical, interesting sequence. Visuals reinforced text and presentation. Clear voice and correct pronunciation.
Factual or Historical Accuracy in Discussion	Doesn't understand content.Cannot answer rudimentary questions.	Uncomfortable with content.Cannot answer questions.	At ease with content. Answers most questions.	Demonstrates full knowledge of the content.Answers all questions.
Persuasion	Statement of position cannot be maintained. Evidence is not related to argument. Total lack of structure.	Position is stated but no maintained consistently. Argument is supported by limited evidence. Structure is poorly developed.	Position is clearly stated. References are missing. Not enough evidence. Lacks clear structure.	Position is clearly stated. Clear references to the issue are stated. Evidence supports the position. Argument is clearly developed.

Conclusion

This lesson has provided students with a refined sense of historical perspective. It leaves a lasting impression of an individual's commitment to a cause. Each of these historical movements affected the political, economic, cultural and social aspects of contemporary American life. How will the contributions of your decade promote changes in the future? Remember, you can make a difference. Peace.

You might want to learn about other important people in history. Check out Biography. American Memory is a wonderful site sponsored by the Library of Congress where you can find documents, photographs and lots of cool stuff. The History Channel contains a wealth of information on American and world history.

Credits & References

Credits for Images:

Civil Rights
Eichorn, Ike. Long Island Our Story. 1964. 16 Aug 2002 <http://www.lihistory.com/8/hs815a.htm>

Anti-War Movement
Nachtwey, James. AOL News. 2000. 16 Aug 2002 <http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/rwb/11.html>

Women's Rights
National Organization for Women. 16 Aug 2002 <http://www.now.org/nnt/05-

Musicians
McDarrah, Fred W. The Village Voice. June 20-26, 2001. 16 Aug 2002
<http://www.images.villagevoice.com/issues/0125/bkxgau.jpg>

The multicolored peace sign
The Sixties. 16 Aug 2002. <http//www.sixties.net/sixties.htm>

Special thanks to Bernie Dodge, Professor of Educational Technology at San Diego State University, for developing the WebQuest model. His informative WebQuest Page provides links to creative WebQuests and offers instruction and guidance for educators and library media specialists.

Last updated on August 16, 2002. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page