TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD Background Research GOAL

TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD Background Research

GOAL The goal of this research is to get you started on your next research paper. You will be generating your own research question: what would you like to learn more about in regards to the context of To Kill a Mockingbird? By the end of this webquest, you should have thoroughly explored the context for the book and generated a research question for what topic you want to cover for your miniresearch on the novel. This paper will be 250 words, the product of a SELFGENERATED question, and include three APPROVED sources.

TASK Explore each topic by visiting the cite and answering the corresponding questions. You must either write down the answers or type and print them out. EACH STUDENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS OR HER OWN WORK. Include your research question at the end of your answer sheet.

THE GREAT DEPRESSION Click on http: //www. english. uiuc. edu/maps/depression/photoessay. htm and explore the pictures taken from the 1930 s Depression Era. 1. Picture two’s caption comments, “Not only did bank failures wipe out people's savings, they also undermined the ideology of thrift. ” What does this mean? 2. How do you think this event affected the post depression era generations? 3. What influence do you think this attitude may have had on the current economic situation (the downturn in the market, bankruptcies, foreclosures, high credit card balances and/or reduced lending availability? 4. Considering the content and captions of pictures, what contribution did the climate change of the 1930 s make to the U. S. ’s already troubled times? 5. In what ways did the economic and environmental events of the 1920 s and 1930 s impact the social events of the 1930 s and 1940 s? 6. What historical figure, do you feel, influenced or could have influenced this period and how?

THE GREAT DEPRESSION Visit the following cite to answer the next questions. http: //www. worldbookonline. com/advanced/article? id=ar 234 080&st=great+depression 6. How did the Great Depression begin? 7. What effects did it have on American’s beliefs? 8. How did the Great Depression contribute to WWII? 9. Why were banks going out of business in the 1920 s? 10. What was “Black Thursday”? 11. Who were the groups of people most severely affected? Why? 12. Explain the New Deal. 13. What did people learn from the Great Depression? What can we learn?

DUST BOWL 14. Find some earphones and watch the following video. What was the Dust Bowl? Where was it based? How did it affect the farming? http: //www. worldbookonline. com/a dvanced/extmedia? id=ar 170200&st =great+dust+bowl&em=vd 000372

NEW DEAL Visit the following website to learn about how the New Deal changed our country. http: //www. newdeal 75. org/whatsthelegacy. html 17. How has the New Deal had a lasting effect on our nation? 18. What did the New Deal do for the hope of America? How? 19. What were some of the companies and corporations that were created? What did they do? 20. What did the CCC do? What do you think of having such an organization? Is it helpful or not?

NEW DEAL Visit the following website to learn about the Tennessee Valley Authority and why it was created. http: //www. worldbookonline. com/advanced/arti cle? id=ar 551000&st=farming+in+the+great+dep ression 21. When was TVA created? What was it’s goal? 22. What were the projects created by the TVA? 23. Who was the responsibility divided among? 24. Why was TVA a controversial issue?

JIM CROW LAWS Read the following laws. Summarize each for questions 25 -30 http: //www. yale. edu/glc/arc hive/976. htm

JIM CROW RESPONSE 31. What did you think of the laws? Why do you think they were created? Write a 4 -5 response to them.

PEOPLE AFFECTED BY JIM CROW Go to the following site and pick two stories or biographies to explore. Respond to the following questions for each. http: //www. pbs. org/wnet/jimcrow/stories. ht ml 32 – 33. Who was involved? What happened? Was it fair? What circumstances affected the people involved? How did they handle discrimination?

HARPER LEE – AUTHOR Visit the following site to learn more about the author of TKAM. http: //www. harperlee. com/bio. htm 34. What does Lee say is valuable about mockingbirds? 35. Who was her ancestor? 36. What was her field of study? 37. What did Lee do after her book was published? 38. Why do you think she is so reclusive, not allowing interviews?