A WebQuest for 10th Grade Language Arts

Designed by Jade Bryant

jsb1065@missouriwestern.edu

 

Introduction

The year is 1942. You are a student in a very prestigious New England prep school. This is supposed to be one of the best years of your life: you are young, healthy and full of potential. However, many things are changing, both all around you and within you. These changes are taking over your life, making you have feelings and thoughts that frighten and disturb you. It is as if there is no "bright side" to any aspect of life, and you feel cold, hard, and heartless. How are you going to handle this loss of innocence?

The young characters in John Knowles' A Separate Peace experience these exact feelings in their own experiences at Devon school during World War II. Largely inspired by actual events from Knowles' life, the novel deals with the loss of innocence--the realization that certain circumstances are not as pleasant or agreeable as they once seemed--that often trouble people, especially teenagers. As a boarding-school alumnus himself, Knowles tells this story from the perspective of characters who face difficulties created not in the strict boarding-school system but within their own hearts. Therefore, it is easy for all readers to relate to the characters and events in A Separate Peace.

 

Task

For this WebQuest, you will assume the role of Gene, the main character in the novel. As Gene, you will research the causes, events, and results of World War II, as well as the culture of this time. You will then analyze and reflect upon the action and conflict of your life and identify the ways you lose your innocence in relation to World War II events. Using this research and analysis, you will create a memory book that documents the events of the school year and how you changed throughout.

Process

Activity #1 - World War II

As a student at Devon, it's difficult for you to follow news about the ongoing war. Use the link below to "brush up" on the causes, events, and results of World War II and answer the following questions. Remember! You are Gene living in 1942, so these events are currently taking place! Write your answers from Gene's perspective.

           "World War II" from Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia

Questions:

1. What were two major causes of World War II?

2. How did the United States become involved in World War II?

3. Who are the three main Axis powers? Who are the three main Allies?

4. Who are the Big Three powers?

5. What is D-Day? When and where did it occur?

6. What does the term home front refer to? What is happening on the American home front?

7. What is the Holocaust and what groups is it affecting?

8. How many casualties will result from World War II?

Activity #2 - Culture of 1940s

Keeping track of the latest developments concerning the war is not the only problem you are facing: you are also behind on cultural issues. Get with the program by searching the link below and answering the following questions. Remember! Again, you are Gene, so write your answers from his perspective.

          "American Cultural History--1940-1949" from Kirkwood College Library

Questions:

1. How and why is art and architecture changing in the United States?

2. What important issues are authors writing about in this decade?

3. How is the war impacting fashion at this time?

4. Who is Rosie the Riveter and what does she stand for?

5. What is the baby boom? How will this phenomenon affect the future in America?

6. The radio is a very important device to Americans right now. What are some reasons for this?

7. Why are professional sports encouraged to continue as the war wages on?

8. How are enemies of the United States portrayed in the latest movies?

Activity #3 - Loss of Innocence Reflection Paper

Now that you have a better understanding of what is going on in the world outside of Devon School, you begin to realize that the culture of the United States is changing. Americans are taking on new perspectives of the nature of their world and a nationwide "loss of innocence" is underway. Read the four radio broadcast transcripts at the link below. Pay attention to the contrasts the speakers make between pre-war and post-war times.

          "Winning the Home Front" from "Looking Ahead: The Post-War World"

In many ways, you feel you can relate to this shift in viewpoints as personal circumstances force you to lose your own innocence. In a 1-2 page reflection paper, discuss the similarities between the national loss of innocence and your own loss of innocence. Remember! You are still assuming the role of Gene, so you should write your essay from his perspective! Use the following questions to guide you as you explore the parallel relationships:

1. What does the phrase loss of innocence refer to?

2. How does World War II serve as both a symbol and a theme in my adolescent life?

3. How do the events of the war enable the loss of innocence for me?

4. Can one's innocence be considered one's enemy? Must every person "kill" this enemy in order to become an adult? How do I "kill" my innocence?

Final Activity - Gene's Memory Book

You have learned so much this year at Devon School! The only way you will ever be able to remember all that has happened is to create a memory book of important people, places, and events, as well as personal thoughts and changes from the past year. Your memory book must include the following:

1. A one-page entry focusing on a cause of World War II

2. A one-page entry focusing on an event of World War II

3. A one-page entry focusing on a result of World War II

4. At least three separate one-page entries focusing on three different cultural issues of the 1940s (i.e., music, fashion, movies, etc.)

5. An edited and revised copy of your loss of innocence reflection paper

Each entry should contribute to the idea of the loss of innocence in World War II America. Your reflection paper should show how the two notions--the loss of innocence in America and your own loss of innocence--are related to one another. Please use pictures, drawings, and any other type of media in your memory book. Be sure to include the URLs of the websites from which you take materials. Remember! This is a book you want to keep to remember this year at Devon, so be thoughtful, be creative, and have fun!

Evaluation

Your performance for this WebQuest will be evaluated using the following rubric:

Developing

 

Accomplished

 

Exemplary

 

Score

 

World War II Research Activity

 

 6 pts - The student identifies some of the important information from the provided link in response to the questions. The student's responses indicate little understanding of the key facts about WWII from the activity and create somewhat of a context for the rest of the WebQuest 8 pts - The student identifies most of the important information from the provided link in response to the questions. The student's responses indicate that he/she has some understanding of the key facts about WWII from the activity and create a context for the rest of the WebQuest 10 pts - The student identifies all of the important information from the provided link in response to the questions. The student's responses indicate that he/she clearly understands the key facts about WWII from the activity and create a sound context for the rest of the WebQuest

 

Culture of 1940s Research Activity

 

 6 pts - The student identifies a few of the important cultural issues of the decade from the provided link in response to the questions. The student's responses indicate that he/she has difficulty seeing that the connections between the changes in culture are direct results of the changes in the American way of life and the national loss of innocence. 8 pts - The student identifies most of the important  cultural issues of the decade from the provided link in response to the questions. The student's responses indicate that he/she can somewhat see that the connections between the changes in culture are direct results of the changes in the American way of life and the national loss of innocence. 10 pts - The student identifies the important cultural issues of the decade from the provided link in response to the questions. The student's responses indicate that he/she sees that the connections between the changes in culture are direct results of the changes in the American way of life and the national loss of innocence.

 

Loss of Innocence Reflection Paper

 

 15 pts - The student nearly makes reference to the meaning of the loss of innocence for both WWII America and the character Gene. The student nearly draws  conclusions between the real-life events of WWII and the symbolic and thematic elements of the novel. They paper may lack in clarity and concision and may contain some errors The paper is word-processed. 17 pts - The student makes reference to the meaning of the loss of innocence for both WWII America and the character Gene. The student draws conclusions between the real-life events of WWII and the symbolic and thematic elements of the novel. They paper is mostly clear, concise, free of errors, and word-processed. 20 pts - The student makes clear reference to the meaning of the loss of innocence for both WWII America and the character Gene. The student draws meaningful conclusions between the real-life events of WWII and the symbolic and thematic elements of the novel. They paper is clear, concise, free of errors, and word-processed.

 

Gene's Memory Book

 

 20 pts - The student identifies only some of the information from the research activities and attempts to relate them to the overall theme of the WebQuest. The memory book may be missing some of the required pieces and is arranged in some format with the appropriate resource citations provided. The memory book as a whole nearly reflects the "loss of innocence" theme. 30 pts - The student identifies information from the research activities and relates them to the overall theme of the WebQuest. The memory book contains all or most of the required pieces in a creative and organized format with the appropriate resource citations provided. The memory book as a whole reflects the "loss of innocence" theme. 40 pts - The student identifies the most important information from the research activities and relates them to the overall theme of the WebQuest. The memory book contains all of the required pieces in a creative and organized format with the appropriate resource citations provided. The memory book as a whole reflects the "loss of innocence" theme clearly and accurately.

 

Conclusion

Congratulations! You now have a very useful, very thorough account of one of the most important times in your life. Not only have you become more aware of the important issues and trends of World War II America, you have also taken an opportunity to reflect on the loss of innocence that characterizes both this era in time and this turning point in your adolescence. Now that you have this information, how can you use it in the future? How does your loss of innocence change your outlook on the world around you? Does it change your perspective for the better or for the worse?

It is your challenge to keep these changes of attitude and perspective in mind as you continue to learn and grow. Best wishes!

Credits & References

Goodwin, Susan. "1940-1949." American Cultural History--The Twentieth Century. 1999. Rev. Sep. 2005.

          Kirkwood College Library. 23 Oct. 2005 <http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decade40.html>.

"Winning the Home Front." Looking Ahead: The Post War-World. 14 June 2004. UMKC Miller Nichols Library.

          4 Nov. 2005 <http://www.umkc.edu/lib/spec-col/ww2/PostWarWorld/home-front-txt.htm>.

"World War II." Wikipedia. 1.2 (2002): 23 Oct. 2005 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II>.

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.

Based on a template from Design Patterns from The WebQuest Page