Put the Title of the Lesson Here

By Stephen Crane

WebQuest for American Literature
by mrscrhodes@msn.com

Click on the links below to go where you need to go!

Hello, Juniors! Are you ready to begin your journey into The Red Badge of Courage? You’ll be reading the book, as my class has for years, but this time you’ll be doing some additional research as you read. Some of the research will be web-based. The assignments are described in the process section of this website and you’ll be able to move back and forth pretty easily with the links I’ve provided (if I’ve connected everything correctly). You’ll have a while to complete the story and the assignments. One thing I really want you to notice, as you read, are the parallels between Henry’s journey and those of a modern high school student. Although the story takes place during the Civil War, Henry, the young soldier and the story’s main character, is much like any young person today. He wants what many people want: to be liked and to be important. He is faced with some decisions about when to be truthful and when to lie; he has a conflict with his mother; he has a lot of inner conflict, too. I hope you enjoy the story. If you have questions about it, please bring them to my attention.

The Task

If you want the good news first…there will be no quizzes and there will be no test.

However, you will be graded on several things. Instead of quizzes and tests, you will each keep a notebook for the story. (The notebook can be spiral, 3 ring, or soft cover…but all the work needs to be kept together!) The notebook will include many different sections and will count for the entire grade over the novel. The points will be many, so not turning in the assignment will hurt you a great deal. I recommend that you study the grading guidelines closely and that you make sure, before you give your final product to me, you have all the required elements. There are many places you’ll have to find online and the notebook will contain many summaries of online information. You’ll also have to answer a few questions, complete a theory/essay assignment and finish a project. Double check your work to confirm you have all the required information and you can go to the process section to determine what you need to do.

Resources Many of these sites will be helpful, especially when you’re working on your project. The whole novel is online, too, so you can catch up on reading even if you leave your book at school!

BE SURE TO CITE YOUR SOURCES WHEN YOU’RE USING THEM!

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

The full text of the novel is available at this site.

Background information on Stephen Crane can be found on this site.

Check out the Civil War Family Photos on this site.

Look at the Civil War Home Page for more information about the war.

Sparknotes provides great summaries of each chapter in the novel. I’ve read these…please don’t pass them off as your own!

More summaries of the novel are found here at Bookrags site. I’ve read these…please don’t pass them off as your own!

Teach With Movies Good Questions for the novel available at this site.

The Red Badge of Courage: Critical Reception provides information about how the world received the work when Crane released it.

Great vocabulary from the novel is available on this site.

How to cite sources using MLA style. Go to this site. Click on the MLA style link. Click on the

Frequently Asked Questions link. Click on the How do I document sources from the World

Wide Web? link. You must document any sources you use!

The Process Complete all six sections for your notebooks. back to task

PART I Before we read the story, you should check out Stephen Crane Page. There are several links to explore here. Those about which I am most interested are his History Page, his Early Years (through the eyes of a friend) Page, and his Later Years (through the eyes of his doctor) Page. After reading the information found on this site, please include a summary in your notebooks. What are some of the most interesting things you learned about Crane at this site? Let me know, in your own words. Be sure to include a resource page using MLA style.

PART II As you read The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, you will update your notebook after each chapter. There are 24 chapters in the book and you should include an entry for each chapter. After you read a chapter, you should include at least a paragraph (5 – 6 sentences) that summarizes the chapter. This is the second thing over which you will be graded in your notebooks.

PART III For every 8 chapters in the novel, you will place in your notebook a page of visual work. On this page you will include drawings, photos, or cutouts that summarize what you’ve studied in the 8 chapters. There will be three visual pages: one after chapter 8, one after chapter 16 and one after chapter 24. On the page after the visual page, you will include an explanation for the choices you made on the visual page. Why did you include the pictures or phrases that you did? What have they to do with the novel? This is the third thing over which you will be graded in your notebooks.

PART IV Another notebook entry will include a summary of another website. Please go to Critical Reception of the Novel and read the information provided. Afterward, write a summary, of about a page in length, in which you relate what you’ve learned and a personal reflection of the information on the site. You may include this section anywhere in your notebook, but please be sure to title the page (use the name of the link to avoid confusion), so I don’t overlook it, please. This is the fourth thing over which you will be graded in your notebooks. Be sure to include a resource page using MLA style.

PART V Next, please check out Stephen Crane's Poetry by clicking on the title provided. There are eight poems listed on this site. Read through the poems provided and choose two of them. In your notebooks, list the two you’ve chosen and write a brief explanation of the poems as well as a comparison/contrast between these works and the novel you’ve been reading. Be sure to include a resource page using MLA style.

Part VI Finally, find your copy of the project sheet. Choose a project that you’ve not yet completed and finish it by the date due. The project is worth up to 40 points this time. Remember to include an explanation for the number of points you believe you deserve. Use the information in the Resources section of this web quest in order to find anything extra you might need. There are good sites about the novel and about the Civil War. If you find even better sites LET ME KNOW! I’ll add them for next year’s class. If you use any of the resources, please include a resource page using MLA style.

Back to Due Dates Back to top Back to Task

Evaluation

Your notebook is potentially worth 240 points. On this evaluation section, you may see how the assignment will be graded. This gives you a chance to view the grading criteria, in advance, and to determine your own grade before you turn in the notebook. If you have any questions, please ask me.

	Beginning Up to 10	Developing Up to 20	Accomplished Up to 30	Exemplary Up to 40	Score
PART ONE SUMMARY OF CRANE’S BACK- GROUND SITE	Why in the world did you not complete the summary? I’m not sure you even read it. Your summary is either non-existent or elementary.	The article is summarized but it doesn’t seem as though you’ve read the site too closely. The summary is too short to really get the message across.	The summary is included and there is evidence that you’ve researched the site. Your work is insightful, but could be more orderly and neat. There are several errors that distract from the reading.	Fantastic work! I can see that you’ve read the site and your summary really captures the essence of the material! Your notes are also neat and orderly! There are few errors! Great citing of sources used!
PART TWO CHAPTER SUMMARIES	You either refused to write about any of the chapters or you have included fewer than 10 chapters. This is not going to be worth many, if any, points!	You’ve chosen not to write about all 24 chapters, although you’ve included more than 10. They’re written in order and are more or less neatly done.	You have included a summary of each of the 24 chapters. The summaries are not very long, and not very neat, but they’re all there, in order.	My, what lovely summaries you have! All 24 chapters are summarized in a neat, complete and orderly fashion.
PART THREE VISUAL PAGES	You’ve included either one or no visual pages and only one or no explanation. What’s up with that?	You’ve included only two visual pages. They seem to reflect the material in the chapters, but they’re not explained completely, if at all.	All three visual pages are included and they seem to accurately reflect the material in the required sections. Where are all your explanations?	Fantastic work in the visual department. I can see that you understand what’s going on because of your choices and your well-written explanations!
PART FOUR SUMMARY AND PERSONAL REFLEC- TION OF CRITICAL RECEPTION WEBSITE	Why didn’t you complete this section correctly? From reading your summary, I can’t tell that you’ve really done the research.	You may have read the work, but do you really think this summarizes all the material? Where’s your personal reflection?	Both the summary and personal reflection are included. It is obvious that you tried to make sense of the material. There are several errors that take away from the impact of the summary.	Brilliant summary and personal reflection. It is obvious that you’ve considered the material. The work is neat, orderly and contains very few errors. Great citing of sources used!
PART FIVE POETRY EXPLANA-TION AND COMP-ARISON	You’ve chosen not to complete this section. Why is that?	You’ve only used one poem for comparison, and your explanations and comparisons are not very thorough. Some of your answers don’t make sense and there are several grammatical errors.	You’ve chosen two poems, as instructed, but your comparisons and explanations are vague and contain several errors. They are hard to follow in some places.	Your explanations and comparisons are completed in a thoughtful and complete manner! There aren’t enough errors to distract the reader! Fantastic citing of sources used! Great job!
PART SIX PROJECT FOR THIS UNIT	You’ve chosen not to complete the project or you’ve completed a project incorrectly, with a lot of inaccuracies or one you’ve already completed for another unit. You know better than that!	You’ve completed your project, but it seems that you’ve given it very little thought or effort. Maybe you waited until the last minute?	You’ve completed your project and given it to me on time. The project meets all the requirements, but contains errors that are a bit distracting.	Your project is completed in a thoughtful and complete manner! There aren’t enough errors to distract the reader! Great citing of sources used! Great job!

Conclusion

Well, there you go! Are you ready to address the issue of Henry Fleming versus a normal high school student? I hope so. That’s where our discussion will take us when we’re through with the rest of the notebooks. I hope you enjoyed the novel and the web quest. Any suggestions to make it better and more meaningful will be accepted with an open mind. I would appreciate your input.

Kentucky's Learning Goals And Academic Expectations

The goals that apply to this lesson are as follows:

1.1 Students use reference tools such as dictionaries, almanacs, encyclopedias, and computer reference programs and research tools such as interviews and surveys to find the information they need to meet specific demands, explore interests, or solve specific problems.

1.2 Students make sense of the variety of materials they read.

1.11 Students write using appropriate forms, conventions, and styles to communicate ideas and information to different audiences for different purposes.

1.12 Students make sense of ideas and communicate ideas with visual arts.

1.14 Students make sense of and communicate ideas with music. (Bonus Option 2)

1.16 Students use computers and other kinds of technology to collect, organize, and communicate information and ideas.

2.16 Students observe, analyze, and interpret human behaviors, social groupings, and

institutions to better understand people and the relationships among individuals

and among groups.

2.22 Students create works of art and make presentations to convey a point of view.

2.24 Students have knowledge of major works of art, music, and literature and appreciate creativity and the contributions of the arts and humanities.

2.25 In the products they make and the performances they present, students show that

they understand how time, place, and society influence the arts and humanities such

as languages, literature, and history.

2.26 Through the arts and humanities, student recognize that although people are

different, they share some common experiences and attitudes.

3.4 Students demonstrate the ability to be resourceful and creative.

3.7 Students demonstrate the ability to learn on one's own.

5.2 Students use creative thinking skills to develop or invent novel, constructive ideas or

products.

Other learner goals may be addressed depending on the optional assignments.

Project Sheet

IF GROUP WORK IS ALLOWED, IT WILL BE NOTED ON THE OPTION LISTING. OTHERWISE, THE ASSIGNMENT SHOULD BE DONE ALONE.

Read another work by the same author and write a comparison/contrast paper about the two works.

Develop your own set of five questions that would involve HIGHER ORDER, CRITICAL THINKING. ANSWER TWO of the questions completely. These questions will require more than recall answers. (Ask me for specifics if you’re unsure.)

Rewrite the story, replacing the main character with another famous character. How would the story differ?

Write a letter to a character and suggest alternatives for his/her actions. Explain why your ideas would lead to results that are more favorable.

Assume the identity of a character and write at least five journal entries for him or her. Explain how you believe the character feels about what is happening in the story. (Remember to try to duplicate the style for the period.)

Rewrite the end of a story in the style of the author.

Write a series of poems (3 or more) which capture the emotions you believe are being presented.

Write an original song based on the story. This option should include a tune for the song. Should you chose, you may create a music video for the song. If performing a video, this option may be completed in a group of up to, but not more than, three people.

If inspired, choreograph and perform a dance based on the works of the time we are studying. (video option/group of up to three people)

Build a model of some sort that represents the time period we are studying. Be prepared to explain the work to the class. (group of up to two people)

Write and enact a short play based on the time period or a work we are studying. (video option/group of up to five people)
If you disagree with a particular story or idea of the time period, prepare a 3 – 5 minute speech to explain why. Be sure to support your ideas and arguments using facts.

Prepare a 20-minute newscast to inform your viewers of the events which took place in the time period or in stories we read. Consider including something that occurred outside of America during the same time period. (video option/group of up to four people/See me for notes.)

Prepare an original drawing that captures the essence of the period or a particular story. Be ready to explain your creation to the class.

Create a collage (poster board size) that represents the unit. Include a written explanation for EACH picture you’ve chosen to include. Be prepared to deliver your explanations to the class.

Study another piece of writing that was written during the same time period (American or otherwise). Prepare a presentation for the class (3 – 5 minutes long) in which you explain how this work does or does not fit into the unit we read.

Write a letter to the author of a particular story and let him/her know why you agree or disagree with his/her story ideas/opinions. Remember to be specific and to include facts to back your opinions.

Select a character and write a paper predicting where he/she will be five years later. Use specifics and explain why you feel this way. (NOTE: This assignment should be about fictional characters only. We can look in the history books to find out what happened to real people.)

Create a tape/cd of eight songs that you believe capture the ideas discussed in the text. With the tape/cd, please submit a paper to explain why you chose each song.

Assume that all of the choices we have read in a unit have been included in one book. Please design the cover of the book. Include drawings and designs. Include, also, a book review on the back cover AND a rating system of some sort.

Create a pamphlet that outlines the major themes, stories, characters or authors of a unit. Use your own drawings or pictures from magazines. Include some words of your own that explain what you’ve learned or what is represented in the pictures.

Create your own website about the Civil War. Include information about your own families, if you have any.

Create a power point presentation based on the book or any information about Crane or the Civil War.

Create your own idea and present it to me. I have offered you 21 different options and I realize that there are many more ways for you to learn. I’m open to ideas as long as you realize and can interpret their value as being equal to those listed here.

Back to Process Section

Due Dates For Notebook Sections

This section of the web quest will be completed and updated every year. It will explain when the assignments are due and will re-emphasize how to complete certain sections. I’ve noticed that when the students look at the process section, seeing it all at once overwhelms them. This section will help the kids see the sections individually and, hopefully, reduce the stress.

Back to Process Back to Top

Website References Page

“Civil War Family Photographs.” 10 Nov. 2002 <http://members.tripod.com/~cwphotos

/index.htm>.

This site contains photos that may be used for research in drawing for the projects.

Cook, Jan & Carey. “Vocabulary Classic Texts.” 2002. Vocabulary University. 10

Nov. 2002. <http://www.vocabulary.com/Vuctredbadge.html>.

This site contains many great words from the novel. Students can use this in creating a crossword for their projects or may just want a reference list for SAT and ACT studying.

Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. Ed. Robert Stockton. Carnegie Mellon

University. 10 Nov. 2002 <http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/People/rgs/badge-table.html>.

This site contains the novel and can be used when students don’t have access to their texts at home.

Edwards, Doug, Matthew Whitecar & Shannon Harrison. “Welcome to the Stephen

Crane Page.” Nov. 1996. University of Akron. 10 Nov. 2002 <http://www3.uakron.

edu/english/richards/edwards/crane.htm>.

This site contains background information about Stephen Crane and is to be used for one of the projects in the assignment.

Frieden, James A. & Deborah W. Elliot. Learning Guide to Red Badge of Courage.

Teach With Movies. 10 Nov. 2002 <http://www.teachwithmovies.org/guides/red

-badge-of-courage.html>.

This site contains several good questions about the novel and should help the students better understand the things to which they should be attentive.

Hoemann, George H. & Mary E. Myers. “The American Civil War Home Page.” 7 Nov.

2002. University of Tennessee. 10 Nov. 2002 <http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/warweb.

html>.

This site has lots of information about the war and can be used for project background.

Phillips, Brian. Sparknotes on The Red Badge of Courage. 10 Nov. 2002 <http://www.

sparknotes.com/lit/redbadge/>.

At this site, students can find information on the context of the novel, plot overview, character analyses, themes, quotes, key facts, study guides, a quiz, chapter summaries, message boards and information for further reading.

Shenton, Jeff. Bookrags Book Notes on The Red Badge of Courage. 10 Nov. 2002

<http:Bookrags.com/notes/rbc/>.

At this site, students can find chapter notes, information on the author, context, characters, plot summaries, quotes, message board and topic tracking. The topic tracking relates to Henry as a typical student and will be helpful in answering the overall question of how Henry is like any one of them (peer pressure, morale, maturation, fear, etc.).

The Red Badge of Courage Project. “Critical Reception: Early Reviews.” 10 Nov. 2002

<http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/CRANE/reviews/section1.html>.

At this site, students can find out more about how the novel was received in its time. The site is to be used for one of the graded assignments.