WebQuest+-+Tasks

=**WebQuest: Tasks**=



Listed below are the four tasks the museum has assigned to your group, along with the overall group project. Assign one task to each member of your group, and work collaboratively on the group project. Because Clem Samuels wants to be able to verify your work, each task must be accompanied by a list of web sites used to conduct the research for that task.


 * 1. Security:** //Huckleberry Finn// has not been free from controversy over the years, and the party might draw protesters from the local community. Research some of the different controversies surrounding the book and write up a briefing memo so that the security staff is aware of why this book has been controversial. Also write up possi ble rebuttals to the different controversies so that an argument could be made extolling the benefits of this work. On a separate sheet of paper list the websites you found most useful in your research. You will need to present your memo to the rest of the interns in the class.


 * 2. Entertainment and Food:** The fundraiser would like to have an authentic feel to it that would give the donors a sense and feel of the times and culture. Research and select music and food that is appropriate for the party. Your selections should represent the music and food that Twain might have enjoyed, but also should represent the life and times of the fictional characters in the book. For the food, write up a menu describing the 5 dishes that will be served during the course of the evening with a short paragraph for each dish explaining how the dish is related to either Twain or the culture of Huck Finn. For the music, select 10 songs to be played at the fundraiser (they could be from the time period, about the time period, representative of the culture, or used simply to set a tone). The benefit will be selling a CD containing these songs, and you have been asked to write the liner notes (three to five paragraphs that explain the significance of your choices -- be sure to include the list of web sites you used for your research). You will be expected to present your menu and samples of your song selections to the rest of the interns in the class.


 * 3. Decorations:** Not only will the music and food for the party represent the time period of the book and its author, but the decorations should also match up to the time period. Research news events from the time period and design posters and banners that emphasize important cultural and historical events of the region and the era. Include on a separate sheet of paper a list of websites that you used in order to design your decorations. You will then present your decorations to the rest of the interns in the class.


 * 4. Slide Show:** On one wall, the museum will be projecting a loop of a slide show that will highlight the life and times of Mark Twain, and life on and around the Mississippi. Gather biographical information about Twain and about life on the Mississippi and create a slide show that interweaves these two topics. Be sure to include relevant information and eye-popping images that will keep the audience's attention. Provide Clem Samuels with a list of the web resources that you used in designing your slide show. You will then present your slide show to the rest of the interns in the class.


 * 5. Bringing home the bacon (group project):** The goal of this fundraiser is to raise money so that the museum can purchase additional pieces that will help build a thematic collection. After completing your individual tasks, your group is expected to prepare and present a PowerPoint slide show that looks at three possible themes for the museum's collection development group, highlighting some of the pieces that would be included in these themes. The themes could be themes presented in //Huckleberry Finn//, related to Mark Twain, or centered around some other central idea (literature from the south, travel on the Mississippi, banned books, etc.). The museum will be soliciting the opinions of the donors at the end of the event as to which theme they should pursue. In order to make recommendations (and be willing to part with their cash), the donors will need to see clearly presented ideas with numerous examples of artifacts that could be displayed in these thematic collections.


 * GOOD LUCK!!!**

Some Questions to consider: -- What is the setting of Huck Finn (time and place)? -- Where did Mark Twain grow up? Live? -- Why has this book been banned? -- Is the language in the book appropriate? -- Is the book a representation of Twain's views? -- What themes are represented in the book? -- Are there other works of literature that are similar to Huck Finn? In what way?

Some Useful Websites:

[|Mark Twain in his Times]

[|PBS site for Ken Burns film]

[|The Mark Twain Project Online]

Introduction | Tasks | Rubric | Standards