Quest+5+(names+and+title+of+Quest)

= = = = = = =Mark Twain Exploration= Designed by: Ms. Halliday & Ms. Hernandez **
 * A WebQuest for 8th Grade (Language Arts)

=Introduction=

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Have you ever wondered what inspires an author to write? Many authors write to show their beliefs and criticisms about the world around them. Mark Twain is an author who had very strong opinions about his world and time. These views greatly inspired his writing and enabled him to create some of the most influential pieces of writing of his time.=====

 =The Task=

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After reading and reflecting upon Mark Twain's __The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn__, your groups will research and analyze Twain's motivation, influences and purpose in writing the novel. Each group member will choose a role to complete and the final project will be presented in front of class.=====

 =The Process=

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You will research speeches and become an expert on speech writing, noting what defines a good speech. After researching speech writing you will work with your group members to draft a speech from Mark Twain's perspective. Your speech should demonstrate your knowledge of Twain's beliefs and ideas about the world in which he is writing and living. Please title your speech "What I Believe About Life." Remember you are imaging that you are Mark Twain; you'll need to incorporate language and ideas that demonstrate your understanding of who Mark Twain was as a person and author. After researching speech writing and information about Mark Twain please write a brief speech that you will then present to the class. Do your best to truly embody Mark Twain (costumes are always appreciated :)=====

//Orator Links:// [|Mark Twain Speeches] This website is a database of many of Mark Twain's speeches. Please browse some of his speeches to get a feeling for how he presented his ideas. Use these questions to guide your research: 1) What [|types of speeches] does Twain give? 2) What do we know about Twain from the topics he chooses to discuss?

[| Biographical Information about Mark Twain] This website provides detailed information about Mark Twain's life. Use this information to learn about who Mark Twain was as a person and an author.

You will research Mark Twain's biographical information as well as historical information about the time period in which Mark Twain wrote. After conducting research construct a timeline that includes facts about the historical happenings as well as significant events in Mark Twain's life. Your timeline should include dates and information.
 * __[[image:http://www.a-mac.nl/amac/images/stories/Education/10%20tips%20ilife/book-icon-gif.gif width="108" height="108" align="left"]]Historian__**

//Historian Links:// [|Biographical Information about Mark Twain] This website provides detailed information about Mark Twain's life. Use this information to learn about who Mark Twain was as a person and an author.

[|Southern Culture] This is a long essay discussing the many components that define southern culture and explains many southern traditions. No need to read the entire essay; instead, use the table of contents to focus your research and examine more specific areas.

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Conduct research and gather images that relate to "Mark Twain's South." Images can include representations of the South, maps, posters from Twain's historical period or other visual representations of "The South" that Mark Twain would have experienced. Also, you will work to design and construct a visual model of Tom and Huck's river raft. You will use materials found in class or around school to construct your raft.=====

//Designer Links:// [|Southern Culture] This is a long essay discussing the many components that define southern culture and explains many southern traditions. No need to read the entire essay; instead, use the table of contents to focus your research and examine more specific areas.

[|How to Build a Raft] This site provides information about building a raft use the information to guide your raft making.

 =Evaluation=

You will also have the opportunity to evaluate your group members and their participation in the project. These individual evaluations will be taken into consideration for your final grade.
 =Conclusion= Now you have discovered some ways authors' beliefs affect their writing. As you continue reading throughout your life, think about where the words are coming from. Ask yourself questions like "who is this author?," "when did she live?," "why did she write this?," "for what purpose was this text written?" This is called the __biographical approach__ to analyzing literature and you have done it!

 =Credits & References= Picture of boys in bayou: The Library of Congress (June 24, 2010) " Boys fishing in a bayou, Schriever, La. (LOC)" Retrieved from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2179059128/ "Mark Twain Speeches" Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/3188 "This I Believe" Retrieved from http://thisibelieve.org/essays/fifties/ on June 24, 2010 "types of speeches" Retrieved from http://www.ismckenzie.com/4-basic-types-of-speeches/ "How to Build a Raft" Retrieved from http://www.bobdenver.com/On_the_Radio/How_to_Build_a_Raft/how_to_build_a_raft.html on "Southern Culture" Retrieved from http://www.cap-press.com/pdf/1517.pdf Creative Commons License: Retrieved from http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ Drafting Icon: Retrieved from http://anysinfo.com/images/icon_cad2.jpg on June 24, 2010 Book Icon: Retrieved from http://www.a-mac.nl/amac/images/stories/Education/10%20tips%20ilife/book-icon-gif.gif on June 24, 2010 Podium Icon: Retrieved from http://www.lbl.gov/publicinfo/newscenter/tabl/2009/april/04-24-09/podium-icon.jpg on June 24, 2010