Fahrenheit 451 – WebQuest Project
English 9
A WebQuest project uses the resources
of the Internet to explore and answer questions pertaining to a particular topic. We
are going to explore the issue of censorship – past and present.
Introduction
You have been appointed to Jefferson's
Freedom of Speech Commission. The Commission is studying issues related to Censorship and has asked you to investigate some
of the history of censorship and to use the information to help the Commission make judgments about contemporary censorship
issues. You will be using the WebQuest to find information about some of the instances of censorship the Commission is interested
in.
Task
The WebQuest will have two parts:
To complete Part I, you must explore Web sites on censorship in the past and the present. You will be given a selection
of web sites related to these issues from which to choose.
Part II is an essay on a contemporary censorship issue. The essay must use information from the Web sites, so you
will need to take notes as you explore the sites. (Remember to record reference/citation information.)
Process
Part I:
Explore these websites for information on the kinds of historical censorship Ray Bradbury discusses in Fahrenheit 451: For this part of the WebQuest, I will be collecting answers to the questions that accompany each
web site.
Step I: The burning of Hugh Latimer and
Nicholas Ridley:
·
Why were they burned
at the stake?
·
Why was Latimer confident
that they were doing the right thing?
·
Why would it be important
to remind people of this history?
Site 1: http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/Latimer_Ridley_Cranmer.htm
Site 2: http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/269.html
Step II: Nazi Book Burning:
·
What is significant about
the date May 10, 1933?
·
In what way might the
pictorial images have inspired Bradbury to write Fahrenheit 451?
·
What effect do you think
the burning of books had on the authors whose works were burned.
Site 1: http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?ModuleId=10005852
Site 2: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/bookburn.htm
Step III: McCarthyism and Blacklisting
in Hollywood:
·
Who is Joe McCarthy?
·
What is “McCarthyism”?
·
What does HUAC stand
for?
·
What is the significance
of Hollywood and Blacklisting?
·
How might it have inspired
Bradbury to write Fahrenheit 451?
http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/bios/31.html
http://www.classicmovies.org/articles/aa032899.htm
Part II
As you explore the websites listed below, think about the censorship issues that are in the news today. The questions listed below are designed to guide your thinking for the essay you will write in Part III. I will not be collecting answers to them, but the essay should demonstrate that you
have thought about them.
Questions to consider as you prepare your paper:
·
Who is in favor of these
limitations on freedom of speech?
·
Why are they in favor
of them?
·
Who is opposed?
·
Why are they opposed?
·
Which side do you agree
with? Why?
Labeling of Music to keep our youth safe from harmful lyrics!
Warning Labels on CD’s
http://www.findarticles.com/m1571/n2_v13/20121875/p1/article.jhtml
The V-Chip and Movie Ratings: Controlling access to violence and sexuality in the Media
http://www.fcc.gov/vchip
What is Art? Should indecent Art be censored?
Decency and the Public Funding
of the Arts
http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=10906
Book Banning: Remove books from the shelves of libraries to protect
our society!
http://www.adlerbooks.com/banned.html
American Library Association (ALA)
First Amendment Rights
http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2008/July2008/WOlibel.cfm
http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/intfreedom/censorshipfirstamendmentissues/index.cfm
Part III
The Essay Question:
You have been appointed to Jefferson’s Freedom of Speech Commission. The Commission has been studying issues
related to censorship, and has asked you to write a report explaining one of these controversies and making a recommendation
for action.
Choose one of the censorship controversies you explored in Part II and write a 5-6 paragraph essay discussing the questions
that appeared at the opening of Part II. If you wish to write about a form of
censorship not listed in Part II, see me for approval before doing the research!
v
This expository essay
reports on the type of censorship and the relevance to today’s society.
v
Your essay does not need
to answer every question, but you must state your opinion about the controversy and use information you have gathered from
the WebQuest to support your opinion.
v
You may consider how
author Ray Bradbury would feel about this type of censorship using quotes from the author or quotes from the novel, Fahrenheit
451.
Evaluation
Your WebQuest Project will be evaluated in two ways:
·
First, I will evaluate
your answers to the Questions asked about the individual web sites in Part I. I will be looking to see that you have explored
the web sites effectively, and that you have thought about the information you found there.
·
Second, I will be grading
the essay you wrote for Part III. I will look to see how effectively you have used information and ideas from this WebQuest
to support your opinions on one of the censorship topics explored in Part II. Good essays will be 5-6 paragraphs long and
will contain specific information on censorship in the past and in America today. Of
course, the essay should be well organized, interesting, and written in proper Standard English adhering to MLA format.
·
Thirdly, I will stay
after school on Wednesdays for anyone who needs to use a computer or has questions about this project.