WebQuest
Who Killed Emmett Till?
Teacher Page
This Web Quest was written for a diverse group of 9th-graders in Port Huron, Michigan. My classes consist of a range of students from integrated special-education students to the college bound. The quest complements our study of Mississippi Trial by Chris Crowe. It meets federal benchmarks for reading, research, and persuasive writing.
My students have already written three persuasive essays, so I included a brief lesson on writing a persuasive letter and one on expanding on our repertoire of persuasive techniques. If your students have not been instructed in persuasive techniques or writing, you may wish to include additional lessons.
Other lessons taught along with this web quest included a study of tone in the song The Death of Emmett Till by Bob Dylan, a study of purpose and audience in the documentary The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till, and an overall comparative study of SOAPSTone (Subject, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, and Tone) in the articles, videos, stories, and songs that we studied.
Other lessons taught along with this web quest included a study of tone in the song The Death of Emmett Till by Bob Dylan, a study of purpose and audience in the documentary The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till, and an overall comparative study of SOAPSTone (Subject, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, and Tone) in the articles, videos, stories, and songs that we studied.
Finally, this is our first research project of the year, so I only required a properly- formatted works consulted page. In our next research project, I will require citations. You may wish to add lessons on integrating research into writing if your students are more advanced in this area.
Attachments
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Description: Here is a sample student paper arguing that the environment in Mississippi encouraged the murder of Emmett Till.
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Common Core State Standards
Description: This WebQuest addresses the Common Core State Standards for 9th-grade Argument Writing.
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Description: Here is the information I use for an activity and lecture teaching the following persuasive techniques: "rhetorical questions," "Rule of 3," "emotive language," "climax," and "Call to Action."
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Description: Here is a sample student paper arguing that only the murderers are responsible for the death of Emmett Till.
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Description: Here is a sample paper written by a student with a 504 plan.
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Description: Here is a sample paper arguing that Mississippi's culture encouraged the murder of Emmett Till.
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Description: This is a sample paper written by a special education student.
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Description: These are the handouts I provide students as they complete the web quest.
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Description: Here are some student responses to and suggestions for improving this web quest.
The Public URL for this WebQuest:
http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=134179
WebQuest Hits: 6,765
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