Mrs. McDaniel—Senior English

An Exploration of Shakespeare’s World

Introduction

Picture this: you and a team of learners are presented with the task of describing an elephant. But instead of looking to an encyclopedia or a zoo exhibit, you are each blindfolded and guided to a real elephant. Each of you touches a different part of the animal: one, the soft and delicate tip of the elephant's trunk; another, the hard tusk of ivory; and a third, the wrinkled hide around the elephant's belly.

Based upon what each of you learned, one thinks an elephant is smooth and soft, another would say an elephant is smooth and hard, while the last would conclude that elephants are rough and soft. What's the truth? When we study complex topics, we are often like the elephant examiners: there's usually a lot more to a topic that we don't learn about after only a quick exploration.

This is particularly true when we use the Internet for our research because many people post their personal opinions or only know a sliver of the whole story. In the following WebQuest, you will use the power of teamwork and the abundant resources on the Internet to learn all about Shakespeare's world. Each person in the class will learn one piece of the puzzle and then you will come together to get a better understanding of the topic.

The Quest—What, in your opinion, caused a middle-class English boy to become one of the world’s greatest writers?

The Process & Resources—In this WebQuest you will explore Web pages from people all over the world who care about Shakespeare. Because these are real Webpages we're tapping into, not things made just for schools, the reading level might challenge you. Feel free to use the online Webster dictionary or one in your classroom.

Once you have gathered your information (individually) and answered the Task or Question, you will meet on December 2nd to share that information with others who have researched your same topic.  Then you will teach others who had a different topic and learn about their topic.

The steps below will guide you through this WebQuest.  Be sure to complete each step.

Step 1: You'll begin by getting some background.

Step 2: Different Perspectives

Step 3: Discussion/Final Answer