Directions:
1. Complete the assigned reading chapters with your assigned reading groups and independently by the assigned due dates.

2. On September 26th turn in your Vocabulary and Short Answer Questions.
3. Everyone is required to complete 7 projects from the Creative, Research and Respond, Writing, and Time Capsule categories. Your group is required to complete the Time Capsule portion. Each person in the group must have an assigned task to complete to fulfill the group effort. There should be no to items that are the same in the Time Capsule. Check with your partners and find out if anyone else in the group is planning on submitting the same piece. Remember that everything that goes into the Time Capsule must look like it has come from this time era. This is the only project that you will complete as a group. The rest are independent work.

Phase 1 - Background Information
This webquest is created to stimulate your understanding of the Parts of Fiction while reading the novel My Brother Sam is Dead. It is essential that you are keeping up with the assigned reading dates. Rubrics for the individual assignments will be available to you in the classroom and on Mrs. Muniz's website under Links. Make sure to look at the rubrics to help you understand how you will be graded.

Reading Due Dates-
Chapters 1 and 2- by the beginning of class on September 16th
Chapters 3-5- by the beginning of class on September 17th
Chapters 6-8 by the beginning of class on September 18th
Chapters 9-10 by the beginning of class on September 22
Chapters 11-12 by the beginning of class on September 24
Chapter 13 and Epilogue by the beginning of class on September 26

Vocabulary and Short Answer Packet due on September 26th

Part 1 Webquest Projects Due on October 3rd (Creative, Research and Respond, and Writing)
Part 2 Webqust Projects Due on October 6th (Time Capsule)

• History of Redding
• Encarta American Revolution
• Virtual Marching Tour of the American Revolution
• Dictionary
• PBS-Liberty! The American Revolution

Phase 2 - Roles
You have an interesting role in this webquest. Part of your role is to be an independent learner and complete certain tasks. The other role is that you are part of a team. In this team it is important for you to be a team player, yet be assertive with your thoughts and ideas while creating the Time Capsule portion.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Each member from each Webquest team will explore one of the roles below.

2. Read through the files designated for the Time Capsule project. On the Time Project Roles worksheet fill out who is responsible for which parts of the project. You can print out pages and underline the parts that you feel are important or cut and paste from the webpage into a word processor. The same is true for your independent work projects.

3. Remember to include the URL of the page you take information from so you can return to it and use it as a citation.

Creative Activities-Choose 1:

Creative Activities- Choose 1 (20 points)

1. Johnny Cakes- Graded with a rubric. Johnny Cakes are a traditional colonial food item that is mentioned in the novel. With your group, prepare and eat this food (bring sample to class for your group only). To find a recipe you must conduct research in the school library or use the Internet. You will turned in a typed copy of the recipe and bring in a sample of Johnny Cakes for your group.

2. Tavern- For its livelihood, the Meeker family runs a tavern. Your job is to imagine that you, too, are tavern owners. Design and create tavern menus that list food items traditionally eaten during that time period. If you like to be creative, try this activity!!!

Research and Respond-Choose 1:

Research and Respond- Choose 1 (30 points)

1. Author Study for James Lincoln Collier & Christopher Collier (rubric)

Students should research the authors of “My Brother Sam is Dead”. The author study should include biographical information and should also include information about their work, individuals or events that may have influenced them, and other books that the authors may have written. You should also be able to include images of the brothers.

The presentation of the author study should be on a storyboard/poster. The biographical information should be typed and placed on the storyboard with pictures, or images that represent the information compiled in your research report.

Examples of possible research information to include are:

1. Birthplace of the authors.

2. Information pertaining to their childhood.

3. Other careers the authors may have had.

4. People or experiences that may have influenced their writing.

5. Other books the writers may have written.

2. 17th-Century Pastimes and Sports-(Grade with a rubric)
The early settlers had little time for games or amusements. Nevertheless, young people did spend some time at play. Research and write an informational brochure about the pastimes and sports of the 17th Century. Consider demonstrating one of the games to the class!!! You can create a brochure from Microsoft Word. Follow these easy instructions.
1. Open Word
2. File/Project Gallery
3. Business Forms
4. Brochure
5. Select Template
6. Do NOT change font sizes or styles
7. Delete inappropriate images from the template and find appropriate ones to replace them with.

3. Timeline PowerPoint- Graded with a rubric. Create a PowerPoint or Key Note for the important dates/events during the American Revolutionary War. These dates should chronicle the causes of the war, as well as the major turning points, and the end Please include important information about each event on each slide. Remember this is a synopsis of the war and not a formal report. Bulleted points are acceptable, graphics and/or sound and/or video clips are must, and effort into the aesthetic layout should be considered. There is

Writing-Choose 1:

Writing- Choose 1 (50 points)

1. Interactive Journal- Graded on all 6 Traits. Create an interactive journal while reading (from your point of view). There will be 7 journal entries written in complete sentences. Below are the specific questions to focus your entries:
Journal Entry: After Chapters 1 and 2
How does Tim feel towards his father? How does Tim feel about the war? Is he confused about his own loyalty?

Journal Entry: After Chapters 3 and 4
What methods does the author use to embed historical events in the story? Why do you think Tim is so confused about the tension between his brother and his father?

Journal Entry: After Chapters 5 and 6
Even though Mr. Heron is a Tory, what reasons does Mr. Meeker give him for not wanting Tim to carry mail for him? Do you find anything suspicious about Mr. Heron’s behavior with the Meekers? If so, what?

Betsy is suspicious of Tim’s journey. She later revealed she saw Tim get the letter from Mr. Heron. What does she think is going on? Do you think she is right?

Journal Entry: After Chapters 7 through 9
On page 64, in the second paragraph, Tim examines his feeling about his brother Sam. He compares himself to Sam and makes discoveries about “younger brother/older brother” relationships. What do you think the authors wanted to accomplish with this passage?

Journal Entry: After Chapters 10 and 11
What would have been the result had all those involved in the fight for freedom given up when the going got tough?

Journal Entry: After Chapters 12 through 14
Why do you think General Putnam refused Sam’s plea for clemency? Do you agree or disagree with his reasoning? Explain

Journal Entry: After the Epilogue
What is the purpose of the epilogue?

2. Narrative Writing- Graded on all 6 Traits. Some people take one side or another in war or other conflicts; some people find themselves caught in the middle of the conflict. Write about a time where you found yourself to be caught in the middle of a situation (conflict). Be descriptive!!! Use dialogue, vivid details, and think about how you will transition from one idea to the next. This essay must be at least 5 paragraphs. You must include a hook/attention grabber/lead in the introduction and topic sentences for each of your paragraphs. This essay will be graded on the 6 Traits of Writing.

3. Friendly Letter- Graded on all 6 Traits. Write a friendly letter to James and Christopher Collier. In it, introduce yourself, give your opinion of the story (citing specific examples), and ask any questions you may have about the novel. This literature response should be 3 paragraphs (introduction, body, conclusion).

4. Book Jacket Project- Graded with a rubric. Design a book jacket (dust cover) with two (2) drawings (one on the front and back) as well as text on the end flaps. The text for the end flaps will contain a summary and review of the book.
Your finished project is a book jacket (dust cover) complete with a summary of the story and a review of the book.

Your final text will need to be typed; it will also have to be formatted in a narrow column.
DRAWINGS: Your book jacket will need two (2) original drawings that relate to the book. One should be for the front and one for the back. They should not look exactly like the book’s real cover or any illustrations in the book itself, but you may use things like that for ideas.

Leave room on the back for a short “teaser” paragraph.

SUMMARY: The summary of the story has three (3) parts:

*One paragraph for the setting (time and place) and in which you describe the plot
Setting / Plot: The plot usually revolves around some kind of problem or challenge or goal. What were the main characters trying to do? What were some important events that happened because of that effort? How did it turn out in the end? Why did it turn out that way?

*One paragraph in which you describe the main characters
Main Characters: They - almost always – change in the course of the story. The events of the plot have an effect on them. If you are writing about one or more main characters, try to write about them in terms of this change.
-Think about them at the start of the story and at the end
-How did that character respond to the events? What was it about that character that made him or her respond that way?
-How did the events change the character?

*One paragraph which talks about the theme (the general idea or message of the book).
Theme: The theme of the book is the Big Idea that the author is trying to get across. When you talk about theme, you talk about it in terms of general things. For example, a major theme in “Flowers for Algernon” was that it does not take intelligence to make a person good. The theme of a story is the idea or lesson. The plot of the story is the way that the author gets us to think about that idea. Many different stories could be written about the same theme.

REVIEW: The review: section is where you give your opinions about the book and back them up with references to the text. Usually, we respond to the story itself and to the author’s way of telling it. For example, you might want to talk about the author's style of writing. Look for strengths and weaknesses. Refer to specific parts of the story, perhaps finding a quote or two from the text, to illustrate your points. Please don't use numbers or stars or some other made-up rating system. Just give us your thoughts and show us some evidence.

Time Capsule Group Project:

• The HIstory Place-American Revolution
• Graphic Organizer
• American Revolution Essays
• 18th Century Newspapers

1. Time Capsule-each group member will turn in a rubric. Your team will be creating a time capsule filled with documents, artifacts, and personal effects from the Meeker family's experience of the conflicts from the American Revolutionary War. This time capsule will be stored in the library for future students to learn from.
Some everyday items that make great time capsules are (but not limited to):


* a large shoe box lined with plastic
* Large Quaker™ Oats cylinder
* 2 Liter soda pop bottles
* Large laundry detergent box/bucket


Items that will need to go into the time capsule (each group member is required to complete one of the four):

1. Four Family Letters
2. Four Diary Entries of Family Members
3. Four Newspaper 'Clippings'
4. Four Artifacts from the Novel


A direction for completing each follows:
1. Family Letters
Each team member should assume the role of one of the characters from the novel and write a letter from that character's point of view to another character in the story.

* Susannah Meeker to Sam....Sam to Susannah Meeker
* Tim Meeker to Sam....Sam to Tim Meeker
1. Include information from the novel, and incorporate at least four Revolutionary facts. 2.Your letter should contain at least three paragraphs: Introduction, body paragraph, and a conclusion.

2. Diaries of Family Members


Us the information your team accumulated during your reading of the novel in your reading/writing journals to write antiquated entries torn out of a diary from someone in the Meeker family! Again, each team member is responsible for writing a diary entry from one of the following characters from the novel:

* Susannah Meeker
* Sam Meeker
* Tim Meeker
* Life Meeker


1. Include information about one of the historical conflicts that the character needs to confront in the novel.
2. Your diary entry needs to be one page, handwritten, single-spaced.
3. Include the character's emotions regarding the conflict.
4. Include personal insight into the character's point of view regarding the conflict. Use the graphic organizer to identify your character's traits and feelings.

3. Newspaper 'Clippings'


Each team member will write a newspaper clipping, or find one on the Web, related to events and conflicts that were part of My Brother Sam Is Dead.

If you can find real ones, right on! The Chronicles of the Revolution site (PBS) has good examples done for you. These American Revolution essays are easy to read, and will give you information to write your articles. The 18th Century Newspapers site is offering the documents for sale, but you can take a look at them!

Here are some possible headlines/news stories

* Yale students go off to fight Lobsterbacks!
* Redding turns into a Tory town!
* Cowboys threaten Loyalists beef tenderloins from getting to Lobsterbacks!
* General Tyron's British Raid Redding! Daniel Starr and Slave named Ned killed!
* Executioner Putnam puts two Redding Natives to death. Mother silently grieves.


If you choose to write your newspaper clipping, it should be two paragraphs long. The first paragraph should include information that answers these questions: who, what, where, when, and why/how? The second paragraph should include interesting facts/information about the event.
4. Artifacts From the Novel


Each team member will create or 'recreate' an artifact from the Meeker home. Here are some ideas:

* a mug or tap head from the tap room
* knitting materials from Susannah Meeker's knitting basket
* Tim's fishing pole used to fish for shad


The Colonial Williamsburg website has three online tours you can take to learn what people during the revolution wore, and what kind of artifacts they may have use in their everyday life.

Phase 3 - Reaching Consensus
You have now finished reading My Brother Sam is Dead and your webquest. As a group, complete a Plot Development Worksheet (everyone must sign off on each section indicating your approval of the answers).

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Conclusion

You have just completed your webquest for My Brother Sam is Dead!!! Nice work. You should be proud of yourselves! How can you use what you've learned to see beyond the black and white of a topic and into the grayer areas? What other parts of My Brother Sam could still be explored? Remember, learning never stops.

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Content by jemuniz, jemuniz@pvschools.net http://www.kn.att.com/wired/fil/pages/webmybrothje.html Last revised Wed Oct 1 10:14:46 US/Pacific 2008