Amy Gillis

Webquest

Topic: Romanticism
Novel: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Format: Group project

Introduction: The purpose of this Webquest is for students to research key elements
of the Romanticism time period to help enhance the reading of Mary Shelley’s,
Frankenstein.

Task: Each group of students will be responsible for teaching the class one aspect of the
Romantic Movement. The groups will conduct research using on-line sources, create a
works cited page of sources, become knowledgeable in your assigned area, and will
create a mini-lesson for the class. In this mini-lesson you will present your topic in a
creative manner and should clearly teach all important aspects of your topic to the class,
to which collectively (the class) will have a quiz based on the various presentations. The
purpose of this assignment is to broaden your knowledge base of the Romantic
Movement before you start to read Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein.

Process:
Part 1: Introducing and starting the project: in class
1. The first activity will be to pick groups. Students are to select a topic from a hat
and will find all other students with the same topic.
2. Once you are in groups, start to discuss what type of mini-lesson appeals to your
group. Nothing is set in stone at this point, just start to brainstorm types of
presentations that may work for your group.
3. Bring in your public library cards to next class.

Part 2: Research Period: In computer lab, on their own

As a class we will go to the computer lab to start doing research on your topic. To start
off each group will be utilizing the on-line research at the San Jose Public Library site. If
one member of your group has a SJ Public Library Card, then you can use:
http://www.sjlibrary.org/research/databases/index.htm?getType=4

If no one in your group has a SJ Public library card, use EBSCO:

http://search.ebscohost.com/

User ID – leighhs
Password – longhorns

Here are some additional web sites that may help you in your research:
http://www.victorianweb.org/
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/508675/Romanticism
http://www.online-literature.com/
Continue to research as much information you can on your topic. Make sure to keep a
list of sources so your group will be able to create a works cited page to hand in. To do
this look down at the bottom of each site and copy the sources section to come back to
later. Once you have all the sources you are going to use go to
http://www.studyguide.org/MLAdocumentation.htm
for help with format.

Part 3: Create Mini-lesson: On your own time as a group

Once your group has compiled all of your research you can start planning for your lesson.
Remember that you are the expert on this topic and are presenting new information to the
class in your mini-lesson. You want to be as clear and concise as possible.

Requirements for mini-lesson:

1. Accurate and relevant information
2. Important topics considered
3. Creative presentation
4. Clearly and logically organized presentation
5. All group members must participate
6. Visual aids
7. Ten minutes in length
8. Create five quiz questions for students to answer during presentation. These quiz
questions are to be given to the teacher electronically through e-mail two days prior to
the presentation day so that a master list of quiz questions can be generated to take
notes on during the presentation day.

Evaluation:
Part 4: Presentations: In class
1. Come to class ready to present your mini-lessons to the class. Each group will
hand in the works cited page to me before the start of the lesson.
2. While groups present, students are to take notes on the quiz questions the students
generated. This is what you will study from.
3. All groups will be graded on a rubric previously provided to each group.

Part 5: Group Evaluation: In class

You will be given a rubric to grade your fellow group members’ involvement and
participation in research and preparation for the mini-lesson. Please be honest.

Part 6: Elements of Romanticism in Frankenstein

A handout we will go over after all of the presentations connecting what we saw in the
presentations to what we will see in Frankenstein.

Part 6: Quiz: In class

The class period after presentations there will be a quiz made up of the questions the
groups created as well as a few questions from the ‘Elements of Romanticism in
Frankenstein’ sheet.
 Conclusion: The thought behind this lesson was to divide and conquer the work load
while involving you in the research process opposed to taking notes from me. Through
thorough mini-lessons you will have the opportunity to be exposed to many important
elements of the Romantic Movement. These elements are different from elements we’ve
seen in any other type of writing we’ve studied this year. Through knowing these various
elements much of Mary Shelley’s writing style and techniques is explained.

Materials:
Below are various rubrics, topic sheets, as well as assignment sheets to give out to
students.

Topic List:
1. Fashion/ Entertainment
2. Authors of Novels
3. Writers of Poetry
4. Visual Arts/ Music
5. Political History
6. Gothic
7. Social History
8. Science/ Technology
9. Group Rubric:

Focus Areas 4 3 2 1 0
of Correction
Information Valid and Accurate Information Important Inaccurate
presented accurate information: brief: Very topics not information:
information: Most important general addressed, many topics
All important topics presentation of some not covered
topics addressed topics informatio
considered and clearly. n incorrect
clearly
presented
Creative Very creative Creative Somewhat Barely Not creative
presentation creative creative
Organization Clearly and Logically Somewhat Confusing Completely
of logically organized organized unorganized,
presentation organized confusing
presentation
Clarity of Very clear Clear Somewhat A bit clear Not clear
presentation clear
Relevancy of Very relevant Relevant Somewhat Not very Not relevant at
presentation relevant relevant all, random
Time 10 minutes 1-2 minutes 3-4 minutes 5-6 Did not
over/under over/under minutes consider time
over/under
Visual aides Great use of: Good use of: Did not have Minimal No aides
greatly helped helped expand many, partially
 expand understanding expanded
understanding of topic understanding
of topic
Group All group Most group Not equal Clearly not No group
involvement members seem members involvement: all group consideration
to be involved involved group members members
equally equally varying involved,
involvement one ruling
and knowledge group with
of subject others
following
Knowledge Extremely Knowledgeable: Somewhat Limited Not
of subject knowledgeable most group knowledgeable knowledge: knowledgeable:
presenting : each group members easily : only prepared only know unable to
member easily answer for presentation about answer
answers all questions can’t answer personal questions,
questions questions part of don’t know
project what saying
have not next
experience
with other
group
members
Preparednes Very prepared Prepared Somewhat Barely Not prepared
s prepared prepared
Group members: __________________________________________________________
Score: ____ / 40

Group Evaluation Sheet

Focus Areas 4 3 2 1 0
Group Significantly Contributed Somewhat Barely Did not
involvement contributed to group contributed contributed contribute to
to group to group to group group
Preparedness Very Prepared Somewhat Barely Not prepared
prepared prepared prepared
Use of class Effective use Appropriate Somewhat Barely used Did not use
time of use of use of effectively
Ability to work Works Works well Worked with Put up with Did not work
in group extremely with group group group well with
well with group
group
creativity Exceptionall Creative Somewhat Not very Unwilling to
y creative creative creative be creative
On task Always on On task most On task some Barely on Not on task
behavior task of the time of the time task

Group member #1 score: ______ Average of all group members scores

Group member #2 score: ______ (remember to average add up the
Group member #3 score: ______ total number of scores and divide
Group member #4 score: ______ by how many group members you have):
_________________________________

Elements of Romanticism
Listed below is an organized list of the various common elements found in Romantic
literature that the various groups presented to you. Use this list to help you with the chart
on the back side of the paper.

1. Love of nature
a. A desire for the simple, the primitive, and the natural
b. Seeing nature as a place of refuge
2. Fear of wild, untamed
a. Interest in the darker side of life—the supernatural, magic, mystery, and
death
3. Spiritual and emotional
a. Attention to secret inner life and individual hopes
b. Wonder and reflection (thinking, pondering one’s self and world around)
c. Human spirit reaches for the unknown
d. Faith
e. Agitation: upset, things aren’t all right
f. Unsatisfied longing
g. Idealism about what society is or could be
h. Glorification of the common place
i. Idealization of women and love as themes
j. Love as a theme
4. Interest in the intellectual
5. distant time and place, look to past and future
6. Breakthrough or revolution (in attitudes), questioning