Hope in the Midst of Slavery

A WebQuest for Mrs. White's 8th Grade Reading Classes
Designed by Mrs. Woo

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | TeacherPage

Introduction

Task

       You will work in teams to learn about historical facts surrounding the two settings of these fictionalized accounts, keeping in mind the essential questions and the focus questions detailed below. There will be 5 teams, each of which will be divided into two: groups A (Harriet's groups) will learn about slavery in the United States in the mid-1800s; groups B (Iqbal's group) will learn about slavery in Pakistan in the 1990s. Once your group has developed an understanding of the history related to your book and character, you will have time to share the information with the other half of your team. Each team will prepare a final product that answers the questions outlined in the Process below. Remember to include both information you gleaned from your research and knowledge you gained from reading the books as you prepare your final products.

Essential Questions:

• How did hope make a difference in the lives of Harriet and Iqbal?
• Explain how their lives were similar to each other's.

Focus Questions:

1. Describe the conditions in which Harriet and Iqbal lived.
2. Did either of them have any power to change/control their lives?
3. What were the obstacles that Harriet and Iqbal faced?
4. How did they overcome these obstacles?

Final Product:

Each team will collaborate to create a poster that uses graphics and words to answer the focus questions and the essential questions. Teams will present the poster to the class, interpreting and clarifying as necessary. All team members should participate in the creation of the poster and in the presentation.

Take notes to answer the focus questions and ideas you have to answer the essential questions as you visit the sites linked for you in the Process:

• Cite your sources on your notes sheets.
• Number your notes according to the questions.
• Once you have written the answers to all the questions, use that information to help you create your poster.

Process

Whole Class Activity - All Groups

We will begin by reviewing some background information on the Middle Passage that you probably learned in 5th grade:

• Alexander Falconbridge's account of the African Slave Trade, 1788
• Olaudah Equiano's account of The Middle Passage, 1789, as an ex-slave
• Interior of a Slave Ship

Harriet Groups - A:

1. After Harriet ran away, hoping that Dr. Norcom would then sell her and her children to their father, she spent 7 years in a very small space under her grandmother's roof. This time period is described in Letters from a Slave Girl. Reread pp. 86-88 in the book. Those pages describe one of the many times in Harriet's life when she felt she had a little power over her master and just a bit of control over her life. After rereading those pages, take a look at this primary source document, the runaway notice for Harriet Jacobs, which ran in the newspapers during the time in which Harriet was living in the cramped space:

Advertisement for the Capture of Harriet Jacobs
http://www.yale.edu/glc/harriet/15.htm

2. Complete the Written Document Analysis Worksheet for this advertisement. Then take notes on the following questions when you meet with your group:

• How does this document lead us to believe that Harriet was just considered a piece of property with no voice?
• According to the book, was Norcom correct in assuming Harriet went North? How do you know? In what way could this be a cause for hope on Harriet's part?
• How much was Harriet worth to Norcom, in today's dollars? Hint: Visit this site: Comparative Value of the U.S. Dollar (Approximate) and choose 1835 as the Reference Year. Click on "Submit Year" and scroll down to 2005 (the latest year given). Multiply the dollar value in 2005 by 100, since we are talking about $100.00.

3. Read the three passages below. How does each show that Harriet was still hopeful that she could help change things for the better?

Letter from Harriet Jacobs to Ednah Dow Cheney
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h2925.html
Read this passage and then click on "Click here for the text of this historical document" to read the actual letter that Harriet wrote to Ednah Cheney. This letter was written after the Civil War, after the slaves had been freed.

Here is a report on more of Harriet's work after the Civil War:
Jacobs' School
http://www.yale.edu/glc/harriet/13.htm

Lastly, read this appeal by Harriet to readers in London, England after the Civil War:
Appeal for Aid to Savannah Freedmen's Orphan Asylum, 1868
http://www.yale.edu/glc/harriet/14.htm

4. Complete the Written Document Analysis Worksheet for ONE of the three articles above.

Iqbal Groups - B:

1. Who Was Iqbal Masih?
http://www.mirrorimage.com/iqbal/who/who.html

2. Quicktime Movie of Children Working at Tying Carpets in Pakistan
http://www.childrensworld.org/page.html?pid=108
Read the article and then click the caption on the left hand side. Choose Media Player or Quicktime to watch the movie.

3. Grade 7 Reflections on Iqbal's Visit to Their School
http://www.mirrorimage.com/iqbal/broadmdw/visit/visit.html
Read students' comments. Summarize in your notes how Iqbal's visit affected these students.

4. Letter from Broadmeadow Students
http://www.mirrorimage.com/iqbal/broadmdw/react/react.html
Read the letters from students written in response to Iqbal's death. Choose ONE of the letters to read again and complete the Written Document Analysis Worksheet on it.

5. In the Loop: Report on Iqbal's School to be Built in Pakistan, 1996
http://www.mirrorimage.com/iqbal/reebok/in-loop.html
How did Iqbal's hope live on after he died?

6. The Boston Globe, 2001
http://www.mirrorimage.com/iqbal/media/marchglobe/marchglobe.html
What is meant by the group's motto: "A bullet can't kill a dream"?

All Groups:

A School for Iqbal: March 2008 Update
http://www.mirrorimage.com/iqbal/updates/03-08update.html

Speech on Child Labor by Rajinda Jayasinghe playing Iqbal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TICg_gd4xnI&feature=relatedqbal

"Even a Dream of a 12-Year-Old Can Make a World of Difference"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6XlxxvmDPs

Review your notes individually and then as a group and make sure you have answered all the questions. If not, you will need to go back and do further reading on the sites above and/or consult the books we have read.

Then each team, including the Harriets (A) and the Iqbals (B), should meet and discuss what they have learned. Decide as a team what you want to include on your poster. Make sure you read and understand the directions and assessment expectations. You will find them below, under Evaluation, on this page.

Present your findings and opinions to the class, using your poster to help describe and explain your answers to the essential questions. All members of the group should participate in creating the poster and in presenting it.

Evaluation

Rubric: Collaboration, Poster, and Presentation

Conclusion

Now that you have had an opportunity to read 2 very different slave stories based on real people's lives, you have a better understanding of the similarities between them and the role that hope played in both slaves' lives.

You may want to explore additional Slavery Resources, including more slave narratives. I hope this project has introduced you to the importance of interesting and informative primary sources and their role in helping us understand and appreciate cultures and societies.

Credits & References

D'Adamo, Francesco. Iqbal. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. New York: 2003.

"Document Analysis Worksheets." The National Archives. 22 June 2008

<http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/index.html>.

"Examining the Middle Passage." History Now: American History Online. 22 June

2008 <http://www.historynow.org/12_2004/lp3.html>.

Lyons, Mary E. Letters from a Slave Girl. Charles Scribner's Sons: New York: 1992.

"Professor Sheds Light on Harriet Jacobs' Path to Freedom." Tell Me More. National

Public Radio. 21 June 2008 <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/

story.php?storyId=17897134>.

*"Title Detail." Titlewave. Online. Follett Library Resources, Inc. 22 June 2008

<http://titlewave.com>.

TeacherPage

Last updated 6/22/08. Based on a template from the WebQuest Design Patterns page:http://webquest.sdsu.edu/designpatterns/all.htm