An Internet
WebQuest
on
Victorian England
Introduction
This project is called a Webquest. It will help you to better
understand many areas of Victorian life. You will work in teams of
two or three to accomplish the given task. In order to be successful,
you will need to work cooperatively, use your time and resources
effectively and complete the task as instructed. You will need to use
your research, writing and presenting skills.
You are a team of reporters, photographers and journalists for Time
Life. You have managed to meet someone who believes your story.
The Quest
As good journalists would, you have decided to take advantage of
your unique situation. You will choose one of the following feature
stories for your group to complete. Your final product will be a
newsletter.
Feature Stories:
1. Child Labour
2. Daily Life in Victorian England
3. Victorian Fashion
4. Victorian Christmas
Feature 1. Learn about child labour. Interview a child worker or factory
owner to find out what it was like to write your story or article.
Feature 2. Learn about daily life in Victorian England. Interview men and
woman to find out what they did, what their homes were like, what types of
activities they enjoyed and the events that were going on during the time.
Feature 3. Learn about Victorian fashion. Of course every good magazine
has to include fashion. Tell what the latest fashion trends were of the time.
Feature 4. Find out what Christmas was like during the Victorian era. We
know that Charles Dickens is responsible for a renewed interest in
Christmas, find out how the Victorians really celebrated and learn about the
customs (some of which we still celebrate today.)
Phase 1 - Background: Something for Everyone
Don't forget to try to answer the 5 W's of reporting- who, what, where, when , why (and sometimes
how).
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Every group member has a specific task, but you will all be
working on the writing and researching of the articles. Your
specific title or task means that it is your responsibility to
make sure that you as a group get that specific job done (i.e.
the photographer provides texts and photos on his field, the
editor sets the timeline and oversees the project etc.).
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The following are your roles (choose one for each group
member):
1. photographer/writer
Use the Internet information linked below to help
you gain information specifically related to
photographer/writer:
In addition to sharing the writing, the
photographer is responsible for locating and
downloading or scanning relevant photos or
drawings.
2. editor/writer
Use the Internet information linked below to gain
information specifically related to editor/writer:
In addition to sharing the writing, the editor is in
charge of of overseeing the project. They should keep
the group on task, set a timeline, and check the
progress that the group is making.
The Resources
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The Industrial Revolution - Britain becomes the workshop of the world. Use the indexes
and links to find out more from this page. The BBC site full of useful information which
you can navigate your way round
The Victorian Web - Tons of information on various aspects of Victorian Life
Victorian Station - Read about Victorian architecture, lifestyle, interior design, arts and
literature.
Victorian Schools - Click on the little figure for a description of school life and click on
Timetable to see their lessons!
Saundra Altman’s: Past Patterns - Clothing patterns of Victorian style clothing.
Victorian Women - The role of women in Victorian society
An Overview of Victoria’s Reign - Good basic background information, not too long to
read, giving you an understanding of her reign
Britain 1700-1900: Industrial Revolution - This web site is about the technical changes
of that time.
Victorians and the Poor - A country of two nations; many Victorians struggled to
understand and explain poverty. Was this because of circumstances beyond the
individual's control or the direct result of their indolence? To discourage dependency,
workhouse conditions were worse than the lowest standard of the independent labourer.
Find out more about the treatment of the poor
Railways in the 19th Century - British web site organized by people, cities, companies,
etc.
Prisons - The Prison System in the Victorian Age
3. reporter/writer
Use the Internet information linked below to answer
these questions specifically related to reporter/writer:
In addition to helping to write the articles, the
reporters will be responsible for printing hard copies
of the articles and will have a large decision in how
the newsletter will be put together.
Phase 2 - Debating, Discussing, and Reaching
Consensus
You have all learned about a different part of Victorian England. Now
group members come back to the larger Web Quest team with
expertise gained by searching from one perspective. You must all now
answer the Task / Quest(ion) as a group. Each of you will bring a
certain viewpoint to the answer: some of you will agree and others
disagree. Use information, pictures, f acts, opinions, etc. from the
Web pages to put together your final product- a news letter. Your
Web Quest team should write stories and articles that everyone on the
team can live with.
Each group will pass in a news letter, but you will
also be presenting the information to the class. Decide
how you want to do this.
You probably don't want to just read your newsletter
to the class. You could present it to the class as a six
o'clock news report or as a journal type program such
as 10 Minutes where they interview the people that
they are reporting about. These are just some ideas.
You decide how you want to present to the class, but
remember to be creative.