English 10
Webquest II – The Contender
Earlier in the unit, we researched information about Harlem, boxing, and the effects of drug/alcohol
abuse. Now you are going to create a PowerPoint, which is going to highlight how each of these topics
can be related to the novel. You are going to choose one of the following topics in order to create your
PowerPoint presentation. You will save this in the appropriate folder in the V: drive.
Group #1 - Harlem in the 1960s.
Your assignment for this project will be to research Harlem, New York, in the 1960s. What was
the population and economy of Harlem like back then? What was the ethnic or racial majority
residing in Harlem at the time? What was housing like? Was there a high volume of crime back
then? Does Robert Lipsyte accurately portray Harlem in the 1960s?
Now, think about how this information applies to the novel. Find examples from the novel
which illustrate these facts you have researched and include these examples into your PP. You
should include at least three quotes from the text documented correctly. Each quote should
also include an explanation of how the particular quote fits with the research you found. The
visual aid that you will use to complement your presentation will be a PowerPoint slide show. I
think this will best capture all the necessary text, illustrations, and photographs, and will be very
beneficial to the rest of the class.
Group #2 - The Boxer.
What makes this profession the dream of so many young men? Your mission is to research this
sport; find out what drives young men to dedicate their lives to training in this arena. What is
this sport's origin? Who are some of Boxing's most notable athletes? Is there a boxer who can
be closely compared to Alfred Brooks?
Now, think about how this information applies to the novel. Find examples from the novel
which illustrate these facts you have researched and include these examples into your PP. You
should include at least three quotes from the text documented correctly. Each quote should
also include an explanation of how the particular quote fits with the research you found. The
visual aid that you will use to complement your presentation will be a PowerPoint slide show. I
think this will best capture all the necessary text, illustrations, and photographs, and will be very
beneficial to the rest of the class.
Group #3 - Drugs and Alcohol: A Teenage Epidemic?
James, Major, Hollis, and Sonny fall under the category of teenagers who have chosen to live a
life that is dependent upon being in a gang, spending their days drinking, doing drugs, and
involving themselves in senseless and criminal acts. But has Robert Lipsyte necessarily written
fiction, or is this a reality? Your mission is to research this topic of drugs, alcohol, and the
teenage tendency to abuse them. What are some statistics which show the prevalence of
teenage drug/alcohol abuse?
Now, think about how this information applies to the novel. Find examples from the novel
which illustrate these facts you have researched and include these examples into your PP. You
should include at least three quotes from the text documented correctly. Each quote should
also include an explanation of how the particular quote fits with the research you found. The
visual aid that you will use to complement your presentation will be a PowerPoint slide show. I
think this will best capture all the necessary text, illustrations, and photographs, and will be very
beneficial to the rest of the class.
Group #4 – High School Dropouts
Research current statistics on high school dropouts. How many students in the United States
drop out of high school? At what average age? What percentage and kind of jobs are available
for people who don't have a high school diploma?
Now, think about how this information applies to the novel. Find examples from the novel
which illustrate these facts you have researched and include these examples into your PP. You
should include at least three quotes from the text documented correctly. Each quote should
also include an explanation of how the particular quote fits with the research you found. The
visual aid that you will use to complement your presentation will be a PowerPoint slide show. I
think this will best capture all the necessary text, illustrations, and photographs, and will be very
beneficial to the rest of the class.
CATEGORY
10
7
4
1
Research
Information is very
organized with wellconstructed points.
Information was put
in own words.
Information is
organized with wellconstructed points.
Most information
was put in own
words.
Information is
organized, but
details are not wellconstructed. Few
details were put in
own words.
The information
appears to be
disorganized.
Information was
copied and pasted.
Readability
Colors are
complimentary and
easy to read.
Slides are somewhat Colors on slides
Very difficult to
easy to read with a make text difficult to read.
few distractions.
read.
Final paper contains
Grammar/Spelling Contains 1-3
spelling/grammatical 4-6
spelling/grammatical
errors.
errors.
Final paper contains
7-10
spelling/grammatical
errors.
Points
Earned
Final paper contains
more than 10
spelling/grammatical
errors.
Creativity
Evident that student Student spent
spent time on
some time on
presentation but
presentation
lacks some
creativity.
Student did not
focus on the creative
aspect of the
presentation
Format
Appropriate format Included at least 5-6 Included at least 3-4 Less than 3 slides.
and length of
slides.
slides.
presentation. Had
at least seven slides.
Total Points
50