WebQuest : The 1960's Museum
The TaskCongratulations! You and your partners have been elected as the curators of one year ofThe 1960's Museum. You have the following tasks ahead of you :
- identifying important social events that happened in the U.S. during your assigned year
- researching the topics in the Library Media Center
- choosing ten to fifteen of these topics for inclusion in the Museum
- identifying quality Internet sites that are informative and applicable to these events
- hypertext linking the sites to the homepage you create in HTML for your year
The BackgroundOver the past few years, the concept of a museum has changed from that of static displays to more interpretative types of exhibits. This is explained in this excerpt from a speech by Michael Heyman, the President of the Smithsonian at the time, in a talk he gave the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on November 10, 1994 :" ...for much of the history of museums, most visitors encountered objects in permanent display with a minimal amount of information attached and relatively little interpretation. In the last few decades, however, more and more museums - of science, history, and the arts - have tried to provide a framework for the visitors' viewing of the objects. The framework provides context and interpretation." Our purpose here is twofold -- to identify people and events of importance in the 1960's and to find Internet sites that support our interpretation of these events. In this way, we will start to become social historians as we judge which information should be included and how it should be presented. The Process
- Arrange for you and your partners to watch the videotape
60's Music Video Album
(Educational Video DVD, 35 minutes, 1988). It is a compilation of songs of the 60's played in the background of video clips "capturing the memories and spirit of a whole generation." It should supply you with backgound for beginning your research on the social events of the times.
- Go to the Library Media Center and, using some of the resources below or other subject-specific reference books, identify key events that occured during the year you are researching. You may also want to visit the American Cultural History 1960-1969 Web site to find out some additional information.
- Write a statement that summarizes the event, being sure to include the date if known.
- Classify your events into major subject categories and choose 10-15 to include in the final project.
- Using the Internet and the major search tools (http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/yp/iypsrch.html), search the Internet by keyword for the topics that you have chosen, being sure to use Boolean search strategies to limit the number of hits.
- Evaluate the pages you have found for applicablility, authority, and usefulness for your purpose. Use the Middle School Evaluation Guide to rate the sites you find. Remember to look for point of view, especially when dealing with controversial topics.
- Think of a creative title for your room of the The 1960's Museum and develop a way to present the information to the "public". As you surf along, you may want to write down or type the URL's of the sites you find and their general topics on index cards as you identify them. In this way, you can shuffle the cards around to create a storyboard for your final HTML presentation.
- Using a template taken from the sample page or one of your own, design a page or series of pages to present your information in HTML format. If you need a refresher in HTML, visit my list of helpful sites. You could also use a presentation tool such as Powerpoint or Google Presentations to present your project, too.
- If you create a Web page, remember to sign and date your page, and to link it back to the main page of The 1960's Museum.
- I have completed an example of a sample presentation for the year 1962. This is only one idea to help you get started on your way. Take a look! Feel free to incorporate any of these ideas or use your imagination and design a site representative of your ideas and the topics included.
The ResourcesSome of the print resources you may find in your school or local library included :
- Makower, Joel.Boom : Talkin' About Our Generation. Chicago : Contemporary Books, 1985.
This book is a compedium of 1960's events arranged by broad subject areas, and then by date. It is the best resource I have found for events of the 1960's.
- Javna, John and Gordon. 60s!. NY : St. Martin's Press, 1983.
- Grun, Bernard.The Timetables of History. 3d ed. NY : Simon and Schuster, 1991.
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World Almanac and Book of Facts. NJ : World Almanac, 2008.
-
Our Century : 1960-1970. Milwaukee, WI : Gareth Stevens, 1993.
Some general Web sites that might be useful include: Conclusion
I hope, by completing this exercise, you have learned a bit more about the 1960's. How easy was it to find information on the Internet dealing with events in the 1960's? Were some of the sites you encountered targeted towards a specific audience or point of view? If so, why do you think this occurs? How do you think others will respond when they see our Museum? Do you think we will receive positive or negative feedback? Why?
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