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George Washington’s Socks WebQuest

Introduction | Task | Process | Resources | Evaluation

Introduction

As a fourth grade student at Roberge School in River Vale, NJ, you have read the book George Washington’s Socks. This book is a work of historical fiction; it is fictional, but takes place at a specific time period and contains some elements (characters, events, attitudes) that were true to life during that time in history. The author wove real events from the Revolutionary War with fictional events. In addition to learning about the Revolutionary War by reading this book, you learned about the war by reading information in your NJ workbook, and discussing causes and effects of the war with your class.

Task

Use a copy of George Washington’s Socks, 3-5 Revolutionary War websites, and your critical thinking skills to list real events and fictional events. Your job is to identify the events, characters, attitudes, and struggles that were real. Also identify elements in the story that are fictional. After you have completed these lists, give your opinion in a one paragraph answer to the following question: Would you rather learn about the Revolutionary War by reading information in a social studies textbook (like your NJ workbook) or by reading a work of historical fiction? Include in your answer the pros (good things) and cons (bad things) of each method.

Process

Before you begin, you must decide if you want to work alone or in a group of 2 or 3 students. Once you are set up with a small group or working independently, reread the introduction and task to ensure that you understand what you’re supposed to be doing. Browse some of the websites (linked below) and try to find facts from the Revolutionary War that were included in George Washington’s Socks. Begin making a list (on a separate sheet of paper) of real historical events from the story. (Each item on your list should be written as a phrase or sentence – don’t just write the name of a person or place.) Also, make a list of events from the story that were not really part of the Revolutionary War. Each list should contain at least 10 items. If you find an element in the story that you think may be real, but you are not sure, search the websites to confirm or reject your idea.

After you have completed your lists on scrap paper, open a new Word document, and type your lists there. Also, write your one to two paragraph response to the question found in the end of the task section.

Resources

George Washington’s Socks (novel)

Websites:

Trenton / Revolutionary War

Liberty (PBS)

Journey to Freedom

Revolutionary War Pictures

Liberty Kids (PBS)

Revolutionary War Timeline

Schoolhouse Rock Lyrics

Crossing of the Delaware

Revolutionary War – History Central

Yahooligans – General Search

Crossing the Delaware

John Glover – Crossing the Delaware

Google – General Search

Battle of Trenton – Before, During and, After

Evaluation

You will receive a score of 1, 2, 3, or 4. A four is the best score. Your score will be based on the following rubric.

Revolutionary War Historical Fiction
ID: 25320

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Objectives	Low Performance	At or Below Average	At or Above Average	Exemplary Performance	Earned Points
Complete all parts of the webquest.	1 point You have not responded to all parts of the webquest.	2 points You have responded to all parts of the webquest but one or more parts haven't been completed as described in the task and process sections.	3 points You have responded to all parts of the webquest and completed all parts as described in the task and process sections.	4 points You have responded to all parts of the webquest and have shown that you truly understand the task through your detailed responses.
Include appropriate items on your lists.	1 point One-half of the items on your lists are accurate.	2 points Three-quarters of the items on your lists are accurate.	3 points All of the items on your lists are accurate. You have 10 items per list.	4 points You have more than 10 items on both lists and both lists are entirely accurate.
Respond to the question found in the task section of the webquest.	1 point Your response to the question is off topic or doesn't make sense.	2 points Your response to the question is incomplete. (You don't answer the question completely or you don't include the pros and cons.)	3 points You respond completely to the question but don't give examples or support for your answer.	4 points You respond completely to the question, and give examples, support for your answer, and a strong opinion.
				Total Score:

Conclusion

You have worked very hard on this webquest. Hopefully you have learned that there are several ways to learn about history. Reading a book that is historical fiction can be interesting and you can learn at the same time. Learning from a social studies textbook might not be as interesting but it is usually faster than reading an entire book. The best way to learn about an event in history is to use both textbooks that give specific information and also to read historical fiction.