A WebQuest about African Americans who have contributed greatly to our society
Created by Kim Overstreet, District TRT

Introduction
"Americans have recognized black history annually since 1926, first as "Negro History Week" and later as "Black History Month." What you might not know is that black history had barely begun to be studied—or even documented—when the tradition originated. Although blacks have been in America at least as far back as colonial times, it was not until the 20th century that they gained a respectable presence in the history books."--Infoplease.com Black  History Month  As a part of this webquest you will choose an African American who has made a made a significant contribution to the quality of life and learn about him/her.

Task
Using the links below in the Process section, you will choose an African American who you feel has made a significant contribution to the quality of life.  You will gather information and pictures of this person and then you will organize and compile all of this information into a PowerPoint presentation that you will be sharing with your classmates and perhaps the entire school.

Process

  
bulletGet a worksheet to organize your information from your teacher.  (**Teachers:  You may right click on the worksheet link above and choose Save Target As to save the word document so you can make any changes or print out copies for your students.)
bulletExplore the links below to find a person and gather information on that person.  Be sure to tell which site your information comes from because you will need to site any sources you use at the end of your presentation.
bulletinfoplease.com has links to many biographies and information about notable African Americans.
bulletGale Group--Black History Month-Biographies
bulletAFRO-American Almanac Biographies
bulletThe Faces of Science: African Americans in the Sciences
bulletEras in Black History
bulletAfrican American Leaders
bulletInternet African American History Challenge
bulletIf you find pictures on any of the sites you visit, you can save them to use in your presentation by right-clicking your mouse on the picture and then choose Save Picture As....then be sure to save it in a place where you can get back to it later.
bulletOnce you have gathered all the information you need.  You may begin to create your presentation.  Be sure to include a Title Slide and a slide at the end citing your sources.  If you want help in citing the websites you use, you can use the Citation Machine website.
bulletBe sure to study the rubric below that will be used to evaluate your presentation and make sure you have everything you need.

Evaluation
CATEGORY 4 3 2 1
Sequencing of Information Information is organized in a clear, logical way. It is easy to anticipate the type of material that might be on the next card. Most information is organized in a clear, logical way. One card or item of information seems out of place. Some information is logically sequenced. An occasional card or item of information seems out of place. There is no clear plan for the organization of information.
Content - Accuracy All content throughout the presentation is accurate. There are no factual errors. Most of the content is accurate but there is one piece of information that might be inaccurate. The content is generally accurate, but one piece of information is clearly flawed or inaccurate. Content is typically confusing or contains more than one factual error.
Originality Presentation shows considerable originality and inventiveness. The content and ideas are presented in a unique and interesting way. Presentation shows some originality and inventiveness. The content and ideas are presented in an interesting way. Presentation shows an attempt at originality and inventiveness on 1-2 cards. Presentation is a rehash of other people's ideas and/or graphics and shows very little attempt at original thought.
Use of Graphics All graphics are attractive (size and colors) and support the theme/content of the presentation. A few graphics are not attractive but all support the theme/content of the presentation. All graphics are attractive but a few do not seem to support the theme/content of the presentation. Several graphics are unattractive AND detract from the content of the presentation.
Sources Source of information is given credit at the end of the presentation. Sources are documented somewhere in the presentation. Some sources are mentioned in the presentation, but not all. No sources are credited in the presentation.

Rubric adapted from Rubistar

Conclusion
After you have viewed all the presentations by your classmates, test your knowledge by taking this online quiz.

 

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