Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar by Shakespeare			A Webquest based on a webquest by Mrs. Aubrey at http://edtech.cebs.wku.edu/~ppetty/baubrey.htm
Introduction Think about the last few movies you saw and really liked...Did they have suspense? Intrigue? Deception? Betrayal? Malice? Scandal?...Murder? William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar contains all of these components...Sound interesting? Julius Caesar is set in 44 B.C. and was written by William Shakespeare in 1599 A.D. Julius Caesar reigned over the Roman Empire from 67 B.C. to 44 B.C. until he was assassinated. Although it is set in ancient Rome and was written during the Renaissance, the play holds several themes that are still present for us today. So, what does Julius Caesar have in common with today's world? That's your job--to find out and present similarities between Caesar's world and our own
Introduction Task Process Group Evaluation

The Task

A group of concerned citizens in our town does not think we should read Julius Caesar in our sophomore English class. This group believes that Julius Caesar has nothing to do with our lives today and that we should focus on reading more modern works. Your group's job is to convince these people at the next PTSA meeting that Julius Caesar contains themes that are relevant to us today.

You should use the resources provided on this webquest as well as your own personal knowledge to complete your task.

By the end of this webquest, your group will have created and presented a PowerPoint presentation for the PTSA meeting (which may look surprisingly like your English class!) to prove that Julius Caesar is just as relevant as modern writings in our lives today. You will present your findings to the class as a group. Additionally, you will turn in an assignment that is specific to the role you choose. You will receive two grades: One for your group's PowerPoint presentation and one for your individual assignment.

Through this webquest, you will be able to increase your knowledge of Julius Caesar's time and improve your understanding as we read the play Julius Caesar. You will be working individually, choosing what most interests you, and working in a group to reach consensus on the most dominant themes related to Julius Caesar's time that persist today.

The Process

1. First, you will be divided into groups of 4. In your group there will be one Reporter, one Architect, one Psychic, and one Doctor. You will decide among your group members who will play each role.

2. Within your group, read the descriptions, and choose a role. The process for each role is described on your individual page.

The Reporter The Architect The Psychic The Doctor

3. As you work through the role you choose, look for themes, that may relate to the essential questions, that may resonate in the world you live in today. You can use the comparison chart while researching to organize the similarities you notice between Julius Caesar and modern-day events. The chart is for comparisons and contrasts, but you should just focus on comparisons in this section. The comparison chart can be completed as a group, if one member uploads it to Google Documents and Shares the document with the group.

4. Once everyone in your group is finished with his/her particular task, get together to create a presentation for the class (PTSA meeting). Take the information you gained during your individual task and decide which aspects will convince the PTSA that we encounter the same situations today. You can use a comparison chart to keep track of similarities that each of you found between Caesar's world and our own while completing your individual tasks (remember--even though this chart can be used for contrasts as well, you should only focus on comparisons at this point because you are trying to show that Julius Caesar can be related to themes today). Your presentation should be in the form of a PowerPoint presentation in which everyone in your group participates. You should try to include pictures and sounds in your PowerPoint presentation. Also, try to phrase your slides differently to make them varied and, therefore, more interesting.

Have one group member build the Comparison Chart in Google Docs and Share the document with the rest of the group. Model it on the Comparison Chart, but build it as a table with 3 columns and several rows. Ask Ms. Dooley if you have any problems.

You will receive two grades: One grade for your personal assignment specific to your role, and one for your group's Power Point presentation. See your individual role's page for evaluation of your personal assignment. Below is the rubric for the group's Power Point presentation.