Other Witch Trials

Grade Levels: 11

Subjects: English, Social Studies,

Learner outcomes:

The students will use the Internet to learn how Senator McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee and how the fear of Communism effected the civil liberties of United States Citizens.
The students will compare and contrast one of the following topics with the Salem Witch Trials as described in Arthur Miller's play, "The Crucible." (You might wish to permit the students to substitute their own topic for one of the following.)

The students, working in teams of four to five students, will create a multimedia presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint or other software to present their conclusions about one conclusions.

Duration of the Lesson:

Materials/Technology Tools:

Teacher Notes:

The students must already be familiar with the use of Microsoft PowerPoint or the other multimedia software.
Students should already be familiar with using search engines on the internet for research. Suggested sources are included but should not be the only sources used in the research. You might reserve these sources in case the students have difficulty finding their own.
The number of slides and the use of audio and picture files in the presentation should be based on the ability level of the students.
Audio files and pictures should add to the presentation and not be "frosting" to make the presentation look good.
This may be completed parallel to Lesson 1 (The Background) and Lesson 2 (The Play).
The majority of the lesson is designed to be done by student discovery with teacher assistance and support.
The student directions are meant to be vague providing an opportunity for the students to explore on their own. This may create anxiety in many of the students who are used to very strict guidelines from the teacher. You should spend a few minutes each day visiting with the committees to offer suggestions for their research. This will help ease their anxiety and help ensure they find the items you want them to discover.

Procedures:

Using no more than 15-20 minutes, give a brief overview of the topic discussing the fear of communism during the early 1950's following World War II.
Divide the class into groups of four to five students each. The students will act as a committee for doing the research and completing the presentation. The group should become the class experts on their assigned topic (see above).
Assign the topic to the teams for research.
Hand out guidelines for their research (see suggested guidelines below).
Each committee will keep a daily journal listing:

Type of site. (educational, published by an educational institution, commercial, published on a personal web page by an individual interested in the topic, etc.)
Based on the type of site, how objective is the information? Is it historically correct or is there a great deal of author bias?

The URL and/or authors of any sound or image files which will be used in the PowerPoint presentation.
Questions answered or conclusions made that day.

The research portion of the lessons is designed to take 5-50 minute class periods. Visit with each committee each day to learn what they have discovered and offer suggestions for further research.
Each committee will create a PowerPoint presentation (or other multimedia presentation) to present their findings.
Present the PowerPoint/multimedia presentations to the class permitting the committee to lead the discussion of the topic.
Ask specific questions of the committee and class to draw out any other conclusions you think appropriate.

Modifications:

Make modifications based on IEP's of students in the class.
If multimedia software is not available, the students may create a Historical Poster Report.
Based on the ability of the students and their familiarity with the software, modify the number of required slides, images and audio files required.
As the students are developing their presentations, modify requirements as needed. (i.e. You may require and audio file in the but the students may not have found an appropriate file. It might be better to waive that requirement rather than incorporate an audio file that is at best distracting from the presentation.)
You may need to modify the length of the time required for the lesson. The more creative students become in their presentations, the more time will be required for completion.

Enrichment activities:

Write a short, pay or poem about a fictional character caught up under McCarthyism or what society might be like had McCarthyism continued.
Have the students create a simulation of a hearing of the House Un-American Activities Committee permitting students to take the part of committee members and someone being investigated.

Evaluation: Rubric

English Language Arts: 11.4, ``.6, 11.9, 11.11, 11.16, 11.27, 11.38, 11.43, 11.44, 11.81, 11.82, 11.83, 11.84, 11.88, 11.89, 11.92, 11.93, 11.96, 11.98, 11.99
Social Studies: 11.1, 11.4, 11.8, 11.9, 11.11, 11.15, 11.41, 11.45, 11.48, 11.49, 11.55, 11.56

National Standards

References: