How have the qualities of heroes changed
over time?

Introduction

Welcome to the world of heroes, past and present. This WebQuest will take you back in time to Ancient Greece where you will learn about the lives of Greek heroes. First, you will read Dateline:Troy by Paul Fleischmann. Several Greek heroes can be found on its pages. You must also select a twentieth century hero to investigate. Using what you learn, you will choose a product to complete to demonstrate your answer to the question above.

The Task

After you have read Dateline:Troy, you should need to decide what structure you will use to demonstrate the answer to the above question. Once you decide you decide you should complete the proposal form. It is very important that you describe the structure specifically. For example, if you will write a perform a play, explain how many scenes you will write and how many speaking parts each scene will have. If you will write an original song, tell how many verses you will have. Collage or poster makers should describe size, colors, how many pictures, etc. I will either accept or reject your proposal depending on your heroes selected and the quality of your product description.

Characters of Greek Mythology: Heroes: Try this one first.
Mythweb: There is an encyclopedia page here.
Greek Mythology: Students created this site in a Think Quest competition.
Encyclopedia Mythica: This is a user-friendly site.
Greek Mythology: You will find several links on this page.
The Illustrated Greek Encyclopedia: This is a must see.
Greek Mythology: This site has a special hero section.
Greek Monsters: Have you ever heard of the Cyclops or the Sirens?

Use these sites to research your twentieth century hero:

A Million Lives
Biography at Homework Central
Biography Search
Biography.com: Be sure to look here for heroes of the nineties.
Encarta Online: This is an online encyclopedia.
Life Magazine: There is a search section here that is easy to use.
metacrawler.com: This search engine can greatly refine your hits if you click on the phrase button.

The Process

1.  You will research a Greek hero with a research group in class.  Using the Internet and reference books, you must find at least five Internet sites and two non-computer sources.

2.  As you begin to take notes, be sure to use a research help sheet.    The empty rectangle at the top of this page should be used to collect research information.  Numbers 1-6 will help you collect information from each source.

3.  Begin to gather ideas for your proposal.  You may work with someone outside your research group.  You may work alone or in groups with a maximum of four people.

4.  Your research for the twentieth centyury hero will be done in class independently.  Like the Greek hero, you need five Internet and two non-computer sources.  You do not have to pick the same person as someone in your project group.  However, if you do, I will require you to double the number of resources on your reference page for that hero.

5. When you have collected information on a Greek hero and a twentieth century hero, you are ready to begin analyzing. Think about the qualities that the heroes have in common or the qualities that greatly differ. Consider how you will demonstrate these ideas in your product that has already been approved.

6. Begin creating your product. Think about the specific features that have been approved. Following these features will improve your grade.  In addition, create your reference page using Microsoft Word.

Everyone will be evaluated using the same rubric. It is based on accomplishing your purpose, recognizing your audience, researching the subject, and matching the features on your proposal.

After completing this WebQuest, you should understand how the word hero has changed over time. You should be an expert on the story of Dateline:Troy , and you are now prepared to read Homer's Odyssey next year. Perhaps from this research on heroes, you will use the word more carefully in the future.