THEN AND NOW

WebQuest

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Click Picture for Music

 

 

The Challenge

We want the students to appreciate the value of preservation of the past. We want the students to understand that things change in detail but remain the same in general. We want the students to see that "those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it."* We want students to gain a sense of felt and deep meaningful learning by investigating, reasoning, questioning, fantasizing and experimenting in an attempt to understand why people take action.

*(George Santayana, 1863-1952)

 

History

On the evening of September 20, 1777, General Anthony Wayne and a regiment of troops were camped in Paoli drying their ammunition in preparation for their next battle. The British commanded by Lord Grey surprised Wayne and his men just after midnight. Grey's men used their bayonets to stab and maim the Americans killing 53 men and wounding 100. Wayne's men were discovered by the light caused by the flashes of their guns.

 

Preservation

Currently there are several local organizations struggling to preserve the Paoli Battlefield site. The site is currently part of the property owned by Malvern Preparatory School in Malvern, Pennsylvania. The board of trustees of this school would like to sell the site to individuals interested in developing the land into high cost housing. The preservationists would like to keep the property just as it is so that future generations can learn from the mistakes and bravery of the men who fought here. We invite you to stand in the middle of this property and breathe in history.

 

 

TASK

Let us explore the causes, conflict, persons involved in the American Revolution and the conflict, persons, and issues involved in the preservation of the Paoli Battlefield.

The students will work in a team of four (4) to gather information to make comparisons and gain insights. Each group member will focus on one particular area and add this information to the final project or activity. The final project will consist of a written and oral report prepared by your group to present the combined details of your research to the class.

The students will focus on a factor or event which will stir their emotions enough to take action, be it to be a political volunteer, to fight in a war. What will cause you to act in order to make a difference?

 

PROCESS

Each team of four will design a two-page newspaper using a word processor. Two students will design page one which will cover the history of the Paoli Massacre and the other two students will design page two which will cover the preservation of the Paoli Battlefield. Students will include a bibliography.

Each page will include:

  • CAUSES (background)
  • CONDUCT (what happened or is happening)
  • PARTICIPANTS (who was/is involved and their role)
  • DATES

 

LEARNING ADVICE

Students will want to include pictures, time lines and quotations. Suggested articles might include one main news article, profile of a participant, a map, obituary, weather report, interview, editorial, letter to the editor, and a glossary explaining special terms relevant to the articles in the newspaper.

 

WEB RESOURCES

Paoli Massacre and Revolutionary War

 

 

The British Army during the American Revolution

http://views.vcu.edu/~tcrabb/intro.html

 

The Coins of Colonial and Early America

http://www.nd.edu/~rarebook/coins/index.html

 

The Defeat at Paoli (National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution)

http://www.sar.org/history/paoli.htm

 

The Ghost of Revolutionary War

http://tristate.pgh.net/~bsilver/ghost.htm

 

The Philadelphia Campaign 1777: Paoli Massacre

http://www.ushistory.org/march/phila/paoli.htm

 

Revolutionary Links via the Net

http://revolution.h-net.msu.edu/links/

 

The Revolutionary War: The Fortunes of War and Winter at Valley Forge

http://school.discovery.com/fall98/programs/revwar3/

 

 

EVALUATION

Click here for the Rubric to follow in using this WebQuest.

 

CONCLUSION

"Remember Paoli -- Then and Now" is a WebQuest that brings students on a journey to a little-known, but critical battle fought during the Revolutionary War. The men who died at the Paoli Massacre are among the first veterans of our country. Even after the brutal massacre, the American army did not quit. Students will learn from the perseverance and stick-to-itiveness of the colonial soldiers and will gain an understanding of "Remember Paoli!" the rallying cry across the colonies during 1777-1778. Today, those fighting words are resounding again, as Chester County, PA preservationists battle to save what is still a cornfield from being chopped into bits for development. Students will gain a understanding of the historical, economic, political and social implications of selling a historical site. U. S. Congressman and Senators

After completing this WebQuest, students are encouraged to take action and write Pennsylvania local to urge the preservation of the Paoli Battlefield.

 

Joe Bliss, Jill Greiner, John Kopaczewski and Carol Wortman.

 

This page was adapted from Bernie Dodge's WebQuest Template.

 

 

 

 

Last Edited March 2003