Who Will Stand up for texas

How important is Texas to you? How important do you think Texas is to the United States of America? As you know, many songs, books, and movies have been written about our glorious state. We even have our own flag, flower, state dish, and many other important symbols. From the Panhandle to the Piney woods of Texas, beauty and culture surrounds us!

Your mission is to describe the beauty of Texas and its famous symbols through a poetry book.
Your poems may even save the state of Texas!

                                Imagine the United States of America government is considering re-naming Texas and
                                changing all of it's symbols. You love Texas and do not want this catastrophe to occur! To save
                                the glorious state of Texas you and your group must create an impressive poetry book including
                                haikus, cinquains, limericks, and odes about all of the Texas symbols using as many adjectives
                                as possible.  The finished book will be presented to the U.S. government for review before they vote
                                on this matter. Don't let the state of Texas down!

                                To achieve this important task, you will be accessing the Internet to learn about the four required types
                                of poems, the symbols of Texas, and information on adjectives if you need a quick review. You will
                                then use a word-processor to type your poems.

                                       1. First, if you need to review adjectives, you will need to access this site:
                                    http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/adjectve.html
                                        2. You will then be put into ten groups of three people. Each group will be given a different Texas
                                    symbol. For example, "State dish," or "State Flower." For this project, we will be focusing on
                                    the following state symbols: flag, pepper, large mammal, fruit, flying mammal, vegetable, food dish,
                                    small mammal, insect, and flower.
                                3. Once your group has their symbol, you must go to http://www.senate.state.tx.us/kids/Matching.htm
                                     to research and find out what their symbol is.
                                4. Now, it is your job to familiarize yourself as much as possible with your symbol. You will be
                                     writing poetry about this symbol so learn as much as you can. I would like for this research to be
                                     conducted in the library. You may use the encyclopedias, but you must use "State Names, Seals,
                                     Flags and Symbols," by Benjamin F. Shearer and Barbara S. Shearer. This is a great book about the
                                     Texas symbols.
                                5. Now comes the fun part! Each group will also have to write one haiku, one cinquain, one
                                     limerick, and one ode about their symbol. You may divide the work however you like. Don't panic,
                                     we have already learned about these types of poems, but I have still included several websites to help
                                     you:

                                      6. This is the most important step of your mission. Within your groups, write one of each type of poem
                                    about your symbol. Remember to use as many complimentary adjectives as possible. (These don't
                                    have to be typed just yet.) For inspiration, I would like you to look at the poetry book, "Where the
                                    Sidewalk Ends," by Shel Silverstein. There should be plenty copies in the library.

                                7. Congratulations! You have just finished your rough drafts! Now, check for any spelling or grammatical
                                     errors. You will want your final drafts to be perfect.   Remember, the future of Texas could be in your
                                     hands!

8. Now that the hard part is over, it's smooth sailing from here. Now, you need to use a word-processor
to type your final drafts. Each poem should have a title and each of your names within your group.

                                9. After all this hard work, I think you deserve a break. So, be creative and illustrate each poem. I would
                                     like for these illustrations to be done by hand. This will make the completed poetry book very unique
                                     and special. Each poem should have at least two pictures or drawings.

                                10. Everyone pat yourselves on the back for the good job you've done so far. We are finished with our
                                       group work, but we do have some final touches to make. As a class, we will decide what order we
                                       want the poems to appear, make a contents page, and illustrate a cover for the poetry book. Then, I
                                       will bind the book and send on its way!

This is considered a "group effort." However, points will be deducted for those who do not participate.
Your work will be graded on the following criteria:

CATEGORY	5	4	3	2	Score
Writing Process	Student devotes a lot of time and effort to the writing process (prewriting, drafting, reviewing, and editing). Works hard to make the story wonderful.	Student devotes sufficient time and effort to the writing process (prewriting, drafting, reviewing, and editing). Works and gets the job done.	Student devotes some time and effort to the writing process but was not very thorough. Does enough to get by.	Student devotes little time and effort to the writing process. Doesn't seem to care.
Neatness	The final drafts are readable, clean, neat and attractive. It is free of erasures and crossed-out words. It looks like the author took great pride in it.	The final drafts are readable, neat and attractive. It may have one or two erasures, but they are not distracting. It looks like the author took some pride in it.	The final drafts are readable and some of the pages are attractive. It looks like parts of it might have been done in a hurry.	The final drafts are not neat or attractive. It looks like the student just wanted to get it done and didn't care what it looked like.
Focus on Assigned Topic	All poems are related to the assigned topic and allows the reader to understand much more about the topic.	Most of the poems are related to the assigned topic. The story wanders off at one point, but the reader can still learn something about the topic.	Some of the poems are related to the assigned topic, but a reader does not learn much about the topic.	No attempt has been made to relate the poems to the assigned topic.
Organization	The poems are very well organized. One idea follows another in a logical sequence with clear transitions.	The poems are pretty well organized. One idea or scene may seem out of place. Clear transitions are used.	The poems are a little hard to follow. The transitions are sometimes not clear.	Ideas seem to be randomly arranged.
Spelling and Punctuation	There are no spelling or punctuation errors in the final drafts. Character and place names that the author invented are spelled consistently throughout.	There is one spelling or punctuation error in the final draft.	There are 2-3 spelling and punctuation errors in the final draft.	The final draft has more than 3 spelling and punctuation errors.
Accuracy of Facts	All facts presented in the poems are accurate.	Almost all facts presented in the poems are accurate.	Most facts presented in the poems are accurate (at least 70%).	There are several factual errors in the poems.
Creativity	The poems contain many creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's enjoyment. The authors have really used their imaginations.	The poems contain a few creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's enjoyment. The authors have used their imagination.	The poems contain a few creative details and/or descriptions, but they distract from the story. The authors have tried to use their imagination.	There is little evidence of creativity in the poems. The authors do not seem to have used much imagination.
Requirements	All of the written requirements (# of pages, # of graphics, type of graphics, etc.) were met.	Almost all (about 90%) the written requirements were met.	Most (about 75%) of the written requirements were met, but several were not.	Many requirements were not met.
Illustrations	Original illustrations are detailed, attractive, creative and relate to the text on the page.	Original illustrations are somewhat detailed, attractive, and relate to the text on the page.	Original illustrations relate to the text on the page.	Illustrations are not present OR they are not original.
Title	Titles of poems are creative, spark interest and are related to the poem and topic.	Titles are related to the poems and topic.	Titles are present, but do not appear to be related to the poem or the topic.	No titles.
Did Poems Correctly	All haikus, cinquains, limericks, and odes were written correctly.	All haikus, cinquains, limericks, and odes were almost written correctly.	Some of the haikus, cinquains, limericks, and odes were written correctly.	None of the haikus, cinquains, limericks, and odes were written correctly.
Use of Adjectives	Used adjectives correctly with the purpose of enhancing the poems.	Used adjectives somewhat correctly in the poems.	Some adjectives were used correctly, but may not have enhanced the poems.	Adjectives were not used correctly in any of the poems.
				TOTAL

                                After this WebQuest, the students should be refreshed on adjectives and have a little more knowledge and
                                experience with poetry. Writing poems for a good cause will increase their self-esteem, especially when
                                they know they have succeeded. They should also have learned about many of the Texas symbols along
                                the way!