Presented by:Jennifer McMillian

EDU 505

Reporting the Facts of the Seneca Falls

Convention

IntroductionGet ready to report to Seneca Falls, NY!Women in the United States didn’t always

have the same rights as men.You are going to travel back in time and see

what was going on in Seneca Falls while women rallied to fight for their rights.

As you investigate the past you will also become a reporter who is trying to persuade his/her readers to choose a side; you are either for, or against women gaining equal rights.

Task• You will be researching the Seneca Falls

Convention through many different websites.

• While you are looking through the websites you will be taking notes about the Convention, and how different people felt about the idea of women gaining more rights.

• Your job will be to create a persuasive newspaper article that will try to make the people of 1948 agree with your way of thinking.

Process• Before beginning the research process you

must find out if you are going to be a reporter who agrees with women gaining more rights, or a reporter who is against what the Seneca Falls Convention stands for.

• Count the amount of letters in your first name. • If you have an even amount of letters in

your name you will support women’s rights.

• If you have an odd amount of letters in your name you will be against women’s rights.

Process/Resources• Using the worksheet provided for you, visit

the following websites and find the information needed to help you complete your newspaper article.

• http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/Senecafalls.html

• http://www.america.gov/st/diversity-english/2005/June/20080229183432liameruoy0.6444055.html

Process/Resources• Continue to explore more websites• http://www.npg.si.edu/col/seneca/senfalls1

.htm

• http://www.nps.gov/wori/index.htm (This site has many things to look at, so explore all of the different parts)

• http://www.syracuseuniversitypress.syr.edu/encyclopedia/entries/seneca-falls-convention.html

Process/Resources• Now that you have read information about

the Seneca Falls Convention, watch the following video (make sure you take notes).

Process/Resources• You have now completed your visit to

Seneca Falls, and it is time to get ready to write your newspaper article!

• Visit the following sites in order to see what newspapers looked like during the 1840’s. This may help you in writing your own article.

• http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/vc006204.jpg

• http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trr040.html (Check out all of the different articles on this site)

Process• Before you write your persuasive article

here are some guidelines to keep in mind:• Remember what role you are playing (for or

against the convention).• Make sure the article is written in an

organized manner (think back to articles that we have written in class).

• Check spelling; you can use your student dictionaries to help with this.

• You saw that some articles had drawings; you may include drawings in your article but make sure that they fit the time period (1848).

Evaluation • You will be evaluated using the following

rubric.

Conclusion• Congratulations, you have traveled to the

Seneca Falls Convention and are now a published newspaper reporter!

• I hope that you can now see how hard women and men had to fight in order for women to have the rights that they do today.

• Now sit back and relax as you watch one last video.

Teacher Page• Learners

• This WebQuest was designed for a fourth grade social studies unit.

• The activities and worksheets used could be altered for use in a higher grade level.

• Prior to this WebQuest students would need to become familiar with newspapers, and how articles are written.

Teacher Page• Standards – the following NYS standards are

addressed through the completion of this WebQuest.

• ELA1 Standard 1 - Language for Information and Understanding

• ELA1 Standard 2 - Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression.

• ELA1 Standard 3 - Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.

• SS1 Standard 1 - History of the United States and New York

• SS1 Standard 5 - Civics, Citizenship, and Government

Teacher Page• Teacher notes

• While this WebQuest was designed for students to complete the process individually, alterations could be made so that partners or groups could work together.

• It is important to know the reading level of your students when using the websites that are already listed within this WebQuest. I encourage teachers to change the sites used depending on the abilities and needs of your students.

Teacher Page• Questions/items included on the

worksheet given to the students:• What was the reason for having the Seneca

Falls Convention? Make sure you include details which will help when writing your article.

• When, and where (the exact place) did the convention take place?

• Who were some people who supported the Seneca Falls Convention, and why did they support it?

Teacher Page• Questions continued:

• Who were some people who did not support the Seneca Falls Convention, and why did they not support it?

• What was the result of the convention (what happened in the days following the convention)?

• Please explore the websites and write any additional information that you found to be interesting, or that would help you when you write your article.