Dear Fellow Educator,

This webquest is designed as a pre-reading activity that will introduce students to some of the key ideas in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.  I designed the webquest with 10th grade college bound studens in mind, but I am sure that all students could complete it successfuly with some modifications.  It is my hope that after accomplishing this webquest, students will better understand the loss of personal liberties that occurred in the novel.  By giving students the important task of saving the world, I hoped to spark their interest and reinforce the importance of the their knowledge.  I hope that when they read the novel, students will transfer this knowledge and understand that while the books are banned in the novel, the information they contain is more dangerous to the novel's society.

I designed this webquest as an individual activity; however, it could easily be adapted to incorporate small groups.

The webquest is designed to align to the following Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Frameworks:

Reading and Literature Nonfiction:  13.26: Analyze and evaluate the logic and use of evidence in an author’s argument.

Composition Consideration of Audience and Purpose:  20.5: Use different levels of formality, style, and tone when composing for different audiences. Organizing Ideas In Writing:  23.13: Organize ideas for a critical essay about literature or a research report with an original thesis statement in the introduction, well constructed paragraphs that build an effective argument, transition sentences to link paragraphs into a coherent whole, and a conclusion. Research:  24.5: Formulate open-ended research questions and apply steps for obtaining and evaluating information from a variety of sources, organizing information, documenting sources in a consistent and standard format, and presenting research.

Good Luck!  I hope you and your students enjoy this quest and learn some useful information! -Maura Goodhall

I'd love to hear about your experiences.  Questions/Comments/Anecdotes always welcome!

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