Introduction

 You have recently acquired the funds to fulfill your lifelong dream of starting a traveling circus. Years of planning have gone into preparing your show. The elephants are ready, the clowns have their little car, the bearded lady finally found some Rogaine, and you have a replacement trapeze artist on standby in case your current one winds up missing the net. Unfortunately, you are missing one crucial element: the circus band. Before your search for a band can begin, you need to brush up on the history of the circus, circus bands, and your theme music: "Barnum and Bailey's Favorite."
 
 

The Task

Your task is twofold: first, you must find information about the circus and its history, specifically focusing on the role of the band in the circus. This information will lead to a short paper (2-3 pages) summarizing your findings. Second, you will research the piece that you have chosen as your theme: "Barnum and Bailey's Favorite," by Karl L. King. For this part of your research, you will create a timeline of the composer's life and the important events that occurred during his lifetime. Hopefully, this information will assist you in recruiting and training a band for your new circus.

Resources

 Karl King Reference Page

Contains a great deal of information about Karl King, including a biography, several essays about the composer, and a list of works.

Karl King: Musician, Composer, Conductor

A good biography of the composer.

Circus History

Contains history and lore of the circus. Also contains circus terms.

Ringling Bros., Barnum and Bailey's Circuses

The home page of the famous circus.

Karl King Biography

More biographical information on Karl King.

Circus Information

Information on the history and other aspects of the circus.

HyperHistory:  Online resource for historical background information.
 
 

The Process

1. Utilizing the given web resources (above), compile information about the history of the circus.
2. Using that information, write a 2-3 page paper detailing the history of the circus, and, more specifically, the history of the circus band.  The grading criteria for the paper are listed below in the "Evaluation" section.  Make sure you proofread your paper!
3. Next, find several biographical sites about the composer Karl L. King.  Read the information there.
4. Using the information from at least two different web sites, create a timeline of his life with 10 important events in his life.
5. Using the HyperHistory website given above, find 7 important events that occurred during Karl L. King's life and place them on your timeline as well.
6. When placing items on the timeline, include the year (and/or exact date) they occurred and a short sentence explaining why that event was important.
7. Turn in both assignments no later than one week before the Spring Concert.

Rubric for the evaluation of the Circus History Paper

Points 10

7

4 1 Content Student demonstrates an excellent knowledge of the circus, its history, and the history of bands. Student shows a good knowledge of the content, however, a few informational errors occur. Student shows a below-average knowledge of content.  Important information is missing or incorrect. Student shows no acquisition of knowledge.  Content area is ignored in the paper. Clarity Paper features 3 or more well-defined main ideas and explains them thoroughly and clearly. Paper presents 3 or more main ideas, however, a few (1-2) structural errors occur. Paper is relatively unclear.  Some evidence is missing or main ideas are undefined. Paper is unintelligible.  No main ideas exist and the paper has no structure. Mechanics and Grammar Paper is at least two pages long and has less than two grammatical mistakes. Paper is at least two pages long and has four or fewer grammatical mistakes. Paper is at least two pages long and has six or fewer grammatical mistakes. Paper is less than two pages long and/or has more than six grammatical errors. Total Points for Paper:  30 pts.
 
 

Rubric for the evaluation of the Karl L. King Timeline
Points 10 7 4 1 Biographical Timeline Elements Contains 10 or more important dates in the life of Karl L. King Contains 7-10 important dates in the life of Karl L. King. Contains 4-6important dates in the life of Karl L. King. Contains 0-3 important dates in the life of Karl L. King. Historical Timeline Elements Contains 7 or more important historical events within the life of Karl L. King. Contains 5-7 important historical events within the life of Karl L. King. Contains 3-4 important historical events within the life of Karl L. King. Contains 0-2  important historical events within the life of Karl L. King. Mechanics and Grammar Spelling and basic grammar is excellent.  No structural errors of any type.  Neat and orderly timeline layout. A few (1-2) grammatical mistakes.  Layout is generally very neat and orderly. Several (3-5) grammatical errors.  Layout is unorganized, but still readable. Many (over 5) grammatical errors.  Layout is unrecognizable and illegible. Total Points for Timeline:  30 pts.

Total Points for WebQuest Unit:  60 pts.

Conclusion

    In this WebQuest, you have utilized the resources of the internet to learn more about the history of the circus, the circus band, and the composition "Barnum and Bailey's Favorite," by Karl L. King.  Your paper and timeline will be available for you to use as a reference if you play another circus march any time in the future.  Hopefully, in the future, you can again use the internet to further your personal knowledge about the background of piece you will be performing!