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.
Information
on the history and other aspects of the circus.
HyperHistory:
Online resource for historical background information.
The Process
Utilizing the given web resources
(above), compile information about the history of the circus.
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!
Next, find several biographical
sites about the composer Karl L. King. Read the information there.
Using the information from
at least two different web sites, create a timeline of his life with 10
important events in his life.
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.
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.
Turn in both assignments no
later than one week before the Spring Concert.
Evaluation
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!