IntroductionTasksProcessResourcesEvaluationConclusion

INTRODUCTION

Imagine your terror. You are the daughter of a minor noble. All you have ever known is your family's pleasant country house, which is surrounded by gardens and farms. One night you are dragged out of bed, dressed in servants' clothes, and rushed away in the old market cart. Your parents have been warned that the family is about to be arrested.

The concentration of power and wealth amongst a few at the expense of many is a recipe for unrest. Some of the primary causes for the French Revolution can be found in the class structure of the three estates. By the end of this assignment you will have gained a better understanding of the causes and events of the French Revolution. You will also have a greater understanding of the social conditions of the time.

Proceed to Tasks to find out more about the project.

TOP

Vivisimo | Yahoo Canada | Social Studies Page | Library Home Page

TASKS

Your task is to produce a newspaper containing articles about the French Revolution. All the articles must be written from the same point of view. You will be assigned the first, second, or third estate as your point of view. Your finished newspaper should look like an historical document.

Proceed to Process for details of the assignment.

Template: Newsletter (MS Publisher Ver. 2003)

TOP

Vivisimo | Yahoo Canada | Social Studies Page | Library Home Page

PROCESS

Preliminary Research: Getting Started

  1. You will be working with a partner. Agree upon a timeline and the division of labor. You will have three class periods for research, and your assignment will be due a week later. Decide who will be responsible for each segment of the project. Write this out and submit it to your teacher.
  2. Using your text book and encyclopedias as background references, select ten topics from the list below to include in your newspaper.
  3. The Palace of Versailles
  4. The Estates General 1789
  5. Lifestyles of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
  6. Women's March on Versailles
  7. The National Assembly
  8. The storming of the Bastille - July 14, 1789
  9. The “Declaration of the Rights of Man”
  10. The Tennis Court Oath
  11. The Royal Family's Flight to Varennes
  12. The Execution of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
  13. The Execution of.... (Your choice)
  14. Louis Saint-Just
  15. The Jacobins
  16. Robespierre's contribution to the French Revolution
  17. The Reign of Terror
  18. The Revolutionary Tribunal
  19. The Stabbing of Marat
  20. The New Constitution and Government
  21. Napoleon
  22. Your choice: any other topic related to the French Revolution
  23. Select a format for each topic. What follows is a list of suggestions based on a modern newspaper.
  24. ARTICLE/CURRENT EVENTS: If you choose to write an article, the length should be about 200 words. Focus on an event that individuals or groups were involved in rather than merely biographical information.
  25. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: These letters might be about social conditions, political views, or reaction to an event.
  26. EDITORIALS: Freedom of the press, the killing of Marat, social issues, or political comment are possible topics for an editorial.
  27. FASHION AND SOCIETY PAGES
  28. SPORTS
  29. CLASSIFIEDS
  30. ADVERTISEMENTS
  31. BUSINESS/TRADE
  32. CARTOONS: These should be political cartoons that comment on an event or social condition.
  33. OBITUARIES
  34. REAL ESTATE
  35. ADVICE COLUMN
  36. CROSSWORD PUZZLE
  37. When formatting your newspaper include a table of contents, price, date, page numbers, article titles, and headlines.
  38. You will submit a separate bibliography.

Research: Information Collection and Evaluation

You now are ready to collect more information about the topics that you have chosen. Be sure to use a variety of resources and verify your information.

Proceed to the Resources section for more information.

TOP

Vivisimo | Yahoo Canada | Social Studies Page | Library Home Page

RESOURCES

You have a wide variety of resources from which to choose. These include books, encyclopedias, and online resources. It is important to consider the authority of your resources. This is especially important for Internet resources. Collect your bibliography as you go. Consult the Bibliography Requirements if you are unsure of the format required.

World Wide Web Resources

General Searching: Use the person's full name. Use quotation marks for names or phrases so that your search will look for adjacent words rather than for each word.

Authority: Be careful! Anyone can post anything on the World Wide Web. Make sure that you verify your information by using more than one source. Cite your sources. For the World Wide Web you need: the person responsible for the site, the title of the web page, the title of the web site, the date that appears on the page or the site, the address of the web page, and the date that you access the site.

General Sites

These sites are comprehensive and cover many topics.

  • French Revolution
    This site includes information on people and events. A timeline is also included.
  • Internet Modern History Sourcebook
    This site contains a very long list of links to topics on the French Revolution. This site also contains links to documents.
  • A Chronology of Events
    This site provides you with brief information on events in chronological order.
  • Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution
    An extensive site containing texts, documents, and pictures.
  • Spark Notes
    Look here for brief information on many topics.

Specific Sites:

Be sure to look for your topic in the general resources listed above.

  • Ancien Regime
  • Ancien Regime
    This site contains pictures of different aspects and individuals of this period.
  • Marie Antoinette
    This site includes a bibliography and links to other Marie Antoinette sites. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the links.
    This site was created by a student. Makes sure that you verify your information.
  • Marie Antoinette
    This is the Catholic Encyclopedia Article.
  • Bastille
    This site provides links and activities for the storming of the Bastille.
  • Chateau de Versailles
    This is the official web site of the Palace of Versailles.
  • Georges Jacques Danton
  • Georges Jacques Danton
  • Declaration of the Rights of Man
  • The Guillotine
    This About.com site offers an article and links to other sites. To get the correct address of the linked sites turn off the frame (top left).
  • Execution of Louis XVI
  • Tragedy of Louis XVI: Timeline
  • Jean Paul Marat
  • La Marseillaise
    The French National Anthem in French. Words and audio.
  • Napoleon Bonaparte Internet Guide
  • Robespierre
  • Robespierre
  • Tennis Court Oath
  • Tennis Court Oath (A summary of what happened)

Top

Vivisimo | Yahoo Canada | Social Studies Page | Library Home Page

EVALUATION SUMMARY

This is a summary of the evaluation criteria. The project is worth 100 points. Due Date: Friday, April 8, 2016

RESEARCH: / quality of notes, time on task, variety of resources / 3X10=30 points
BIBLIOGRAPHY / minimum of three sources, follows VSB format / 10 points
CONTENT / ten events included, accuracy of information, consistent point of view, point of view reflects accurately the view of the estate / 40 points
CLARITY / articles are in paragraph form, grammar and spelling are correct,
the ideas and information are easy to understand, work is neatly done / 10 points
CREATIVITY / unique ideas, a visually pleasing presentation / 10 points