WebQuest: Elizabethan Age

 

The Task

Congratulations! You have been hired by Style Elizabeth in New York City to work in their advertising and special events department. This company sells clothing, food, music and more from the Elizabethan Age. Now it is up to you to sell it! Therefore, you and your partners have been elected to the Style Elizabeth Fair Committee. You have the following tasks ahead of you:

The Background

“The age of Shakespeare was a great time in English history. The reign of Elizabeth (1558 - 1603) saw England emerge as the leading naval and commercial power of the Western world. Elizabeth I's England consolidated its position with the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, and firmly established the Church of England (begun by her father, Henry VIII, after a dispute with the Pope). Sir Humphrey Gilbert and Sir Walter Raleigh sent colonists eastward in search of profit. In trade, might, and art, England established an envious preeminence.” ( http://www.bardweb.net/england.html)

“ London in the 16th century underwent a transformation. Its population grew 400% from 1500 to 1600, swelling to nearly two hundred thousand people in the city proper and outlying region by the time an immigrant from Stratford came to town. A rising merchant middle class was carving out a productive livelihood, and the economy was booming.”( http://www.bardweb.net/england.html)

Our purpose here is threefold: to research the history of the Elizabethan Era, design a fair/convention about the Elizabethan Era, and design a handout to promote the fair. In this way, you will begin your job at Style Elizabeth by researching the Elizabethan Era and promoting items from the sixteenth century!

The Process

  1. Locate at least two to four articles about the Elizabethan Era. Review the web sites listed under the Resources section (below) for possible resources.
  2. If you need more information, arrange for you and your partners to visit the AHS media center or public library. Review one to two print resources from the Elizabethan Era.
  3. Next, create a design layout for the Style Elizabeth Fair. Draw a diagram labeling each booth. Include at least one booth for each of the following topics: women’s roles, marriage, clothing, food/dining, fencing, music, and dance. Also, list specific items that would be available at each booth. You may list this information on the diagram or on a separate piece of paper.
  4. Then, create a handout in Publisher promoting the Style Elizabeth Fair. Include information about logistics (date, time, place,) as well as what kinds of booths and items will be at the fair.

The Resources

In order to search for print resources of the Elizabethan Age, you might want to try some of these keyword searches in a library catalog:

Some online library catalogs that might be helpful:

Some general web sites that may help you locate online articles:

Remember to access www.kyvl.org for Kentucky Virtual Library, too!

 

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully served on the Style Elizabeth Fair Committee. Thanks for participating in this WebQuest to promote aspects from the Elizabethan era. Remember to turn in your project to your teacher.