Introduction

Throughout history, feelings of frustration and restlessness have often lead to scenes of violence and civil disobedience. Research a time in history when citizens have protested, violently or peacefully, against perceived injustices such as the assassination of Julius Caesar, Martin Luther King, Jr., the Rodney King verdict, The Zoot Suit Riots, and the Watts Riots of 1965.  Did violent actions, despite the intentions of the people involved, produce the desired results?  How does violence change a society?

Content Area, Grade Level

This lesson covers eleventh English, Social Studies and Technology application skills and TEKS.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

(13) Reading/inquiry/research. The student reads in order to research self-selected and assigned topics.
(A) generate relevant, interesting, and researchable questions;
(B) locate appropriate print and non-print information using text and technical resources,
       including databases and the Internet;
C) use text organizers such as overviews, headings, and graphic features to locate and categorize
       information;
D) produce reports and research projects in varying forms for audiences; and
E) draw conclusions from information gathered.

(17) Listening/speaking/presentations. The student prepares and presents informative and persuasive messages.
(A) present and advance a clear thesis and logical points, claims, or arguments to support messages;
(B) choose valid proofs from reliable sources to support claims;
(C) use appropriate appeals to support claims and arguments;
(D) use language and rhetorical strategies skillfully in informative and persuasive messages;

(21) Viewing/representing/production. The student produces visual representations that communicate with others.
(A) examine the effect of media on constructing his/her own perception of reality;
(B) use a variety of forms and technologies such as videos, photographs, and web pages to
       communicate specific messages;
(C) use a range of techniques to plan and create a media text and reflect critically on the work
       produced;
(E) create, present, test, and revise a project and analyze a response using data-gathering techniques
       such as questionnaires, group discussions, and feedback forms.

The student will know that critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, communication, and group skills help form an organized, working knowledge of literature and history.

1. The play:  Students should answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper.
According to Shakespeare, what happened in Rome on the day Caesar was assassinated.  How did the people respond to the news of Caesar's death?
2. Research: Students will choose one option from the list or research their own idea.
Shakespeare's violent and chaotic scenes in Act III are not isolated incidents.  Research a time in history when noble intentions and peaceful demonstrations have turned violent.
3. Compare and Contrast:
Using Inspiration, student create a web comparing and contrasting the ideas found in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and current or historical events.
4. Power Point Presentation:
When groups have finished accessing information, they should present findings to the class using the PowerPoint program.

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar
For the complete text of the play, see http://members.nbci.com/marullus/Scenes/theplay2.html
For background and a brief autobiographical sketch, see http://members.nbci.com/marullus/charctrs.html

News Resources

• The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

See http://www.special.postnet.com/century/38mlk.html for the complete text of Greg Freeman's (Post-Dispatch) news story.
"Together in grief; St. Louis and Martin Luther King Jr.
St. Louisans joined in a peaceful march after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
When an assassin's bullet ripped into the body of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the night of April 4, 1968, it also ripped into the heart of America, causing riots to erupt in major cities across the country.
• Rodney King Verdict

See http://www.emergency.com/la-riots.htm for the complete text of the Emergencynet News Service (ENN) story.
"MAJOR RIOT IN LOS ANGELES, THIRTEEN DEAD, 192 INJURIED
Los Angeles, CA - Following a jury verdict which acquitted four L.A.P.D. officers of charges resulting from the video- taped beating of motorist Rodney King, Southcentral Los Angeles erupted in a violent and deadly outburst of arson and shooting. Local police and emergency medical services officials report the deaths of as many as nine (9) people and injuries to another138."
• Los Angeles Watts Riot of 1965

See http://www.africana.com/tt_023.htm for the complete article by Eric Bennett.
"the first major racially-fueled rebellion of the 1960s, an event that foreshadowed the widespread urban violence of the latter half of the decade..."
• Los Angeles' Zoot Suit Riots

See http://members.tripod.com/~noemigarcia/lapaint/zootline.htm for Noemi Garcia's timeline, artices, and artwork centered on the 1943 Zoot Suit Riots.
"Five thousand people filled the downtown area near Main Street. Large numbers of civilian were also among the rioters. Some were there simply for the excitement, others to aid in the hunt for and beating of zoot-suiters.
 
• This assignment will take one week to complete.  Two teachers are required for this project: classroom teacher and a technology specialist.

Entry Level Skills and Knowledge
Students should have read The Tragedy of Julius Caesar before beginning this webquest.  Studentst at Clark High School need to complete the Internet Driver's License course.

Evaluation

Successful groups will present research reports and web clusters comparing and constrasting underlying ideas.  What we should recognize from the play and from reality is that problems are rarely (if ever) solved through violence.  Noble ideals can be subverted (just as Brutus's noble intentions are corrupted by Cassius's jealousy) by others who do not have similar ideals in mind.

Project presentations (Power Point and Inspiration) should be evaluated according to aesthetic appeal, accurate analysis, and effort.

Conclusion
This lesson is designed to pull together knowledge from across curriculums and evaluate patterns of human behavior throughout literature and history.
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