Exploring the Salem Witch Trials

1. Exploring theSalem Witch Trials

2. Introduction You are part of a special group of historical fiction writers, and a major book publisher has decided to send you on a special mission.  They are transporting you (all expenses paid) to a new time period - more than three hundred years ago. Your group lands in the middle of 1692 Salem, Oregon.  You see neighbor accusing neighbor of the strangest crimes: demon possession, broom flying, even book reading.  Your mission is to research this situation and create a piece of historical fiction that will bring the Salem Witch Trials alive for a 21st century audience.  What will your group discover?  How will they bring it back to the present time period?

3. Understanding Your Task Your group must work together to fulfill its mission.  First, the publishers require that your group does adequate research.  In the research portion of your project, your group must create a time-line that covers at least fifteen important events in the Salem Witch Trials, a chart that lists the accusers, accused, "afflicted girls", jurors, judges, and Puritan clergy involved in the trials; an in-depth summary of the trials (your own words please) at least one page in length, and a one and half page essay that describes Puritan life during the trials. 

4. Understanding Your Task (cont.) Next, your group must create a compilation of four short works that reflect the most interesting aspects of the trials.  Your book publisher has given you some leeway here.  Your works must contain historical facts, but you can use your imagination, and make some things up.  Also, your works can be written from the point of view of someone (or a group of people) directly involved in the trials or from the point of view of a bystander who was not directly involved.  You can choose a genre that works best for your writing:  pretend journals from one Puritan to another, poems that give the reader a glimpse of the situation, or a short story that depicts a particular moment during the trials. 

5. Understanding Your Task (cont.) Whatever you choose, the supervisors demand that you must work as a group.  That means that your final product should reflect a sincere effort on everyone's part and the works in your compilation should fit together.

6. Procedures – Form Your Group 1.Form your group.  Your group should have four members.  Once you have decided who your group members are, submit the names to your teacher for approval.  2.Next, decide as a group what role each person should play.  First, you will need an editor. This person should be in charge of leading the group.  They make final decisions, and they make sure everyone in the group completes their assignments and everything fits together. Next, you will need an illustrator.  This person is in charge of making everything look nice.  They organize the research, do some drawing, and make sure that the presentation of the final document is flawless. Next, you will need a technical advisor.  This person is in charge of helping the group on the computers and also checking grammar in the final drafts.  Finally, you will need a creative engineer.  This person is in charge of making sure that your documents contain accurate historical data.  They are also responsible for making sure your writing both entertains and educates your audience.

7. Procedures – Task One: Research • Now, use the Internet to research the Salem Witch Trials.  Each group member should be in charge of a different part of the research.  While you can modify this format to meet your needs, this is probably the best case scenario: • Editor - Summary of Salem Witch Trials  Illustrator - Time-Line    Technical Advisor- Chart of Accusers/Defenders/"Afflicted Girls"/Accused/Puritan Clergy/Judges/Jurors  Creative Engineer - Description of Puritan Life during the Salem Witch Trials • You will have an hour and a half to complete this part.

8. Resources for Task One Charts for Accusers, Defenders, Accused, etc. http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft/ http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft/texts/ Time-Line of Events http://www.salemweb.com/memorial/default.htm Summary of Events http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_ACCT.HTM http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/salem/

9. Resources for Task One (cont.) Life During the Time of the Salem Witch Trials http://www.school.discovery.com/schooladventures/salemwitchtrials/life/index.html http://www.school.discovery.com/schooladventures/salemwitchtrials/life/religion.html http://www.school.discovery.com/schooladventures/salemwitchtrials/life/divisions.html http://www.school.discovery.com/schooladventures/salemwitchtrials/life/children.html

10. Procedures- Task Two: Historical Fiction 1. After you have had your time to complete your research in the lab, each group will come together to have a "group think".  This is a time to come together to share information, come up with ideas, and do pre-writing.  Your "group think" must be thorough.  You will have one hour to do it.

11. Procedures – Task Two: HistoricalFiction cont. 2. After your group is done with the "group think".  You will have forty five minutes of drafting time.  This should be done in complete silence unless your group has been given permission to confer quietly. 3. Next, you will have group conference time.  During this time you will share drafts, give feedback, and make revisions.  This will take about forty five minutes.  4. Finally, you will have an hour and a half to work in the computer lab.  During this time, you will make word documents of your drafts, group conference again, do final editing, and print your last copy.  If you have time, your group should create an illustrated cover page and possibly a table of contents for your work. 

12. Additional Resources Consider consulting these other piece of historical fiction and/or poetry for ideas: • Teacher Model - “A Witch in Time” by Ayn Nys • The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare • *Witness by Karen Hesse • *Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters • Beyond the Burning Time by Katheryn Laskey • A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials by Ann Rinaldi *Use these books to give you ideas for format and style but not content.

13. Evaluation. 1. Using a Round Robin format, each group will have five minutes to share with each of the other groups.  You will be required to do peer feedback with each group. This will take about an hour. 2. In the final part of the mission, you will fill out a debriefing sheet and participate in a class discussion. This part will take about thirty minutes.

14. Evaluation - Continued 3. Your works be evaluated based on their thoroughness, creativity, depiction of actual events, and accuracy in following directions. Your classmates’ comments will figure into your overall grade. You will receive the following grades: Major Grade - Historical Fiction Pieces Minor Grade - Research Other Grade – Participation Other Grade – Peer Feedback

15. Conclusion At the end of all this, you should be able to answer the following questions with insight and adequate elaboration: • Why were the Salem Witch Trials a significant part of American history? • What do the Salem Witch trials show us about human nature and peer pressure? • What aspects of the Salem Witch Trials can we relate to in present American society?