The Philadelphia GazetteA Webquest for the

historical fiction novel

Fever, 1793

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Online ResourcesHere are some online resources you can use to

acquire information for your articles

Yellow Fever/History of Philadelphia Article:

• www.historycentral.com

• www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/past/index.html

• www.ushistory.org/philadelphia/

• www.health.state.nysdoh/comminicalbe_diseases/en/yellow.htm

• www.xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/ww/fever.html

• www.geocities.com/bobarnebeck/history.html

Article about a doctor:

• www.geocities.com/bobarnebeck/deveze.html

Article about the Free African American Society

• www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part 3/index.html

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Rubric For Evaluation

Click for Rubric

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Introduction• You are a journalist for

the fictional newspaper, the Philadelphia Gazette. Your city has been raging with the fires of Yellow Fever. The epidemic has taken over the city and it is your journalistic duty to get the news to the people. Your deadline for publication is around the corner. Get that scoop!!

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The Task Your job is to collect

information about the historical aspects of the Yellow Fever Epidemic discussed in the historical fiction novel, Fever, 1793. You will write four articles and design your own Philadelphia Gazette. You will write the following four articles: an article about the yellow fever epidemic (include some background history of the city of Philadelphia), one article about a real doctor who played a role in the control of the epidemic, one article about the Free African Society, and one obituary of a character that died in the story.

Philadelphia, circa 1790

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The Process: Step One

Using the novel Fever 1793 and Internet links, you will research, write, and edit your Philadelphia Gazette. You will write your articles as if you are a journalist living in Philadelphia during the yellow fever epidemic. There is a shortage of paper, and your group realizes that the next edition will be the last one for awhile.  You have just enough paper to put out a two page edition.

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When you publish your newspaper, you shall include:

•A minimum of five historically correct vocabulary words •Four or more historically accurate graphics. 

As individual reporter, you will be using your news writing skills to submit an article on all of the following topics: 

•An article about the disease, Yellow Fever. This should include information about historical Philadelphia in the 1790's.•An obituary of a fever victim or someone in the story.•An article which makes reference to the Free African Society.•An article which references Dr. Benjamin Rush and Dr. Jean Deveze.

The Process: Step Two

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Graphic Organizer

The Process: Step Three

Once you have finished researching and writing your articles. You must design your newspaper. Use construction paper. This part is up to you. Check out the newspapers from the 18th century to see how they were designed, and model your newspaper in the same format. You must include:

•The name of the newspaper: The Philadelphia Gazette

•A title for each article

•A fictional date, volume and number

Example newspaper layout

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Sample Newspaper Layout

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Congratulations!

You have finished.

Turn in your newspaper for final publication!!

EXTRA! EXTRA!

READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE FIRST!!

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