The Day You Were Born

Introduction

Task

Introduction

Everyone knows how old he or she is in years. However, do you know how old you are in days? Do you know what was happening in the world on the day you were born? Who was the president of the United States? What type of music was popular and who was singing it? What movies were everyone waiting in line to see? How much did it cost to mail a letter? This WebQuest will take you on a journey over the Internet to find the answers to these and many other questions. You are unique and so was the world on the day you were born.

This is your unique story. It is your job to gather the facts as they pertain to the day you were born and share the information with your classmates.

The Task
After becoming acquainted with the basic facts for navigating through this lesson, you will be asked to:

collect data;

record your findings on your project sheet;

Fill out a “Works Cited” worksheet;

Create a trading card to share with your classmates.

The Process
The following is a list of steps to take to complete the WebQuest.

You will receive a copy of the handouts that we will review together before you begin your quest.

To answer the questions on the handout, follow the links to locate the information you need about your special day.

It's time to get started. Have fun AND learn something about yourself!!

How Old Are You?

Click here to find out how old you are in days.

Use the first three boxes only. For example, if your birthday is April 27, 1985, type 27 in the Day of the Month box, 04 in the Month box and 1985 in the Year box. (Leave the time window blank.)

Click on the Show Countdown button.

Write down how many days, hours, and minutes old you are on question #1. The hours and minutes will be approximate since we do not have the exact time you were born.

The Man in the Moon and YOU

Click here to compare the moon view the day you were born to this website.

Select the year, day, and month you were born from the drop down menus. Click on the “Get Moon” button.

Make a simple drawing of the moon displayed on the screen onto your project sheet for #2.

Famous People

Do you share a birthday with someone famous? Maybe an author, musician, artist or politician?

Click here to find out who shares your birth date.

Select your month and day from the drop down menus under "Search for your Birthday" and click the arrow button.

Choose three people and record your findings on #3. If no one shares your exact birth date, choose a date close to your birthday.

What Else is News?

A new baby is the greatest news a family could have. However, there were other things going on in the world when you were born.

There is a lot of information on the website you are about to visit that tells what happened the YEAR you were born.

Read the info, and enter your birthday. Notice that for this website you need to use the format MM/DD/YYYY--which means if your birthday is February 28, 1989 then you need to enter it as 02/28/1989. Click on the Quick Page Button.

You need to find and record on #4:
1. The cost of a postage stamp
2. The President
3. The Vice President
4. Best Picture (Academy Award)
5. Best Actor (Academy Award)
6. Best Actress (Academy Award)

On This Day - NY Times

Click here, you are doing great!

You must scroll down to your birth month and then look for your birth date. Click on your date for more events. If no events are listed for your birth date, choose a date close to your birthday.

Describe two events that occurred on (or close to) your birth date and record them on #5.

Your Day on the History Channel

Click here and keep on going.

Enter in your birth date in the box on the left side of the screen labeled "Enter Your Date" (ex. - 5/27) and select "General Interest" from the drop down menu. Then click "Go."

Look on the left hand column, under general interest, choose two different events, click on the link, and briefly describe both in your own words on question #6 on the handout.

What was in the movies?

Here's a website about movies.

Select the year you were born. Then, look on the left hand side of the screen. And click on “top grossing movies.”

Write down the top five movies for that year on #7.

Your Toys!

Visit this website to find out about some of your first toys.

Look through the list to find the first toys you can remember. Answer question #8 on the handout.

Guess who I share a birthday with?

Choose one famous person from #3 on your handout that you would like to learn more about.

Use the Junior Reference Collection database or Biography Resource Center database to gather the information needed to fill out #9 on your project sheet. Type in your person's name and click search. Click on the link with their name on it to open up an article with more information.

We will be using this information to create a trading card to share with other classmates.

My Favorite...

Once you have gathered all the information asked for, select one thing you found most interesting or important, and write 2-3 sentences about why that was interesting or important to you. Share your answer with a friend.

Once you have gathered all the information asked for, select one thing you found most interesting or important, and write a few sentences explaining why on #10.

Conclusion

After you complete this lesson, you will have experience "surfing" the web. You will be more familiar with how to navigate on the web (go from one site to another and back). You will be more knowledgeable about what the world was like on the day you were born. In addition, you will be developing research skills, thinking skills and writing skills.