Novel Study Pre-Reading Webquest

“Today I moved to a twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd and surrounded by water..." 

That’s right, twelve year old Moose Flanagan moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 so his father can work at the prison there. In this webquest you will think about the themes of this book, analyze various characters and research Alcatraz, Al Capone, and Moose's very special sister. This novel tends to hook even the most reluctant of readers.

Let's get started.... We are headed to Alcatraz Island!

 

Working with your assigned partner, use the "Island" graphic organizer to record jot-notes that cover the following topics:

Alcatraz

1.   Where is it?

2.   Who lived on Alcatraz between 1934 and 1963?

3.   Why did some children live there?

4.   How many people successfully escaped from Alcatraz? How many tried?

5. What is Alcatraz Island like today?

Al Capone

1.   Who was he, and when did he live? What were some of the major events in his life?

2.   When was the Great Depression, and what was it?

3.   What did Al Capone do during the Great Depression that made a lot of poor people loyal to him?

4.   What was Prohibition (in the United States), and what did it have to do with Al Capone? 

5.   How did the authorities finally catch Al Capone?

The following websites are age-appropriate and available for use... Later, we'll look at Scholastic Scope resources together. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSdmUt9SUKs

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/alcatraz/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctvllRhgEZE
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3495205145
http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/index.aspx
http://www.nps.gov/alca
http://www.alcatrazhistory.com/mainpg.htm
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/US/West/05/13/alcatraz.kids.reut/
http://www.bop.gov/about/history/alcatraz.jsp
http://www.alcatrazhistory.com/escapes1.htm
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ca-alcatraz.html
http://www.history.com/topics/alcatraz
http://magazines.scholastic.com/news/2014/04/Buried-Beneath-Alcatraz
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_23785751/novato-woman-recalls-growing-up-alcatraz
http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/al/Al_Capone
http://traveltips.usatoday.com/alcatraz-prison-4235.html
http://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/famcases/capone/capone.htm
http://www.alcaponedoesmyshirts.com/videos/Al_to_Alcatraz.html
http://www.alcaponedoesmyshirts.com/alcapone/capone1.html
http://www.alcaponebio.com/al_capone_outline.htm