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Literature

Web Quest


Introduction
Consider these two quotes about progress:

“Progress is the activity of today and the assurance of tomorrow” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

“If a man walks in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer. But if he spends his days as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making the earth bald before her time, he is deemed an industrious and enterprising citizen.” ~Henry David Thoreau

Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were well-known writers and friends who lived during the eighteen hundreds. Their quotations above illustrate both sides of the debate over progress, which was underway even two hundred years ago. Since then, inventions like electricity, indoor plumbing, television, cars, and airplanes have changed the way people live and communicate all over the world. These changes often come with a price, however; two examples might be less human interaction due to the Internet, or the destruction of rain forests due to a high demand for paper and oil. These days, it's important to understand progress as a balancing act between production and preservation.

Destination Titles
1900 House (www.pbs.org/wnet/1900house/index.html )
PBS Kids: The Future (www.pbskids.org/wayback/future/index.html)

Note: Clicking on the links above will launch a new browser window.
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Directions
Start by visiting the 1900 House. Read the introduction on the home page, and then click on “The Family” at the bottom of the page. Read about each family member and watch their video clips. Next, click on “The House” link at the bottom of the page and then “Virtual Tour” in the middle of the page. Take time to explore the different rooms in the house by clicking on the images in the middle of the screen. After you've explored this site, check out the second link for this lesson on the PBS Kids Web site. Click on the “Crystal Ball” link. Read the text and then click on “Forecast from the Past.” Read the predictions people from the 1950s made about life in the future. Return to the home page and click on the “Plast-O-Matic” link. Read the text and then click on “Meet Bhavjit Ghumman, plastics expert.” Read the questions and answers on this page.

After you have finished exploring these Web sites, answer the questions below.




1.Name three things the Bowler family liked better about living in the 1900 House compared to living in their own home. Hint



2.Name three things the Bowler family missed from the modern world that they did not have in the 1900 House. Hint



3.Choose three household objects that exist in both the 1900 House and homes today. How have these objects changed? How have they stayed the same? Hint



4.On the PBS Kids site “The Future,” how accurate were the predications made in the 1950s about life today? Hint



5.Make five predictions of your own for the year 2055. Hint

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