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introduction
| Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion
| Credits |
Introduction
Billy Joel Singer/Song
Writer of "We Didn't Start the Fire"
We didn't start the fire It was always burning ,
Since the world's been turning.
We didn't start the fire
Well, we didn't light it,
But we tried to fight it.
- Billy Joel
These lyrics are from Billy Joel's 1989 hit song "We Didn't
Start the Fire". What in the world is he talking about? What fire
and if we did not start the fire than who did? Your mission will be to
determine who started the fire and what the fire represents for Billy
Joel. Within the lyrics of "We Didn't Start the Fire", Billy
Joel identifies pivotal and significant historical events from
1949-1989. You and your classmates will determine what the fire
represents and who started the fire by investigating and examining the events
listed in the song.
Watch the Fire Burn!
Task
  
Your mission is to become investigative
journalists and research a section of the song "We Didn't Start the Fire" and then present to the class in
news show format an analysis of that section or decade. Following the
class presentations you will be responsible to create a continuation of the
song to include key events from 1990 to the present day.
Process
  
1.
You will
randomly be assigned to a team of 4-5 students by drawing a card from a
basket. Your team will be given certain years from the song to research.
2.
Within your
team, you will assume one of the following roles:
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Pop Culture Reporter
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Will research and analyze items within your time frame that
apply to pop culture. This would include sports, entertainment,
literature or any other topic that is not politically-oriented.
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Political Reporter
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Will research and analyze
items within your time frame that apply to politics and
government. This would include leaders of countries, wars,
political events or any other topic that is politically-oriented.
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Geography Reporter
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Will plot on a map the items from your groups' time
frame. This role is similar to a weather reporter, however
you will give locations of events, people, etc. During the
presentation you will use an overhead transparency of a world map,
but to do your preliminary plotting, print this world map .
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Fire Tracker
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Will determine why Billy Joel chose to include each item as a
contributor to the "fire." You must analyze the facts
your group has gathered about your items and determine what makes them significant,
especially to our lives today.
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3.
Once roles
are assigned within your group, you will need to begin your research. You
will have three days for computer research. The following links in the lyrics
of the song will function as your starting points:
1949 , 1950 , 1951 , 1952
, 1953
, 1954
, 1955
, 1956
, 1957
, 1958
, 1959
, 1960
, 1961,
1962,
1963,
1964-1989
1949
Harry Truman , Doris Day
, Red China
, Johnnie Ray ,
South
Pacific , Walter Winchell
, Joe Dimaggio
,
1950
Joe McCarthy , Richard
Nixon , Studebaker
, Television ,
North Korea , South Korea , Marilyn Monroe ,
1951
Rosenbergs , H-Bomb , Sugar Ray
, Panmunjom
,
Brando , The King and I
and The Catcher in
the Rye ,
1952
Eisenhower , Vaccine
, England's
got a new Queen ,
Marciano , Liberace , Santayanna good-bye .
CHORUS
We didn't start the fire
It was always burning,
Since the world's been turning.
We didn't start the fire
Well, we didn't light it,
But we tried to fight it.
1953
Joseph
Stalin , Malenkov
, Nasser
and Prokofiev
Rockefeller , Campanella
, Communist
bloc
1954
Roy Cohn, Juan Peron
, Toscanini, Dacron
,
Dien
Bien Phu falls
, Rock
Around the Clock
1955
Einstein , James Dean , Brooklyn's got a
winning team ,
Davy
Crockett ,
Peter Pan
, Elvis Presley
, Disneyland
1956
Bardot , Budapest
, Alabama
, Krushchev
,
Princess
Grace , Peyton Place
, Trouble in
the Suez
CHORUS
1957
Little Rock , Pasternak
, Mickey Mantle , Kerouac
,
Sputnik , Chou En-Lai , Bridge on the River Kwai
1958
Lebanon , Charles
de Gaulle , California
baseball ,
Starkweather homicide , children of thalidomide
1959
Buddy Holly , Ben Hur , space monkey , mafia ,
Hula
Hoops
, Castro
, Edsel is a no go
1960
U-2 , Syngman
Rhee , Payola
, and Kennedy ,
Chubby Checker , Psycho , Belgians
in the Congo
CHORUS
1961
Hemingway , Eichmann ,
Stranger
in a Strange Land ,
Dylan , Berlin , Bay of Pigs
Invasion
1962
Lawrence of Arabia , British
Beatlemania ,
Ole Miss , John Glenn
, Liston
beats Patterson
1963
Pope
Paul , Malcolm
X , British
politician sex ,
JFK blown away , What else do I have to say?
CHORUS
1964 to 1989
Birth
control , Ho Chi Minh , Richard Nixon back again
,
Moonshot , Woodstock
, Watergate , punk rock
,
Begin , Reagan , Palestine
, terror
on the airlines ,
Ayatollahs in
Iran , Russians
in Afghanistan ,
Wheel of
Fortune , Sally
Ride , heavy
metal , suicide
,
Foreign
debts , homeless vets , AIDS , crack , Bernie Goetz
,
Hyperdermics
on the shore
, China's
under martial law ,
Rock
and roller cola wars , I can't take it anymore!
We didn't start the
fire
It was always burning,
Since the world's been turning.
We didn't start the fire
But when we are gone
It will still burn on and on and on and on.....
4. Once your research has been completed, your
group will commence on the presentation. Your group will have two days
to work on creating and practicing your presentation. All information
must be presented in the style of a television news show. During your
presentation, you will follow the order that is listed in the role
descriptions . Presentations must be 10-15 minutes in length. You must
also use visual aids in your news presentation. Your group can produce
a video then show the class; however, this is not required, nor will it
effect your grade in either direction.
5.
After all
presentation have been completed, you will then be required to write a
continuation to the song "We Didn't start the Fire". Your
continuation will be completed on an individual basis not as a group. Your
continuation should begin with the year 1990 and conclude with present day.
Be sure to include key events in politics and pop culture to resemble Billy
Joel's format. Your continuation must have a minimum of 20 items.
Evaluation
Presentations are worth a total of 100
points and will be a group grade, based on research, effort, and
presentation. You will also receive an individual grade (100 points)
based on your completion of the continuation of the song "We Didn't
Start the Fire". Below are the standards that will be used for
your group grade.
      
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Beginning
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Developing
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Accomplished
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Exemplary
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Score
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Behavior
and Effort
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1
The
group did not work together nor did they behave appropriately. They
created a distraction to learning and accomplished little in class.
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2
The
group worked most of the time but additional effort was necessary.
The group did need reprimanded and reminded to stay on task.
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3
The
group worked hard and used the majority of the time provided wisely.
Only general reminders were necessary.
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4
The
group worked diligently on the assignment and used all time wisely.
No reprimands or reminders were necessary.
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Content
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2
Content
is inadequate. Group members did not accomplish the research tasks.
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4
Additional
content is necessary.
The group shows evidence of preliminary research but needs more.
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6
Content
is sufficient to the task. The group did not try to go above the
required, however.
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8
Content
is exemplary. The group thoroughly researched and went above and
beyond the call of duty.
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Creativity
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1
This
project displays little creativity.
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2
There
is some creativity displayed in this project, but additional effort is
required.
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3
There
is adequate creativity in this project.
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4
There
is much evidence of creativity in this project.
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Presentation
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1
Presentation
was severely lacking in interest, organization, and content.
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2
There
is some evidence of interest, organization, and content in the presentation.
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3
The
presentation shows adequate effort at interest, organization, and content.
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4
The
presentation shows mastery of interest, organization, and content.
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Overall
Impression
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2
Groups'
effort and performance only shows the beginnings of effective student work.
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4
Groups'
effort and performance shows movement toward effective student work.
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6
Groups'
effort and performance shows accomplishment of effective student work.
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8
Groups'
effort and performance exemplifies effective student work.
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Conclusion    
 You have
explored the lyrics to Billy Joel's hit "We Didn't Start the Fire"
and have gained a more in depth understanding of the unique times of the
second half of the Twentieth Century. After examining the events in the song
you should now understand what Billy Joel wanted the fire to symbolize and
realize that we all add to the everlasting eternal fire flames. In your song
lyric continuation you should list the events that have kept the fire
continuously burning.
Credits & References
The
images above were taken from Billyjoel.org
as well as Microsoft clipart gallery.
Based on a template from The
WebQuest Page
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