Robin Hood or Robbing Hood?

A WebQuest for 10-12th Grade Literature

Introduction:

Was Robin Hood a good guy or just a "robbing hood"? Decide for yourself as you immerse yourself in his life and times. Read about him, travel with him, discover how he has influenced us throughout history. Take a walk through Nottingham and Sherwood Forest. Would you have liked to live in the Middle Ages?

The Tasks:

Robin Hood was a famous literary character in history. As you progress through this webquest, you will learn more about his life and times.

hear a ballad of Robin Hood and sign the guest book at the Blue Boar Inn. Read interviews and write one of your own with Robin Hood. Write an interview with one of his Merry Men

visit Nottingham, past and present

take a tour of a medieval castle and read about jousting in a tournament

visit the Robin Hood Project at the University of Rochester

challenge yourself or your friends with games about "the bandit of Sherwood"

The Process:

Here are some outstanding websites that will help you accomplish the above tasks.

1. Robin Hood--Bold Outlaw of Sherwood. This website includes historical articles, ballads, interviews, pictures and more! Read the ballads that were written about Robin by his contemporaries. Sign the guest book at the Blue Boar Inn, one of Robin's favorite haunts. Compare and contrast in a two page paper how Robin differs in two versions of the legend. Read interviews and write one of your own with Robin Hood. Write an imaginary interview with one of Robin's Merry Men. Why were the men of Sherwood considered to be outlaws? Argue your case in a two-page report.
2. Robin Hood--Legend. Sherwood Forest and the village of Nottingham were the center of Robin Hood's life and legend. Visit Nottingham and see where Robin lived. Historic sites are visited as well as Sherwood Forest. Draw a map of medieval Nottingham and Sherwood Forest.
3. The Medieval Experience. This site gives you the experience of living in the Middle Ages, just as Robin did. You can take a tour of a castle. Read about the Black Death, that nearly decimated the population of Europe! Write a two-page paper about how the Black Death affected Europe's economy. Discover how to joust in a tournament and what knights wore. Become a squire to a knight in a jousting tournament. Describe in two pages how you would dress your master and the weapons with which he would be armed. Write down recipes for the favorite foods of the Middle Ages. Describe the menu for a typical medieval banquet. A big part of medieval life was games. Visit these links to play a challenging Robin trivia game, do a hangman word play, or play an archery game.
4. The Robin Hood Pages. At this website, you will find poems and ballads written about the "bandit of Sherwood." The University of Rochester also has an extensive collection of Robin Hood miscellanea. Copy your favorite poem about Robin Hood and read it to the class. Visit the Robin Hood Project at The University of Rochester and write a ten-sentence paragraph about your favorite aspect of the Project.
5. Amy's Robin Hood Page. Amy has been collecting everything she can find about Robin Hood since the seventh grade. Visit this site to find out how Robin Hood has influenced our language as well as our literature. Write five or more words that have been influenced by Robin. Answer the following questions: is Robin fact or fiction? How do others view him? Why do you think Robin and the Sheriff are enemies? Support your views in two pages.

The Evaluation:

Exemplary performance on the webquest consists of accomplishing all four tasks will earn an A. An Accomplished performance includes completing three tasks and will earn a B. Developing performance includes completing two tasks and earns a C. Beginning performances will complete one task and earn a D. Groups will be assigned individual grades, depending on the amount of work each member contributes.

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4
Bold Outlaw	Listen to a ballad of Robin Hood.	Sign the guest book at the Blue Boar Inn and listen to a ballad of Robin Hood.	Read the interviews and write one of your own with Robin. Sign the guest book at the Blue Boar Inn. Listen to a ballad.	Write an imaginary interview with a Merry Man. Write an interview with Robin. Sign the guest book at the Blue Boar Inn. Listen to a ballad of Robin. State your opinion about why the Merry Men were considered outlaws.
Legend	Walk through Nottingham.	Visit Sherwood Forest and take a walk through Nottingham.	Take a walk through Nottingham and draw a map of it. Visit Sherwood Forest.	Take a walk through Nottingham and draw a map of it. Visit Sherwood Forest and draw a diagram of it.
Medieval Experience	Write a two-page report on how the Black Death affected Europe's economy.	Write a two-page report on the Black Death and two pages on jousting and tournaments.	Write two-page reports on: The Black Death, jousting and tournaments, and medieval costumes.	Write two-page reports on: The Black Death, jousting and tournaments, medieval costumes, and medieval recipes.
Pages	Compare/contrast in two pages the Robin Hood of Sir Walter Scott and Howard Pyle.	Write your favorite poem of Robin Hood. Compare/contrast in two pages Scott's and Pyle's Robin Hood.	Visit the Robin Hood Project. Write your favorite poem of Robin Hood. Compare/contrast in two pages Scott's and Pyle's Robin Hood.	Visit the Robin Hood Project and write a ten-sentence paragraph on your favorite aspect of it. Write your favorite poem of Robin Hood. Compare /contrast in two pages Scott's and Pyle's Robin Hood.
Robin Hood page	Select your favorite picture and drawing and tell why in one page.	Give your opinion in two pages on Robin Hood. Select your favorite picture and drawing and tell in one page why it is your favorite.	In two pages, tell how others view Robin Hood. Give your opinion on him (fact or fantasy) in two pages. Select your favorite picture and drawing and tell in one page why it is your favorite.	List five or more words influenced by the legend of Robin. In two pages, tell how other view Robin Hood. Give your opinion on him (fact or fantasy) in two pages. Select your favorite picture and drawing and tell in one page why it is your favorite.

Conclusion:

In this webquest, you should have found several versions of the Robin Hood legend. Which one was your favorite version? Robin lived during the Middle Ages. I hope you experienced a taste, literally and figuratively of this medieval period. What was your favorite recipe? There were several ballads and songs written about Robin over the centuries. Which do you think was the best one? Was Robin Hood a good guy or just a dirty, "robbing hood?" E-mail me and let me know your opinion.

Credits & References:

A big thanks to Barbara Ivey and Amanda Lemly for all their help.

Teacher Advice:

This webquest is written for a high school 10th -12th grade literature unit. Aspects of it can also be used in world history and home economics classes as well.

The learners need to have read at least one version of the Robin Hood legend. They should also know how to link to other sites and how to e-mail.

This lesson can involve one class, preferably in a lab setting, so that the learners can all work on the quest at one time. Allow for possibly two-three days. It can include listening, writing, synthesizing, and analyzing skills.

The teacher does not need advanced computer training for this webquest. Finding the activities and linking to the sites will be very easy for most educators.

If there are enough computers in the classroom, or if there is a small lab available, the learners could be divided into five or more groups to accomplish the tasks. In the Medieval Experience, I would use several groups because of the number of activities.

This webquest could be directed by one teacher in an English classroom. It could also be used as a mini team teaching lesson with world history and/or home economics teachers.

A word search puzzle on Robin Hood can be printed out for students to use.

Created by Jean Myracle for EDU 506 @ FHU School of Education by Dr. Bruce Lewis on November 10. 2001.