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City WebQuests: Boston

The Boston Tea Party, British and American English, a Boston tour and Edgar Allen Poe.

Introductory quiz


Work in groups of between two and four. Find the answers to the following history questions using the website below:
  1. Who was in the vanguard of English settlers led by in 1624.
  2. When was the colony of Massachusetts Bay established?
  3. Where was Harvard College founded?
  4. In what industries were fortunes made during the industrial boom?
  5. What was the “Big Dig”? 
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/north_america/boston/history.htm   

Tea at a party!

What was the infamous ‘Boston Tea Party’? And why was it so important?

http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/History.htm 

(With this link please click on 'online activities' and then click on the Tea Party Gazette PDF.)

  • Stage 1: Work in four groups and try and find the answers to the following two questions: 

Group A

  1.  When was the ‘Tea Act’ passed? (Made a law)
  2.  How many chests of tea were on board the ‘Beaver’?

Group B

  1. On what date was the tea emptied into the harbour?
  2.  Name three of the ‘Sons of Liberty’.

Group C

  1.  Why did Britain need to tax the colonies? (Of America)
  2.  How many cups of tea could be made from 342 crates of tea on the three ships?

Group D

  1. What kind of shop did Benjamin Edes have?
  2.  How many chests of tea were emptied into the Boston harbour?
  • Stage 2: Your teacher will give you instructions for this round.
  • Stage 3: Working in your group (A, B, C or D), read through the Boston Tea Party Gazette newspaper article and write five more questions.
  • Stage 4: Your teacher will give you instructions for this round

Grammar – abstract nouns and nominalization

An abstract noun is a word that names a quality, idea, or feeling instead of a person, animal, place or thing. (Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners of English, 2002)
Concrete nouns are nouns you can see, smell, touch, hear, or taste. (For example: table, chair, train, or hamburger.) Abstract nouns are different. We cannot see, smell, touch, hear or taste them. Consider the following example:
Joseph’s bravery in rescuing the small dog from drowning amazed his family and friends. 

We can “see” Joseph and the dog and his family (concrete nouns), but we cannot “see” his bravery (abstract noun).

  1. The following quotations were made by Benjamin Franklin, a famous Bostonian. He often used abstract nouns. Locate the abstract nouns in the following quotations: 
  • "The absent are never without fault. Nor the present without excuse." 
  • "If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins." 
  • "Let thy discontents be thy secrets." 
  • "Admiration is the daughter of ignorance." 
  • "The proof of gold is fire..."

Benjamin Franklin 1706-1790, American Scientist, Publisher, Diplomat

http://www.bellaonline.com/ArticlesP/art14071.asp  
  1. Can you think of five more examples of abstract nouns? Check your answers with your teacher.
  2. Nominalization
    Nominalization is the process of turning a verb or an adjective into a noun. Consider the following example:
"Let thy discontents be thy secrets." - Benjamin Franklin

In this example, the word “discontents” has been used as an abstract noun. We cannot see, smell, touch, hear or taste “discontents”. However, in the following quotation, the same word, in a different form (discontented) has been used as an adjective, in order to pre-modify the noun “man”.

"The discontented man finds no easy chair." - Benjamin Franklin

If we were to change “discontented” (an adjective) into “discontents” (an abstract noun) we would have nominalized the adjective. 

De-nominalize the abstract nouns you found in Benjamin Franklin’s quotations, and turn each abstract noun into an adjective or verb or both if possible. You might find that the noun does not change. 

Vocabulary – British English and American English

Read the following story. Look at the words which are in italics (e.g. pavement). They are British English words. Use the website to find the same words in American English.

A Sweet Story

I was walking along the pavement in Boston looking for somewhere to eat lunch when I saw a friend leaning over the open bonnet of his car. I stopped to ask him what was wrong, had he run out of petrol or broken down, but all he was doing was cleaning his windscreen. I looked down and saw the hose snaking across the pavement towards the taps on the wall behind the dustbins. I said goodbye and carried on walking. As I passed the car I noticed the boot was open. I glanced inside and was surprised to see it was full of sweets. I was about to ask my friend why he had a boot full of sweets when my mobile phone rang, I answered the call and by the time I’d finished he’d driven off in his car. The next time I saw him I ……..
http://www.effingpot.com
  1. Next, in your groups, try to find the answers to the questions another group has written. 

A look at Poe

Read the short summary of Edgar Allan Poe’s life on the following website: 

http://www.poemuseum.org/poes_life/index.html 
  1. Answer the ten questions about Edgar Allen Poe on this online quiz. http://www.poemuseum.org/educational_resources/for_students.html 
  2. Read the summary about Edgar Allen Poe from activity a) and check your answers to the questions from the online quiz.

Extra websites

  • Activity 2: http://www.ctbw.com/jones.htm  
    A simplified account of the “Boston Tea Party” that can be used by lower level students.
  • Activity 4: http://englishclub.8m.com/ukus1.htm 
    Another site which looks at the differences between American and British English.
  • Activity 6: http://www.poemuseum.org  
    Extra information about Edgar Allan Poe.
  • General interest: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/north_america/boston