Anthem by Ayn Rand

Create Your Own Utopia WebQuest

Introduction

"Here on this mountain, I and my sons...shall build our new land...And

it will become as the heart of the earth, lost and hidden at first, but

beating, beating louder each day. And word of it will reach every corner

of the earth." - from the book Anthem by Ayn Rand

The Task You will work in teams of 5 to create your own utopia. Your team will research the concept of "utopia" and utopian communities found around the world today. Each member of your team will then be assigned a specific aspect of the community to research and design. You will meet as a group to discuss the development of the community and to make some group decisions. Then your group will create a PowerPoint presentation to showcase your utopia. Continue reading this WebQuest for a more detailed explanation of each of the steps involved in this project.

When students read The Giver in middle school, many are often frustrated by the lack of choices the members of the community have and the state of ignorance in which Jonas and the other community members live. The community in The Giver was created as a utopian society; however, things went very wrong in this "perfect world." The world of Anthem was also set up to be a utopia, but by our standards and Equality’s experience it is nothing but a restrictive, mind-numbing existence. Now it is your turn to create your own utopia and see whether you can create a better utopia than the ones in these two books.

“When all else is lost, the future still remains."

- Christian Nestell Bovee

The Process

Step One: What is Utopia?

Use the websites below to research the concept of "utopia." The second website has lots of detailed information on utopia. As a team, decide which parts are relevant to your project and split the reading up into sections. That way, each member can read a section and report back to the group. Do your research and then schedule a group meeting at which the information you've acquired will be shared. As a group, come up with a definition of utopia. Tell what utopia means to your group. You should discuss the following questions in your group before coming up with the definition. Use your imagination. Be creative. This is your chance to design your idea of a perfect world. Be sure to answer the following questions in your definition:

1. What kind of government would exist in your perfect society? 2. What would the educational system be like?

Explore these 2 websites:

Definition of utopia Utopian Philosophy - how to achieve it, merging reality and utopia

and views of what utopia may be like

Step Two: Assignment of Roles After you have created your own definition of utopia, you need to assign roles to your group members. You may do this one of two ways:

1. write each role on a scrap of paper and draw out of a hat OR 2. discuss which role suits each person in your group the best, and assign them

3. How would the community members receive medical care? 4. What kind of money would you use (if any) and how would it be distributed

to the community members? 5. What kinds of recreation or leisure activities would be available to your

community members? How would they participate in these?

The roles you will be assigning are described below.

Leader: The leader is responsible for the team members getting along and making progress in their tasks. You are also the liaison between your team and the teacher. You will be responsible for planning the type of government your community will implement.

Developer: You will be responsible for mapping out the community, making sure to include natural resources found on your land like lakes and farmland. You will draw out the design for the community.

Planner: You will research issues like education and medicine. You will be the team's expert on these issues. You will design the community's education system. You will also design the health care system of the community.

Accountant: You will be the team expert on financial issues like what monetary system the community will use, how the money will be distributed, and how it will be generated throughout the community. You will be responsible for designing the banking system, if you use one. You will also be responsible for designing the money for the community.

Recreation Director: It will be up to you to decide what kinds of leisure activities will be available in your community. You will also be responsible for how they will be implemented. You will design activities for the rest of the community members to enjoy and you will be responsible for seeing that they run smoothly.

"If you dream alone, it's just a dream. If you dream

together, it's a reality." - Brazilian folk song

Step Three: Research

Here are the websites.

Your group will use the following websites to research various utopian communities that actually exist in the world today. Each of you should look for information that correlates with the role you have been assigned. For instance, if you are the leader, you will look for ideas on how to set up the government of your community. If you are the recreation director, you will look for ideas relating to leisure activities. If you find interesting information that doesn't fit into any of the roles assigned, write it down for later.

NOTE: You'll have to hunt for information that fits your role. Not all of the websites will be helpful to everyone in your group. It may take some time to find the information you need.

The Acorn Community of Virginia The Farm in Tennessee

Twin Oaks Community in Virginia Victory City - A City Under One Roof

Factasia - Utopian Fantasy The Utopia Project

Utopian States

1. Draw a chart that shows how the government in your community will work. Explain

in detail the role of each person or group in your community. 2. Sketch a map of what your community will look like. You will have to refine it and

make it better later. Every building and area should be clearly labeled. Don't forget to include lakes, parking (if needed), public buildings, medical buildings, schools, dwellings, recreational areas, etc. An aerial view will be fine.

3. Draw a chart or diagram depicting what your education system will be like. Don't

forget to include details about when kids go to school and for how long and what types of things will be taught at each level.

After you have finished your research, set up a group meeting at which the research will be shared. The group meeting agenda is listed below. The answers to the questions on the agenda must be written down and handed in to your teacher for a grade.

Group Meeting Agenda

I. Each group member, keeping in mind his or her assigned role, reports in detail the information he or she has researched. It is important that each member report to the group.

II. Complete the following tasks as a group and hand them in to your teacher:

4. Draw a chart or diagram depicting how your community members will receive health care. Include information on who provides the care, what kind of care people can receive at which facilities, where people go for serious illnesses, prescriptions, etc.

5. Draw a picture of what your dwellings will look like. You should include an

outside drawing as well as an aerial view of the inside. Be sure to label everything in the dwelling.

6. Draw a picture of the money your community will use. Draw a chart or diagram

depicting how people will receive money and how it will be used. If you are not using money in your community, explain how people will receive goods and services.

7. Describe the different types of recreation that will be offered in your community.

Include information on how they will be used by the people of the community (following a schedule, first come, first served, etc.)

After you have finished your group meeting, turn in the answers to the above questions to your teacher with all of your names on it.

Do you need additional information? If you feel like you need more information on how to plan your community, here are some websites that may be helpful.

The Four Types of Government Alternative Money Systems

Step Four: Developing Your Presentation

Each group member will develop the slides of a PowerPoint presentation that deal with his/her role. Each group member is allowed up to 5 slides on which to present his or her information. After every member of your group has completed his or her slides, print them and turn them in to your teacher in the order they will appear in the PowerPoint presentation. Make sure you address the following items in your PowerPoint slides:

Leader: The first slide in your presentation should be a sign that would be found at the entrance to the community. In detail, show how the government in your community operates. Also show how laws are made and enforced, if there are any laws.

Developer: Present a map of your community. Make sure it is well labeled and that you can explain your reasons for planning it the way you did.

Planner: Show how people will be educated in your

community and how health care will be provided.

Accountant: Show what the money in your

community looks like. Also be sure to explain how money is generated and how it is distributed to the members of your community.

Recreation Director: Show what kinds of leisure

activities are available in your community. Explain how people will participate in these activities.

Step Five: Finalizing Your Presentation

Using PowerPoint, work as a group to put together your presentation. After each group member has developed his or her slides, call a group meeting to view the work done so far. Make suggestions to each other on how each portion of the presentation can be improved and make those improvements on your own. Once your team has successfully developed and revised the entire PowerPoint presentation, let your teacher know you are ready to turn it in, and then move on to the Step 6.

Evaluation

Step Six: Individual Reflection

Now that you have completed the WebQuest, you are going to reflect, or think about, what happened. You will write a short essay (1 ½ - 2 typed, double-spaced pages) where you address the following questions. Your essay should be in paragraph form. You will be graded on how well you answer the questions, but you will also be graded on the organization and mechanical correctness of your essay. Your essay should contain strong, clear sentences. Your paragraphs should be unified and coherent. You should include transitions to help the reader navigate his/her way through the paper. However, you do not need to include introduction or conclusion paragraphs. Be sure to answer the following questions in your essay.

1. What was the hardest part about completing the WebQuest? What was so hard about it?

2. What did you find the most interesting about doing the

WebQuest? Why did you find it interesting?

3. Would you recommend that future classes be required to complete this project? Why or why not?