Titanic Webquest with DBQ Style Essay

In this resource you will find a ‘web’quest based on the sinking of the Titanic. This quest is meant to help prepare students to write a DBQ essay where they have to cite evidence from artifacts or documents. Students are asked to determine if the sinking of the Titanic was caused by human error, a curse or both. The quest is on one webpage with links. Several articles have been put in a .pdf format to eliminate distractions from ads and make it easier to read. A current event is also tied in with the OceanGate submarine that imploded in the summer of 2023 on its’ journey down to visit the Titanic.

The student answer packet has several graphic organizers to help students organize their thoughts and ideas. The artifacts have guided questions and tells the student which artifact to look at to find the answers. It also helps them set up their thesis statements by determining which artifacts discuss human error or a curse.

The essay portion has an artifact organizer page which helps students narrow down which artifacts to use to prove their thesis statement. It also has students go back into the artifacts to find a direct quote and then write a statement to help support their thesis. This helps set them up for their essay.

The essay portion also has two formats, it has an organizer with no sentence prompts and an organizer with sentence prompts. A rubric is also provided to create clear expectations and a self checking checklist so they can proof read their work before handing it in for review.