A Dance Called America:

A Dance Called America:

A Webquest

Introduction:

During a period that was later to become known as the Highland Clearances, tens of thousands of men, women and children were evicted, often violently, from their homes to make way for large scale sheep farming. In some areas, whole glens were cleared, which today are as silent as they must have been when the landlord's factors had finished ruthlessly carrying out the orders of their masters. Homes were burnt and tenants forced to leave at the point of a sword or musket, carrying little or nothing as they headed towards a life of poverty and hunger. This social engineering led many Scots to look for a new life both within the Unite Kingdom and abroad. A Dance called America is part of the story telling where the Scots chose to live outside these shores...

Task:

In the following Webquest, you will use the power of teamwork and the abundant resources on the Internet to learn all about Scottish emigration in the periods immediately before, during and after the ''Highland Clearances''. To begin with each of your group should familiarise themselves with this topic by visiting the sites below.

Although the Scots settled in numerous countries around the globe it was America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand that pulled the most as the Scots were being pushed off the land. Your group should be divided into smaller teams each working on one of the countries listed below and aim to research as much about the Scots in that country as possible.

Your group should now produce a six-page report [not including the cover, introduction and conclusions] aimed at raising public awareness over this historical event. Your report should include graphics and statistics and make reference to the websites you have used for information.

Resources:

A Webquest

Scots in America

Scots in Canada

Scots down under: Australia and New Zealand