Introduction
In Jeanne DuPrau's The City of Ember, a war has all but obliterated the human race and forced the survivors to seek shelter in an underground city until they can safely return to their world. The creators of this city, known as the Builders, provide them with 200 years worth of food and supplies, and instructions on when and how to return home. Unfortunately, the instructions get lost over time and the new generation of Emberites remains trapped underground, with no knowledge of the outside world. With supplies running low and time running out, the people of Ember must find a way out of their beloved city.
Imagine an apocalyptic event, such as world war, natural disaster or alien takeover, has destroyed the Earth we once knew. Only a handful of humans have survived and must be moved to an underground city, much like Ember, until the planet is once again safe to inhabit. How would the survivors begin to rebuild their community? What items would they take with them to aid in their survival?
Task
Now let's imagine that you are the Builder of this new community. You've created a home for the survivors, but it's up to you to make sure they have everything they need to survive over the next couple of centuries. You'll need to leave a set of instructions behind so the survivors know what to expect when they emerge above ground 200 years from now. Consider what life will be like in the future. How will the Earth have changed? What kinds of technology will need to be invented (or re-invented) to exist in this future?
As you complete this WebQuest, you will:
1. Empower the people: Learn about ways of creating electricity underground and think about how to instruct the survivors to use alternative energy.
2. Explore the past: Read about how the world has changed over the past few hundred years, and how it will continue to evolve.
3. Envision the Future: Imagine the world 200 years from now.
Guidelines
Step 1: Empower the People
There is no electricity underground to power light or heat, or to run machines or computers. The survivors will need to learn how to get by without electricity. Read about alternative methods of energy, such as hydropower. How would the people of today get by without electricity? What happens if we run out of energy? List 5 things people can do today to conserve energy.
Recommended Resources
Kids Be Green
Learn about recycling with fun facts, games and activities. Kids can download a free coloring book and learn about safety with household products. Download a fact-sheet on building a compost to include in your instructions for the survivors.
Kids Be Green. Integrated Waste Management Board, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2011.
Kids Saving Energy
Follow Tinker Bell and her friends as you learn about renewable energy and how to save energy at home. Test your knowledge with games and activities like "Funergy" and "Energy Quest." Print out an activity book on energy awareness, or download an energy action list to help you instruct the survivors on how to conserve energy underground.
Kids Saving Energy. U.S. Department of Energy, 29 Aug. 2008. Web. 11 Feb. 2011.
Step 2: Explore the Past
Our world is constantly changing. The survivors must know about their past in order to understand their future. Read about what life was like over 200 years ago. Think about how different our world would be today without the inventions of the past two centuries.
List 5 ways in which the world has changed over the past few centuries. Consider how technology has impacted our lives. What would life be like without the automobile or the computer?
Recommended Resources
Environment of North America
This web site describes what life was like in North America after 1500 AD. Learn about how the environment changed over time, and how the abuse of natural resources led to today's energy crisis. Use this resource to instruct the survivors on how to learn from the past and prepare for their future world.
Environment of North America. Kidipede, 8 Mar. 2011. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.
Step 3: Envision the Future
Prepare the survivors for what to expect when they re-emerge from the underground. Start by drawing a picture of what this new world will look like. Will there still be buildings and cars? Will the sky still be blue and the grass green? Let your imagination run wild! Use electronic software to illustrate or build the new world.
Recommended Resources
Kid CAD
Kid CAD is 3D software for children that lets you build virtual structures. You can create any size town and even add pets and people! Use Kid CAD to build the city of the future and include images of your buildings with the instructions for the survivors.
Kid CAD. Computer software. Knowledge Adventure. Windows, disk.
Tux Paint
Tux Paint is free, open source drawing software for children. You can download it directly from their web site, or order the software on CD-ROM. The software is easy to use, with tools including a paintbrush, eraser, text, magic wand, and more! Use Tux Paint to illustrate the future world and include color printouts with your instructions for the survivors.
Tux Paint. Computer software. New Breed software. Windows/Macintosh, 16MB.
Assessment
Now that you've empowered the people, explored the past and envisioned the future, let's see how well you did preparing instructions for the new world:
| Exemplary (4) | Accomplished (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Understanding of energy methods and conservation | Excellent comprehension demonstrated by thorough list of energy conservation tips | Good comprehension demonstrated by effective list of energy conservation tips | Satisfactory comprehension demonstrated by adequate list of energy conservation tips | Limited comprehension demonstrated by incomplete list of energy conservation tips | |
| Knowledge of historical innovations | Excellent comprehension demonstrated by thorough list of world-changing innovations | Good comprehension demonstrated by effective list of world-changing innovations | Satisfactory comprehension demonstrated by adequate list of world-changing innovations | Limited comprehension demonstrated by incomplete list of world-changing innovations | |
| Creativity in imagining future worlds | Excellent imagination demonstrated by visionary illustration of future world | Good imagination demonstrated by thoughtful illustration of future world | Satisfactory imagination demonstrated by derivative illustration of future world | Limited imagination demonstrated by uninspired illustration of future world | |
| Total Score: | |||||
Conclusion
Now that you have an understanding of how to preserve our world, and how our world has changed over the years, it's time to leave your instructions behind for the future world. Drawing from your lists and your illustration, write down a set of instructions for the survivors. Include a list of suggestions for alternative methods of energy, and how to conserve that energy, during their stay underground. Also, include a summary of what to expect when they emerge into the new world and what innovations will need to be rediscovered. Insert your illustration of the future world at the end to complete your instructions. Don't forget to wish them good luck!
If you enjoyed reading The City of Ember and want to know more about the survivors' future and past, read the other books in the series:
The People of Sparks
DuPrau, Jeanne. The People of Sparks. New York : Random House, 2004. Print.
The Prophet of Yonwood
DuPrau, Jeanne. The Prophet of Yonwood. New York : Random House, 2006. Print.
The Diamond of Darkhold
DuPrau, Jeanne. The Diamond of Darkhold. New York : Random House Children's Books, 2008. Print.
Teacher/Librarian Materials
This WebQuest is suited for children ages 8 through 14 who are interested in extending their reading of Jeanne DuPrau's The City of Ember to learn about energy conservation and to imagine future worlds. Here are some suggestions for further engaging your participants:
• To complete the "empower the people" task, instruct participants to create a "green check list." Ask them to mark off the items they are already doing in every day life, and consider making changes to incorporate other conservation activities into their daily routine.
• To complete the "explore the past" task, ask your participants to make a list of all the technology they use every day, from cell phones to computers. Now ask them to consider what life was like before these innovations. Have them rank in descending order which technologies they would have the hardest time surviving without.
• To complete the "envision the future" task, show a science fiction film about a future world, such as Titan A.E. Discuss how that world differs from the world we know, and relate it back to the world inhabited by the Ember survivors.
• To complete the set of instructions, have your participants learn how to write effective instructions. Ask them to explain a menial task, such as how to tie a shoe, and list step-by-step "how to" instructions to complete the task.
For more learning materials related to The City of Ember and this WebQuest, visit Walden Media's web site. The site includes lesson plans, activities, and an educator's guide.