Hat Trick: How Clothing Makes Character in The Pearl by

John Steinbeck
A WebQuest for 8th Grade ELA
By Ms. Caddy

Introduction
What defines someone? Is it the way they look; the way they carry themselves; the
clothes that they wear? Is it something superficial; something that can only be seen
on the surface? Or is it something deeper; something that is defined by their
culture and circumstances? What makes a man? What defines his character?
The Task
In Chapter four of The Pearl, John Steinbeck writes: Kino put on his large straw hat
and felt it with his hand to see that it was properly placed, not on the back or side of
his head, like a rash, unmarried, irresponsible man, and not flat as an elder would
wear it, but tilted a little forward to show aggressiveness and seriousness and vigor.
There is a great deal to be seen in the tilt of a hat on a man.
Your job, as a whole group, is to think about this quote and how it might look in
todays current world and cultures. Your group will answer the following questions
while doing some specific research on a particular article of clothing. You will then
use your research to make a PowerPoint presentation by the end of class. You will
want to include pictures along with a paragraph summary of what you will be
presenting. The presentation should be no longer than 2:30 minutes.
These are the following questions you should explore and answer:
1. What does this quote mean and how does it define the characters in this novel?
Why is it significant to the rest of the novel?

2. According to each group, what does this particular item of clothing signify across
different cultures and continents? How does it create character, both directly and
indirectly?
Group 1: a hat/ Group 2: scarves or shawls/ Group 3: dresses or skirts/
Group 4: shoes
3. How do you think clothing and character is addressed or represented in the
novel? What other textual evidence can you find to support this?
Once you have compiled this information, you will use it to create a visual
presentation of your written information. In other words, put your notes into a
PowerPoint presentation.
The Process
1. Get into the groups assigned to you by Ms. Caddy.
2. Grab a computer from the computer cart and plug in your headphones.
3. Once you have logged in, you may begin your research by completing the
following steps:
4. Start by opening Microsoft PowerPoint and setting up a new slide. Make sure to
give it an appropriate and interesting title. Grab my attention!
5. Begin researching the answer to the three main questions above. It would be
wise to take notes so you will know what to say when it is time for your group to
present.
6. Repeat step number 5 until you have answered all three of the main questions.
7. Now that you have your information, create a PowerPoint presentation of the
most important/significant things you learned. Make sure to include at least one
picture per slide and back it up with textual evidence. Explain what information you
found and how it is represented by the picture. Be as specific and detailed as
possible.
8. When your group is finished and ready to present, save the PowerPoint to a
group members flash drive and bring it to Ms. Caddy.
9. When you are finished, log out of the computer, and return it to its numerical spot
in the cart.
10. Your group will have 2 to 2 minutes to present your PowerPoint presentation.

Evaluation

Name: ________________________
Date Submitted: ____________

Teacher: Ms. Caddy

Title of Work: ___________________

Criteria

Points

Introduction

All questions were

answered
completely and
rationales for the
answers wereclearly
stated.

All questions were

answered
completely, but
rationales for the
all the
answerswere
not clearly stated.

Not all questions

were answered
completely, or
greater than 2
rationales for the
all answers were
not clearly stated.

All questionswere
notanswered
completely.

____

Task

All areas of the task

were addressed and
handled with a high
degree of
sophistication. The
plan followed by the
team demonstrated
a great deal of
thought.

At least one area

of the task was
not addressed.
The plan followed
by the team
demonstrated a
great deal of
thought.

At least two areas

of the task were
not addressed.
The plan followed
by the team
demonstrated a
moderate level of
thought.

The task is
incomplete and/or
it is apparent that
little effort went
into the
development of
the task.

____

It is evident that a
mutual effort and
cohesive unit
created the final
product.

The team worked

well together, but
could have utilized
each other's skills
to a better degree.

The team had

problems working
together. Little
collaboration
occurred.

The final product

is not the result of
a collaborative
effort. The group
showed no
evidence of
collaboration.

____

The ideas
expressed by the
body of work
demonstrate a low
degree of creativity
and original
thought.

There were no
original ideas or
creativity
expressed in this
project.

Process:
Teamwork

Process:
Creativity

The ideas
expressed by the
The ideas expressed PowerPoint
by the PowerPoint
presentation are
presentation
mostly creative
demonstrate a high
and original in
degree of creativity
thought. The group
and original thought. may have
improved upon a
previous idea.

Total---->

____

Teacher Comments:
Conclusion
So what do you think? Does what we wear really affect how we present ourselves,
and therefore affect what others think of us? Is this a good or a bad thing? Does
this apply to direct or indirect characterization? You decide! Great work!