Resources for the Star Witness

Part III - Additional Research and Project Completion

The Puritans lived hard lives devoted to their work and their religion. Their laws were harsh, and those unfortunate enough to break a law faced severe punishment.  One crime punishable by death was witchcraft.  For several years in the late 17th Century, waves of fear and superstition about witches rolled through the Puritan settlements.   People were accused of being in league with the devil for absurd reasons like:  "When his shadow fell on me, I cut my finger with my knife." 

Your job is to be a reliable source witness to prove Hannah Tupper's innocence in her trial for witchcraft. These are additional links for you to explore. When you view this information, think about the actual witnesses in terms of how UN-reliable they were.

• Information about the Salem Witch Trials:
  www.discovery.com/stories/history/witches/witches.html

• Primary Source Documents from the Salem Witch Trials:
  etext.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft/texts/

• Use this information guide as a resource:
  Evaluating the Reliability of a Source

• Get out The Witch of Blackbird Pond book and The Star Witness Learning Log and record your responses to these questions:

1. One theme of The Witch of Blackbird Pond is prejudice. What does prejudice have to do with evaluating reliable sources?

2. Kit learns that people fear or dislike her because she is different. They distrust Hannah Tupper for the same reason. How is Hannah different from her neighbors?

3. How is Kit different?

4. How does being different contribute to Kit and Hannah's friendship?

5. What characteristics or circumstances of the Puritans may have made them unreliable sources?
   

6. Think about the role of a witness in favor of Hannah, and against the notion that she is a witch. What qualifications and characteristics would a reliable witness posses?

7. What questions would a lawyer defending Hannah want to ask a witness that would emphasize the witness's reliability?
   

Before you begin your trial testimony, take a look at the Star Witness Rubric. Consider each area of the rubric as you plan and write your testimony.

Now write a rough draft of your testimony. Allow your team members of help you revise and refine it before you begin the final draft.

Introduction | Task | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion