Task
You will go through all stages of imprisonment, identifying things you would like to take with you, writing to friends and family, and experiencing the world after fifteen years of being removed from it.

Process
You will begin by choosing ten items to take with you to your cell. You must make representations of these items - a favorite book, a CD, a photograph - with the materials provided. If books, movies, and CDs are on your list, Amazon may be helpful. For other things, try Barry's Clip Art. Be prepared to present them to the class and explain why you chose these items. Once you’re in prison, write a letter to anyone -- a friend, a family member, someone you admire -- describing your experiences. What kind of things do you do? What do you think about? Have your thoughts changed like those of the young lawyer in The Bet - would you, too, leave before the fifteen years ended? Reading The Bet may offer some help in answering these questions. After you’re released, use the medium of your choice -- PowerPoint, a poster, an oral presentation, etc. -- to share your predictions on what life would be like after being secluded for fifteen years. You could draw a new invention, talk about what major events have occurred since your imprisonment, or explain new trends and developments in anything from entertainment to world relations. What changes will occur in language, fashion, sports, politics, transportation, medicine...? Be creative - what would life be like in 2018? You may find some ideas at Future Facing and The Next 20 Years Series (which, coincidentally, is about what other people think will happen by 2018).

Evaluation
In order to receive an “A”, all of the projects must be completed - you must have ten items you would take with you and reasons for taking them, a letter to a friend or relative, and some sort of presentation about what life would be like in 2018. If you have begun all the projects, but one in incomplete, you’ll receive a “B”. If two of the projects are incomplete, you’ll receive a “C”. If three are incomplete or if some are not even begun, you’ll receive an “F”.

Conclusion
Hopefully this WebQuest has caused you to consider what you value most in your life and how different things would be -- for yourself and the world -- if you were secluded for fifteen years. Perhaps you've thought about the future and what it may hold -- like the people in 1900 that predicted what life would be like in 2000.And if you'd like to read more about the author of The Bet, The Anton Chekhov Page provides links to biographies, lists of works, and other short stories.