Blessed Sacrament School - Web Quest, Author Adventure

Author Adventure

A Literary WebQuest for Grades 3-5

Blessed Sacrament School

Burlington, NC

Introduction

Congratulations!

You’ve been hired to design a web page for a popular children’s author. Plenty of people begged for the chance, but the author knew you’d do the best job of telling about his/her life and books.

The Task

To design an interesting and informative web page you will:

Choose an author from the list .

Learn about your author’s life and write four to six frequently asked questions (with their answers) about him/her.

Read at least two books by your author and write an exciting 'blurb' about each that will make your web page visitors want to read them.

If you want to share your page with the world, use Microsoft FrontPage or Netscape Composer to post it on the World Wide Web.

The Process

Choose an author from this list: Beverly Cleary, JK Rowling, Chris Van Allsburg, Judy Blume

Use the Resources links to research your author’s information online. (Be sure to take notes!)

Write four to six questions (things you would want to know) and their answers about your author.

Get at least two of your author’s books you’d like to read from the local library or bookstore. These may include (but are not limited to):

Beverly Cleary: Ellen Tebbits, Otis Spofford, Ramona the Pest, Ramona the Brave, Runaway Ralph, Dear Mr. Henshaw

JK Rowling: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Chris Van Allsburg: The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, The Widow’s Broom, The Wretched Stone, Two Bad Ants, Jumanji

Judy Blume: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Superfudge, Freckle Juice, Blubber, Fudge-A-Mania

Write a blurb about each book you read to advertise it on your web page. The description should be at least two paragraphs but no more than one page long. Summarize each book's main idea or storyline. Use exciting language that will make the reader want to get the book!

Design the layout for your web page. If desired, use Microsoft FrontPage or Netscape Composer to post your web page on the internet.

Things to remember when making a web page:

Look at professional web pages – notice what they do that you like most and imitate them.

Think carefully about how to organize information and pictures on your web page.

Use interesting graphics and pictures on your page. Make them appropriate to the topic.

Avoid making your page difficult to read due to unusual fonts, colors, backgrounds, or excessive graphics.

Most authors have multiple web pages on the internet. Check them out for good ideas to include in your own, but be original…make your page unique!

Evaluation

See how you rate! Total points as follows:

Level:	Total Points Earned:
Beginner	1-4
Novice	5-8
Intermediate	9-12
Expert	13-16

	Beginner 1	Novice 2	Intermediate 3	Expert 4
Author Content	a few basic questions with short answers	four to six basic questions with answers	four to six basic questions with complete and interesting answers	six interesting questions with detailed answers about your author
Book Content	simple descriptions of books read	adequate description of books read	good description of books, accurate summary of each book's main idea	exciting language describing stories -- descriptions entice people to read the books
Organization	page layout unclear; fonts or colors make page difficult to read	page layout clear; some parts hard to read due to fonts or colors	page layout clear; fonts and colors easy to read	page layout clear; text easy to read; appropriate colors, fonts, and graphics used
Mechanics	several errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization	some errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization	few errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization	perfect spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization
Stated Objective or Performance	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance.

Conclusion

Now you’re an expert on your author! The adventure is just beginning for those who come across your web page…your hard work will thrill current fans of your author and just may convince new people to try out his/her books.

Your author thanks you for creating a space that shows the world how wonderful they are!

Credits & Resources

Beverly Cleary:

http://www.bookpage.com/9908bp/beverly_cleary.html

http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/au-cleary-beverly.asp

JK Rowling:

http://www.kidsreads.com/harrypotter/jkrowling.html

http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/author/

Chris Van Allsburg:

http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/author/cva/

http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/authors/vanallsburg/

Judy Blume: