An
Author Study
WebQuest for 6th Grade
Designed by
Penny Perez, Rebecca
Comenale, Michelle Fontaine
pperez@hebron.k12.ct.us
Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation
| Conclusion | Credits
| Teacher Page
|
|
|
Introduction
Jerry Spinelli, famous author of children’s literature (Maniac McGee, Stargirl, Loser, Crash, and more!), is coming to our school and he needs your help! He has written many books already about children just like you, but he is fresh out of ideas for his next book. He has heard that you are familiar with his books and his writing style and wants you to develop the elements for his next book.
Are you up to developing characters, setting, and a story line that will match the writing style of Jerry Spinelli?
Your job is to develop characters, a setting, and a storyline, and then to convince Jerry Spinelli why he is the best author to put all these together in his unique way. You will come up with a presentation that will include the following elements in order to convince him to choose your book idea.
- At least 3 well-developed characters;
- Clearly developed setting(s);
- A well-thought out story line (plot);
- Explanation of why your ideas fit Jerry Spinelli’s style (and why he should choose you.)
Your final product will be an oral presentation using one of the following tools: power point, posters, or other teacher approved format.
In class, you will have read
with your
group one of Spinelli’s books, discussed it in literature circles, and
done
comprehension and vocabulary activities.
As a class, you will have listened to another of his books as a
read
aloud, with some class discussion. Other
groups in the room will have read two other of his books and shared key
points
with the class.
To accomplish the task, you will
1.
Divide
into
groups of three or four.
2.
Assign
each member of the
group one of the following roles:
a.
Casting
Director – you
are responsible for the development of three well-developed characters. Each character must have
i.
A name
ii.
Physical
description (clear picture in anyone’s mind)
iii.
Personality
traits
iv.
Brief
background (family, hobbies, etc.)
b.
Set
Designer – you are
responsible for designing all the settings you think best fit this
story. Your setting(s) should include:
i.
Name
(school,
home, etc.)/ location (city, state, etc.)
ii.
Physical
description (clear picture in anyone’s mind)
iii.
Specific
items / buildings found in this setting
iv.
People
found in this setting (not main characters – neighbors, teacher,
etc.)
c.
Plot
Developer – you are responsible for developing a basic that includes
a:
i.
Beginning
ii.
Middle
1.
conflict
2.
attempts
to solve conflict
iii.
End
/
Resolution
d.
Spinelli
Specialist – you are responsible for wrapping up the
presentation and making the final pitch to Spinelli to convince him to
choose
your group’s book idea. This should
include:
i.
Comparison
of your characters to characters from his book(s)
ii.
Comparison
of your setting to settings from his book(s)
iii.
Comparison
of your plot to plots from his book(s)
iv.
A
short
summary of his biographical information to convince him that you are
familiar
with him as a person and his writing style.
3.
As
a group,
you must discuss, agree, and plan out the basics of each element (see
above).
4.
As
a group,
you must decide what presentation tool you will use to present your
book idea.
5.
Once
you have agreed
and developed the characters, setting, plot and reasoning, you are
responsible
for preparing your portion of the presentation for your assigned role.
6.
Once
your
sections are completed, the group should meet to refine, combine and
finalize
your total presentation piece.
7.
Your
group
should come up with a creative title for your story.
8.
Rehearse
your
presentation.
9.
Give
your
presentation.
10.
Turn
in a hard
copy of your presentation piece. (posters, handout copy of power point,
etc.)
11.
After
your
presentation, each group member is responsible for completing and
submitting
half a page typed reflection that includes:
a.
How
well the
group worked together.
c.
How
the group
organized their individual sections to create their final product.
d.
How
the
presentation went.
e.
What
you have
learned from this project.
Here is the rubric for how each group will be evaluated.
|
CATEGORY |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
Creativity |
The story
contains many creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to
the reader's enjoyment. The author has really used his imagination. |
The story
contains a few creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to
the reader's enjoyment. The author has used his imagination. |
The story
contains a few creative details and/or descriptions, but they distract
from the story. The author has tried to use his imagination. |
There is
little evidence of creativity in the story. The author does not seem to
have used much imagination. |
|
Setting |
Many vivid,
descriptive words are used to tell when and where the story took place.
|
Some vivid,
descriptive words are used to tell the audience when and where the
story took place. |
The reader
can figure out when and where the story took place, but the author
didn't supply much detail. |
The reader
has trouble figuring out when and where the story took place. |
|
Problem/Conflict
|
It is very
easy for the reader to understand the problem the main characters face
and why it is a problem. |
It is fairly
easy for the reader to understand the problem the main characters face
and why it is a problem. |
It is fairly
easy for the reader to understand the problem the main characters face
but it is not clear why it is a problem. |
It is not
clear what problem the main characters face. |
|
Characters |
The main
characters are named and clearly described in text as well as pictures.
Most readers could describe the characters accurately. |
The main
characters are named and described. Most readers would have some idea
of what the characters looked like. |
The main
characters are named. The reader knows very little about the
characters. |
It is hard
to tell who the main characters are. |
|
Title |
Title is
creative, sparks interest and is related to the story and topic. |
Title is
related to the story and topic. |
Title is
present, but does not appear to be related to the story and topic. |
No title. |
|
Requirements
|
All of the
elements required were met. |
Almost all
(about 90%) of the elements required were met. |
Most (about
75%) of the elements required were met, but several were not. |
Many
requirements were not met. |
|
Spinelli
Connection |
There were
clear connections to Jerry Spinelli, and his writing style, made for
each element assigned. |
There were
clear connections to Jerry Spinelli, and his writing style, made for
most of the elements assigned. |
There were
some connections to Jerry Spinelli, and his writing style, made for
some of the elements assigned. |
The
connections were unclear and did not cover most of the elements
assigned. |
|
Reflection (Individual
score) |
Submitted a
half-page typed reflection that thoroughly answered all questions. |
Submitted a
half-page reflection that answered most
questions with details. |
Submitted a
reflection that answered some questions with very little detail. |
Submitted a
reflection that answered very few of the questions with little or no
detail. |
You should have a good understanding of Jerry Spinelli and his writing style after completing this project. You will have used your imagination to create a story, but you will have also presented a persuasive pitch to convince him to choose your idea. How would your story ideas have differed if you were pitching to J.K. Rowling? Avi? Lemony Snickett? Or another author? Can you think of any authors whose styles interest you or that you might want to imitate? How might your own ideas differ than any of these authors?
Books Used in Class:
Websites for information on Jerry Spinelli
“Jerry Spinelli: Intro Page” http://www.jerryspinelli.com/newbery_001.htm
“Meet Jerry Spinelli” http://eduplace.com/kids/hmr/mtai/spinelli.html
“Jerry Spinelli Biography” http://www.carr.org/authco/spinelli-j.htm
An Author Study WebQuest for 6th Grade
Teacher Page
Designed by
Penny Perez, Rebecca
Comenale, Michelle Fontaine
pperez@hebron.k12.ct.us
Introduction | Learners | Standards | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion
| Credits | Student
Page
|
|
|
|
This lesson was developed as a
part of
final project for an educational technology class at the
In this lesson, students will use their knowledge of Jerry Spinelli’s writing to create their own story idea inspired by his style. Students will pitch their ideas to the class in a persuasive format to “convince Jerry Spinelli to choose their idea for his next book”.
This lesson is designed for
sixth grade
reading, but can be adapted for other authors and books, and other
grade
levels.
Prior to beginning this WebQuest, students will need to know the basic story elements and have had some experience writing their own stories. Students will also have read at least two of Spinelli’s books. They should also be familiar with basic oral presentation techniques (eye contact, volume, pace, etc.).
- Identify
and use main ideas and supporting details in informational texts or
elements, such as key events, main characters, and setting in
narratives.
- Interact with others in creating, interpreting and evaluating written, oral and visual texts.
- Communicate
effectively by determining the appropriate text structure on the basis
of audience, purpose and point of view
- Communicate
effectively in descriptive, narrative, expository and persuasive modes.
- Gather,
select, organize and analyze information from primary and secondary
sources.
- Engage
in a process of generating ideas, drafting, revising, editing and
publishing or presenting.
- Engage in writing, speaking and developing visual texts through frequent reflection, reevaluation and revision.
In class, students will have
read with their
group one of Spinelli’s books, discussed it in literature circles, and
done
comprehension and vocabulary activities.
As a class, they will have listened to another of his books as a
read
aloud, with some class discussion. Other
groups in the room will have read two other of his books and shared key
points
with the class.
To accomplish the task, students
will:
12.
Divide
into
groups of three or four.
13.
Assign
each member of the
group one of the following roles:
a.
Casting
Director – you
are responsible for the development of three well-developed characters. Each character must have
i.
A name
ii.
Physical
description (clear picture in anyone’s mind)
iii.
Personality
traits
iv.
Brief
background (family, hobbies, etc.)
b.
Set
Designer – you are
responsible for designing all the settings you think best fit this
story. Your setting(s) should include:
i.
Name
(school,
home, etc.)/ location (city, state, etc.)
ii.
Physical
description (clear picture in anyone’s mind)
iii.
Specific
items / buildings found in this setting
iv.
People
found in this setting (not main characters – neighbors, teacher,
etc.)
c.
Plot
Developer – you are responsible for developing a basic that includes
a:
i.
Beginning
ii.
Middle
1.
conflict
2.
attempts
to solve conflict
iii.
End
/
Resolution
d.
Spinelli
Specialist – you are responsible for wrapping up the
presentation and making the final pitch to Spinelli to convince him to
choose
your group’s book idea. This should
include:
i.
Comparison
of your characters to characters from his book(s)
ii.
Comparison
of your setting to settings from his book(s)
iii.
Comparison
of your plot to plots from his book(s)
iv.
A
short
summary of his biographical information to convince him that you are
familiar
with him as a person and his writing style.
14.
As
a group, students
must discuss, agree, and plan out the basics of each element (see
above).
15.
As
a group, students
must decide what presentation tool you will use to present your book
idea.
16.
Once
students
have agreed and developed the characters, setting, plot and reasoning,
you are
responsible for preparing your portion of the presentation for your
assigned
role.
17.
Once
students’
sections are completed, the group should meet to refine, combine and
finalize
your total presentation piece.
18.
Their
group
should come up with a creative title for their story.
19.
Rehearse
their
presentation.
20.
Give
their
presentation.
21.
Turn
in a hard
copy of their presentation piece. (posters, handout copy of power
point, etc.)
22.
After
their
presentation, each group member is responsible for completing and
submitting
half a page typed reflection that includes:
a.
How
well the
group worked together.
b.
How
the group
decided on the elements of the story.
c.
How
the group
organized their individual sections to create their final product.
d.
How
the
presentation went.
e.
What
you have
learned from this project.
If teachers have a group of less than four students, all students in that group could share the “Spinelli Specialist” role. It is not recommended that you have groups larger than four.
The teacher should have read and
be
familiar with all Spinelli books discussed in class.
Variations
The author and books chosen may be varied according to the curriculum. Also, teachers can expand this project and have students write out their stories as a short story. Teachers can incorporate an artistic element by having students create a book cover, pictures of characters, settings etc. Teacher can dictate presentation format to meet their comfort level, teaching style, and availability of resources.
- Class sets of books
- Specific software (PowerPoint, Publisher, Word)
- Specific hardware (computer(s), scanner, camera, projector)
- Specific
reference material in the classroom or school library (Internet access)
Books Used in Class:
If you have a computer lab where you can bring students, then that would be best for completing this project. Otherwise, you may want to do a center-based approach, where one or two groups are using computers (based on how many available to you in your classroom), while you do guided reading with another group, and another group is working independently.
Evaluation
Teachers will know this was a
successful
lesson when the students are able to present a well thought out and
creative
story idea that connects to Spinelli’s style of writing. Group work
will be
evaluated throughout the entire process. Students should be monitored
while
they are working in their groups. The
final presentation will be evaluated using the rubric provided.
Conclusion
Students will have come to understand how to identify a writer’s style and how similarities in one author’s books can be found because of this style. Students will also develop some persuasive skills in preparing their ‘sale pitch’ to Jerry Spinelli.
Credits
&
References
Teacher resources
“Amazon” www.amazon.com
“Jerry Spinelli” http://www.randomhouse.com/features/jerryspinelli/stargirl_rg.html
“Lesson Exchange: Activity Ideas for Stargirl” http://www.teachers.net/lessons/posts/3080.html
“Teachers@Random Catalog / Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli” http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780375822339&view=rg
“Teaching Guides for Spinelli” http://www.harperchildrens.com/hch/parents/teachingguides/spinelli.pdf
“Jerry Spinelli @ Web English Teacher” http://www.webenglishteacher.com/spinelli.html
Pictures used on this webquest
were
obtained from
http://www.jerryspinelli.com/newbery_002.htm