This WebQuest
features Joseph Had a Little
Overcoat Simms Taback's Caldecott
honor book.
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| The primary purpose of using
quality children's literature in the classroom is
to instill a love of reading. As with any
book, Joseph Had a Little
Overcoat should be first read for
pleasure before performing activities for the
book. Students should be allowed to enjoy
the book, ask questions, share stories before
completing the activities. |
| The Tasks provided for
students in this WebQuest facilitate reading
comprehension skills. Students will be
asked to study vocabulary taken from the book,
relate the story to their own lives, describe the
events that happen in the story when Joseph's
different pieces of clothing become old and worn.
Students will be performing tasks that help them
link their real lives with the characters in the
book. 
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| This multidisciplinary
WebQuest includes the following content
areas: reading, writing, social
studies. It is directed toward early
elementary. |
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Objectives (Kentucky
Curriculum Standards): Reading
RD-E-1.0.6
Explain the meaning
of a passage taken from texts appropriate for
elementary school students.
RD-E-1.0.8
Describe
characters, plot, setting, and problem/solution
of a passage.
RD-E-1.0.9
Explain a
character’s actions based on a
passage.
RD-E-1.0.10
Connect literature
to students’ lives and real world issues.
Social
Studies
SS-E-2.3.1
Various
human needs are met through interaction in and
among social groups (e.g., family, schools,
teams, and clubs).
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Implementation Overview
Students will
work in groups of 4. The teacher will decide on
how to divide the various tasks required to
complete the project, although children may think
it would be better to assign tasks on their own,
we want each child's needs to be successful.
Students will need time to collect data from web
sites, respond to the data response formats, and
to prepare presentations for their
classmates. This unit can be extended by
examining other topics of interest to students
using Joseph Had a Little Overcoat as a
springboard. Young students (K-1) will
need extra support in doing this WebQuest.
Teachers will need to prepare students for
following the format of a WebQuest and for
working together cooperatively. A nice modeling
technique might be to take one of the options on
the student page and do it together
as a whole group activity.
Many of the
lessons include activity pages that need to
be printed out. I would recommend printing
these out ahead of time, and making enough
copies for your students. You will find a
list of the pages in the student evaluation
section.
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Special Resources
Needed: |
- Computers
with Internet access
- Multiple
copies of Joseph Had a Little Overcoat (preferred
- one copy per group)
- Powerpoint
Compatibilities
- Microsoft
Word
- On-Line
Teacher Resources
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Entry Level Skills and
Knowledge
Students will need to be
able to read and write, however there are
alternative materials built into this WebQuest
that allow for ability levels. For very
young students, an adult will need to be assigned
to each group to facilitate reading and
writing.
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Evaluation
A RUBRIC will be used to
allow students to self-assess and for the teacher
assessment. The final product of this
WebQuest is group presentation sharing stories
created by students based upon what they have
learned and related the story to their own lives.
Student Handouts for each
Task:
Task 1: Vocabulary
Instruction
Task 2: Anticipation Guide
Task 3: Cloze Procedure
Task 4: Writing Activity
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Conclusion
This unit
is an interdisciplinary (reading, writing and
social studies) constructionist approach to
learning. Students participate in group work,
experience navigating the web, learn to read
critically and synthesize information, create
presentations, and write to communicate. This
WebQuest could easily be adjusted for older
students, and teachers can adapt the activities
to students' individual needs.
Back to Joseph Had a Little
Overcoat
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