Introduction
In 1943 The Little Prince was written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. This childrens' novel is much deeper than a simple story. It provides insights into the thinkings of adults and children alike by providing meaningful lessons for the real world. It tells of the Little Prince's journey to find friendship and the true meaning of life. Before you embark on this journey of discovery, this webquest will help to provide background information for the novel. This webquest is desgined for you to explore the novel, the author, and reviews of the novel prior to reading The Little Prince.
Task
In this webquest, you will be asked to research several topics and then use that research to create a final project. You will research the author, find pictures, research the story, and read reviews of the novel. After research, you will be creating a mock cover for the novel containing 3 parts. You will design a front cover of the novel with a picture, a back cover with a summary of what you believe the novel will be about and reviews of the novel, and an inside flap with an author biography complete with a picture of the author. All written aspects of this project must be in French.
Process
To accomplish this task you must complete all the steps below on a google doc. Make sure you share the google document with me as soon as you have created it so I can see and grade your completion of steps 1-3. Steps 4-7 should be typed in Google Docs to then be printed and glued onto your created book jacket. Please see Mrs. Burkitt if you have any questions on any of the steps.
Step 1. Research the plot of the novel. Go to the following websites listed below to gather information. Remember to keep in mind the following questions: Who are the main characters of the novel?, What are the main plot lines through the novel?, and What is the theme?
Sparknotes summary
Character List / Summary/Theme
Step 2. Next, you will need to research reviews of the novel. Go to the websites provided, but remember that the reviews need to be short to be placed on the back cover of the novel. You can use excerpts from some of the reviews provided in the websites. Pick at least 4 reviews so that you have some choices as you continue with the project.
Amazon Reviews
Parent and Child Reviews
Step 3. Research the biography of the author and find a picture of the author for the biographical section of the book jacket. The following websites will help you to discovery information about the author. Keep in mind the following questions when gathering information on Antoine de Saint-Exupery: Where and when was he born?, What occupations did he participate in?, Where did he go to school?, When did he write The Little Prince?, and When and how did he die? Also, look for pictures of the author to include in your biography.
Step 4. The final phase of this project is to put your book jacket together. Using the information that you have gathered, write a brief summary of what you believe the novel will be about in French. Remember to type your summary in your google doc, you can print it out later!
Step 5. Next compile the reviews of the novel. Pick approximately 2 reviews to include on the back cover of your book jacket. Remember to cite your reviews and to translate / rewrite them into French
Step 6. With the information gathered about the author, write a short biography about the life of the author for the inside flap of your book jacket in French. Of the pictures that you have found, pick one picture to include in the author biography.
Step 7. Finally, assemble your book jacket. Using a tri-fold format, create a book cover for this novel. On the front cover make sure to include a large drawing and the author's name (do not recreate the original art on the current book cover, create your own). On the back cover, put your summary and your reviews. On the inside cover, put the picture of the author and your biography.
Evaluation
Evaluation Rubric
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Beginning 1 |
Developing 2 |
Accomplished 3 |
Exemplary 4 |
Score |
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Front Cover
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Does not include illustration, title, AND/OR author's name. |
Includes an illustration, title of the book, and author's name. |
Includes an illustration, title of the book, and author's name. The graphic illustrates some scene from the book. |
Includes an illustration, title of the book, and author's name. Font and colors fit the emotional content of the book. The graphic illustrates some scene from the book. |
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Back Cover
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Summary is too vague. Does not appear the student understands the book. does not include any reviews of the book. All writing is in English |
Includes a description of some of the things that happened in the story. lt appears the student might not understand it. Includes only 1 review of the book. Only parts are writing in French while others are in English |
Summary includes all aspects of the story, but at least one paragraph is not well formed. It is clear the student understands the book. Includes 1 reviews of the book. It is written in French but with some mistakes |
Summary is well-written in French and includes all aspects of the story. Paragraphs are well formed. It is clear the student understands what the book will be about. Includes 2 reviews of the book written in French. |
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Inside Right (back) Flap
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Author's name AND/OR bibliography is missing. |
Includes the author's name and a biography that includes some personal facts about the author. All facts are written in English |
Includes the author's name and a biography that includes some personal facts and the name of at least one other book written by the author. Biography is written in French but with some mistakes |
Includes a small photograph or drawing of the author, the author's name and a biography that includes some personal facts and the name of at least one other book written by the author. Biography is written in French |
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Illustrations
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Illustrations were drawn and/or colored carelessly. |
Illustrations were drawn and colored neatly, but some were too large or too small. |
Illustrations were drawn and colored neatly and were a good size. |
Illustrations were creative, drawn and colored neatly and were a good size. |
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Neatness and Effort |
Very messy and hard to read. It looks like the student threw it together at the last minute without much care. |
The book jacket is fairly readable but the quality is not too good on some parts. It looks like the student ran out of time or didn't take care of it. |
The book jacket has almost no distracting errors, corrections or erasures and is easily read. It appears the student worked hard on it. |
The book jacket has no distracting errors, corrections or erasures and is easily read. It appears the student spent a lot of effort getting things just right. |
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Conclusion
Through this activity you have gained a greater understanding of the book that you are about to read. This pre-reading webquest has given you a greater understanding of the author and the plot of the novel that you are going to begin reading. With this background information, you will better understand the novel as well as the author's intentions and his life. Congratulations!
Credits
Many Ideas and projects borrowed from webquest of
Billy Vokoun, Melissa Pileggi, and Tom Boyd