Fred Gipson - Old Yeller

Hello Rockets!

Today, you will complete this webquest for two purposes:

1. You will get to know Fred Gipson. He is the author of this novel.

2. You will learn background information necessary to fully understand the setting of the story.

This is how the webquest works:

1. Task - This section will outline the assignments you need to complete during your class time.

2. Process - This section will help instruct how you complete the different tasks. It will give you your roles and directions.

3. Evaluation - This section will tell you how you will be evaluated for the assignments.

You will have two tasks to complete on this webquest:

1. You will complete the "Author Study and Sketch" worksheet using the information found on these websites. Explore the following websites in order to get to know Fred Gipson:

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tsusm/00025/tsu-00025.html

http://www.mce.k12tn.net/dogs/yeller/frederick_benjamin_gipson.htm

2. Before you begin your research, complete the KWL chart over Texas in the late 1800s. You will complete the "K" column to reflect on what you already know about Texas during that era of time. Then, you will complete the "W" column to express what you want to learn about Texas in the late 1800s. After researching, you will complete the "L" column to share what you have learned. Explore the following websites in order to understand the time and place in which the plot of "Old Yeller" happens:

http://viewpure.com/Xt0O89gU488?start=0&end=0

http://kids.britannica.com/elementary/art-60330/Texas-features

Memorable Quotes:

By Esther Lombardi

Old Yeller is a famous book about a boy and a dog. It's the book for which Fred Gipson is well known (the story has been adapted to the big screen). Here are a few quotes.

Quotes

• "He made me so mad at first that I wanted to kill him. Then, later, when I had to kill him, it was like having to shoot some of my own folks. That's how much I'd come to think of the big yeller dog."
  - Fred Gibson, Old Yeller, Ch. 1
  
  

• "Still, they needed money, and they realized that whatever a man does, he's bound to take some risks."
  - Fred Gibson, Old Yeller, Ch. 1
  
  
• "He was a big ugly slick-haired yeller dog. One short ear had been chewed clear off and his tail had been bobbed so close to his rump that there was hardly stub enough left to wag."
  - Fred Gibson, Old Yeller, Ch. 2
  
  
• "'Now, Travis,' Mama said. 'You're not being fair. You had a dog when you were little, but Arliss has never had one. He's too little for you to play with, and he gets lonely.
  - Fred Gibson, Old Yeller, Ch. 2
  
  
• "'Arliss!' I yelled at Little Arliss. 'You get that nasty old dog out of our drinking water!'"
  - Fred Gibson, Old Yeller, Ch. 3
  
  

• "I knew then that I loved him as much as I did Mama and Papa, maybe in some ways even a little bit more."
  - Fred Gibson, Old Yeller, Ch. 6
  
  
• "After all that, I guess you can see why I nearly died when a man rode up one day and claimed Old Yeller."
  - Fred Gibson, Old Yeller, Ch. 7
  
  
• "Shoot anything that acts unnatural, and don't fool around about it. It's too late after they've already bitten or scratched you."
  - Fred Gibson, Old Yeller, Ch. 8
  
  

• "A boy, before he really grows up, is pretty much like a wild animal. He can get the wits scared clear out of him today and by tomorrow have forgotten all about it."
  - Fred Gibson, Old Yeller, Ch. 9
  
  
• "But we were too smart, Old Yeller and I."
  - Fred Gibson, Old Yeller, Ch. 9
  
  
• "I reached in and let him lick my hand. 'Yeller,' I said, 'I'll be back. I'm promising that I'll be back.'"
  - Fred Gibson, Old Yeller, Ch. 10
  
  
• "Papa had left me to look after things. But now I was laid up, and here was a girl handling my work about as good as I could."
  - Fred Gibson, Old Yeller, Ch. 13
  
  
• "It was a good thing for us, Son; but it wasn't good for Old Yeller."
  - Fred Gibson, Old Yeller, Ch. 15

1. You will work independently to complete both tasks. Since this is an independent activity, follow the following procedures:

C - Conversation level is zero.

H - If you need help, raise your hand.

A - You need to complete tasks 1 & 2.

M - You may leave your seat only to sharpen your pencil or get tissues.

P - Everyone participates.

S - Success

2. When you are finished with both tasks, review your work and turn into your teacher's drawer.

3. Read quietly until everyone is finished.

--Task 1 is worth 30 points. To get all points, you must accurately complete all parts of the author study.

--Task 2 is worth 30 points. To get all points, you must accurately complete all columns on the KWL chart.

Credit: This webquest was adapted from Ashley McFarland at J. A. Caywood Elementary.