Making a Literature-based Internet Hunt

Step 1 - Gathering facts and crafting questions.

As you read, make note of things you can search for on the Internet.

Examples: author, illustrator, setting, events, vocabulary words, equipment used in tale. I keep a folded piece of paper in the book. As I read, I write key words and possible questions and the page number from the book for it.

Your final project will have the page number next to each question on the word processing page. You must have several questions from each chapter of the book or from different pages of the short story. Rubric

Internet Hunt Question samples

Facts: Find a web site with factual info related to the story.

Sample - The Wizard of Oz was originally called ......

Vocabulary:

You could have them look up the definition of words at a dictionary web site.
Consider asking for antonyms or synonyms.

Characters:

Authors may select names for their characters based on famous fictional characters or real people.
Usually this reveals something the author wants to convey about the character.

Examples: Minerva McGonagall is the strict transfiguration professor at Hogwarts. Who was Minerva?

Some critics interpret the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of OZ as William Jennings Bryan or any major party politico cowed by the money power.

Science facts:

• Is there an event or description in the book with a scientific basis?
  For example: in the the story of Ulysses there was a whirlpool monster.
  There really is such a whirlpool off the coast of Sicily and it is named for Charybdis.

Geography:

• Does the setting or any of the places in the story really exist?
• Can you find a map to follow?
• In Harry Potter's story he rides a train. You could check to see if the places along the ride exist.
  Consider a question about distance or travel time.

Theme:

• What is the theme of the book?
• Is this discussed in a site on the web?
• Are there differing opinions?
  Some people think Lois Lowery's books have a specific theme. But in her own writings she disagrees with their analysis.

Author's biography:

• What about his/her life explains something in the book?
• Is there some event in the author's life that is significant to them?

Historical: Is the story accurate or does something happen that is out of step with time?

Right action to take?
Suppose there was a snake bite in the story. Find a site about snake bites. Was the character's action correct?

Start / Gathering facts & questions / Research / Conversion to a webpage / Rubric

Internet Hunts / Literature based Hunts / Project & Problem based Learning / Mrs O's House.com