Introduction

Sarah, Plain and Tall is the story of widower, Jacob Whitting, his children, Anna and Calab, and their quest to fill the emptiness left by their wife and mother following her death. Jacob (Papa) put an ad in the paper asking for a wife. He received an answer from Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton, from Maine. After several letters of correspondence, Sarah decides to leave her home and visit the Whittings for a month. Were the Whittings a suitable family for her? Anna and Caleb wonder what Sarah will be like. Will she be nice? Will she like them? Will she stay? Sarah loves many things and describes herself as plain and tall.

Sarah Plain and Tall is a novel that fits into third and  fourth grade curriculums. This novel not only is a good story but is also thematic. It includes themes from science, geography and social studies. The story also allows the reader to investigate the cultural differences of Maine and the Midwestern part of the United States. This web quest is designed to have the reader investigate more fully the themes imbedded within the story.

 The Process

The process is as follows:

First, you must read chapter 1 of Sarah, Plain and Tall and choose a character you would like to become. Remember it could be Jacob (Papa), Sarah, Anna or Caleb.

In this section I like to read the first chapter to the students having them follow along in the book. We stop and discuss various aspects of the story. Set the stage for the time and setting of the story. Putting an advertisement in the paper for a wife is a foreign concept to them.

First, you must read chapter 1 of Sarah, Plain and Tall and choose a character you would like to become. Remember it could be Jacob (Papa), Sarah, Anna or Caleb.

1. Read the Sarah Plain and Tall webquest to become familiar with the Chapter group assignments. Each chapter group is indexed at the beginning of each page.
2. While reading each chapter group you will need to:

• Add words to your vocabulary list section. Each chapter page in this web quest will have vocabulary words for you to include in your vocabulary list. First read the vocabulary list from the webquest page. Next, read the chapter to look for the word. Then think of what you believe is the meaning of the word and click on the link to the on-line source, check the definition. You will enter the word once you get to the on-line source.

1. Following the reading of each chapter you will need to:

Resources:

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  Book Report Form
       Sarah, Plain and Tall book report form (PDF File)
       Customize the Sarah, Plain and Tall book report
  

 

	In the wilderness without a  horses  1	Going through the motions 2	Seeker     3	Pioneer     4	Score
Vocabulary list both assigned words and choosen words from the story.	Includes only assigned words from the webquest	Prediction makes no sense with the context of the story	Includes assigned words and meanings and a vocabulary word and meaning from each chapter.	Includes assigned words and meanings and more than one vocabulary word and meaning from each chapter.
Creates thoughtful predictions for each chapter.	No prediction	Prediction makes no sense with the context of the story	Predictions make sense for the story	Predictions make sense and are accurate for the story.
Journal entries are written in the voice of the character (first person form) choosen from the story.	Chapter summaries are not written in cursive and doesn't include all parts of the chapter.	Chapter summaries are written in cursive but focuses only on one part of the story.	Chapter summaries are written in cursive but leave out major portions of the chapter	The journal has complete sections and has been put together in an organized way. It is very neat in appearance