Because of Winn Dixie

By: Kate DiCamillo

Web Quest
By: Ashley Artis
 Introduction

Imagine that you have just moved to a new place. You do not know
anyone there and you have no one to talk to.  Who would you turn to
for comfort?   The novel, Because of Winn Dixie, tells us a story about
a ten-year-old girl who finds herself being all alone in a new place,
until she meets a stray dog in the local grocery store.  Opal and her
new found best friend, the dog named Winn-Dixie, set forth on a
memorable voyage to meet new people and make ever-lasting
friendships. During this web quest you will complete interesting and
fun activities that enable you to better connect with the characters,
the author, and the text.  
 The Task

The activities that are in this web quest are intended to enhance your
understanding and help you enjoy the fun-filled book, Because of
Winn Dixie.  During this web quest you will do five fun and fascinating
activities, or tasks.  Each task is connected to one of the following
subjects: Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies.  At the end
of this web quest you should be able to summarize the story, have a
complete understanding of the characters, calculate money, and
understand the characteristics of a responsible citizen.
Before we get started, let’s do a fun review quiz.
Click on the paw print to follow the link to a fun quiz.
Once you’ve finished it, you may move on in the web
quest!
 Process
Activity 1
Turn to your character traits worksheet in your packet!
In this activity you will choose your favorite character and fill out your character traits worksheet on
that character.
1. Look over the character list.  Choose one character that you would like to talk about.
2. Refer back to the book, Because of Winn Dixie, to locate words, phrases, and sentences that describe
what your character looks like, and other traits such as personality, age, and behavior.
3. Use the strips of paper, numbered 1 through 10, to mark in the book the most interesting qualities of
your character.
4. When you finish marking the text with the strips of paper, complete the list of ten things you know
about your character.
5. After you have finished writing down ten things you know about your character, illustrate your
character using the traits you have listed.
6. Write a short paragraph explaining the traits you and your character have in common.   Tell why you
think some of these traits are important to have.

For a list of examples of character traits click here on the paw!

 Activity 2 – Money Math
After Opal finds Winn-Dixie she wants to get him a
collar and the leash that’s in the pet shop.  The only
problem is that she does not have any money.  In this
activity you will help Opal figure out how much work she
has to do in order to earn enough money to buy the collar
and leash for Winn-Dixie. Watch the video on money first,
then complete the worksheet in your packet.
Click the paw to watch a video on money.
Activity 3 – Pick A Breed
  Opal found Winn-Dixie the dog at the local
supermarket. She did not want him to go to the pound
so she took him home. In this activity, you will are
going to choose your own dog breed.
Click on the paw to go to animal planet.
After reaching the website, select a breed of dog from
the breed of dogs list.
Once you have chosen your dog breed, use the
information on the page to fill in your journal. Answer
the questions on the next slide in your journal about
your dog breed.
 Questions for Your Dog Breed
1. Tell what type (breed) of dog you chose, such as a Dalmatian or Golden
Retriever. 
2. Use the animal planet information page on your specific breed to
answer the items below.
3. Make sure you include things like:
What your pet looks like
What it eats
What sounds it makes
What it likes to do
Where it comes from
How big it gets
The type of environment or habitat it lives in
Any other interesting or weird facts about your pet!
You can even give your pet a name!  
 Activity 4- Responsible Citizens
Opal demonstrated a great deal of responsibility throughout the story.  She took great care
of Winn-Dixie, she was willing to work in order to obtain the things she wanted, she read to
Gloria Dump when no one else would even step foot in her yard, and she was responsible for
creating numerous friendships among different people.  In this activity you will learn what it
means to be a responsible citizen. 
1. Click the word responsibility to see the definition. Think about what this term means to you
and write it down in your journal.
2. Click on the word citizenship to see the definition.  Think about what this word means to you
and write it down in your journal.
3. Click on the book to Complete the Responsible Citizenship Recipe activity sheet.
4.  Write a letter to Opal or Winn-Dixie explaining what you have done to be a responsible
citizen.  Talk about the qualities you possess that help make you a responsible citizen, and why
these qualities are important.  Include good deeds or activities you have done in your
community, school, and home to help others.
6.  Be sure to include all five parts of a letter:
Heading (*remember: Opal and Winn-Dixie live in Naomi, Florida)
Greeting
Body
Closing
Signature
Activity 5 – Testing Your Knowledge

You have reached the end of your journey but you still
have one last task. Please complete the testing your
knowledge paper in your packet.
 Conclusion

Congratulations!!!

You have completed the Because

of Winn-Dixie web quest!
 Evaluation Chart

Novice Apprentice Proficient Distinguished Score

Student makes very Student listed some Student listed at least Student listed all ten
Activity 1 little or no attempt to character traits but 8 character traits, character traits
complete the activity did not illustrate and illustrated the thoroughly.
explain character, and briefly
explained the
illustration

Student makes very Student answers Student answers Student answers all
Activity 2 little or no attempt to some questions over half of the questions correctly
answer any correctly but does questions corrctly and shows all work
questions not show work and shows some
work

Student makes very Student chose a Student chose a Student chose a

Activity 3 little or no attempt to specific animal, specific animal, specific animal,
complete the activity conducted little conducted some conducted adequate
research, but did not research, and wrote a research, and wrote a
complete the report half page report with 1 page report with
few details many details

Student makes very Student completes Student completes Student completes

Activity 4 little or no attempt to half of the all of the responsible all of the responsible
complete the activity responsible citizenship recipe citizenship activity
citizenship recipe activity sheet, and sheet, and correctly
activity sheet, but writes a friendly writes a friendly
does not write a letter but does not letter that includes
friendly letter include all five parts all five parts of a
of a letter letter

1 point 2 points 3 points 4 points

Total:
 Teacher Page

 This web quest is intended for students in the 4th grade. It can be
assigned to students individually or in groups.  I would suggest using
small groups such as 2 to 3 students per group. 
 Content Areas and Kentucky Standards
Mathmatics
Academic Expectations
2.7 Students understand number concepts and use numbers appropriately and accurately.
2.8 Students understand various mathematical procedures and use them appropriately and accurately.
MA-4-NPO-U-1
Students will understand that numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships between numbers and number systems are means of
representing real-world quantities
MA-04-1.5.1
Students will identify and determine odd numbers, even numbers, multiples of a number and factors of a number, and will apply these
numbers to solve real-world problems.
DOK 2
MA-4-NPO-U-2
Students will understand that meanings of and relationships among operations provide tools necessary to solve realistic problems
encountered in everyday life.
MA-04-1.3.1
Students will analyze real-world problems to identify appropriate representations using mathematical operations, and will apply operations
to solve real-world problems with the following constraints:
add and subtract whole numbers with four digits or less;
multiply whole numbers with two digits or less;
divide whole numbers with three digits or less by single-digit divisors (with or without remainders);
add and subtract fractions with like denominators less than or equal to 10 and
add and subtract decimals through hundredths.
DOK 2
Content Areas and Kentucky Standards
 Writing
Academic Expectations
1.11 Students write using appropriate forms, conventions, and styles to communicate ideas and information to
different audiences for different purposes.
EL-4-WC-U-1
Students will understand that there are many reasons for all primary students to write, including writing-to-learn, writing-
to-demonstrate learning, and writing for authentic purposes and audiences.
EL-4-WC-S-1
Students will write to learn by applying strategies effectively (e.g., learning logs, reflections)
EL-4-WC-S-2
Students will write to demonstrate learning and understanding of content knowledge (e.g., journals, summaries)
 EL-4-WV-S-4
Students will use resources (e.g., dictionary, glossary) to apply knowledge of spelling rules to correct spelling in final drafts
WR-E-4.7.0
Focusing
Connecting to content knowledge
Connecting with prior learning and experience
Initiating an authentic reason to write
Thinking about a subject, an experience, a question, an issue or a problem to determine a meaningful reason to write
Content Areas and Kentucky Standards
Social Studies
Academic Expectations
2.16 Students observe, analyze, and interpret human behaviors, social groupings, and
institutions to better understand people and the relationships among individuals and
among groups.
2.17 Students interact effectively and work cooperatively with the many ethnic and
cultural groups of our nation and world.
SS-4-HP-U-1
Students will understand that history is an account of human activities that is interpretive in
nature and a variety of tools (e.g., primary and secondary sources) are needed to analyze
and understand historical events.
SS-04-5.2.2
Students will identify and compare the cultures of diverse groups
DOK 2
 Credits
BrainPOP | Social Studies | Learn about Money." BrainPOP - Animated Educational Site for
Kids - Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Arts & Music, Health, and Technology. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. <http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson175/traits.pdf

Kids.Net.Au – Dictionary > Definition: citizenship

Animal Planet :: Guides :: Dog Breed Selector

BWD_ActivityGuide.pdf (application/pdf Object)

http://www.funtrivia.com/playquiz/quiz125317e5ab60.html
 "BrainPOP | Social Studies | Learn about Money." BrainPOP - Animated Educational Site for Kids -
Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Arts & Music, Health, and Technology. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov.
2010. <http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies