Laura Ingalls Wilder Scavenger Hunt

Introduction | The Task | Resources | The Process | Learning Advice| Conclusion

Introduction

Do you know the true story of the Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family? This Webquest will provide you with the opportunity to learn more about author's fascinating experiences.

The Task

Students will work in small groups to search web sites in order to find the answers to the scavenger hunt.

Resources

• The Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Frontier Girl
• Laura's Teaching Experience
• Little House on the Prarie Sites
• Laura Ingalls Wilder -PG Homepage
• Prarie Fun Stuff
• Other Little House on the Prarie Links

The Process

• Read a book by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
• Present a brief booktalk to the class.
• You will be assigned to a group of four students, each of you will have a specific task to perform.
• Determine who will take notes, keyboard, control the mouse and locate web sites.
• Your group will research four questions about the author and her family.
• Present your answers to the class.

Research Questions

1. Who or what inspired Laura Ingalls Wilder to begin writing?
2. How old was the author when she began to write?
3. Was the character Nellie Olsen based upon a real person?
4. What real life character besides Mary went blind? What caused the characters' blindness?
5. Did any other members of Laura's family have writing experience?
6. What was the original title of "Little House in the Big Woods"?
7. Where did Laura write the Little House books?
8. Did Laura have a brother?
9. Who were the two illustrators of Laura's books?
10. What did the second illustrator do to prepare for illustrating the Little House books?
11. Where is the only childhood home of Laura's that is still standing?
12. How old was Laura when she began teaching?
13. Where can you see Pa's fiddle?
14. What is the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal?
15. Find a quote from Laura.
16. What were some of the jobs that Laura's father did?
17. Find a map of the places that Laura's family traveled to.
18. Where can you see Alamanzo's cane and furniture collection?
19. Where can you see a play about Laura's life?
20. Are there any Laura Ingalls Wilder festivals?
21. Where can you go to see one of Laura's original manuscripts?

Learning Advice

Your main source of information is the Internet.Begin with the sites listed in the "Resources" section and then branch out from there.Conduct your search by using one of the many internet search engines. You may need to return to a specific site, so be sure to take notes on which sites are most helpful.

Use the back button arrow to return to your Webquest page, it looks like an arrow on the top menu bar.

Conclusion

There is much to learn about the pioneers and how their determination and experiences helped to shape our country.This lesson was designed to provide you with guided practice in searching the web and to inspire you to further your interest in Pioneers, Westward Movement, and other authors of this genre.

Additional Resources

• Little House in the Big Woods
• Little House on the Prarie
• On the Banks of Plum Creek
• By the Shores of Silver Lake
• The Long Winter
• Little Town on the Prarie
• These Happy Golden Years
• The First Four Years
• Farmer Boy
• Laura Ingalls Wilder-A Biography by William Anderson

Enrichment Activities

• Make a replica of one of the Ingalls' family homes.
• Create a diary written as if you were a Pioneer.
• Conduct research on the Homestead Act of 1862 and write a report of how it related to the Wilder family.
• Create a map of all the places Laura's family traveled to.
• Do reasearch on an item that was invented during Laura's lifetime (1867-1957). What influence did this invention have on Laura?
• Take a field trip to the Main Branch of The Detroit Public Library to see one of Laura's original handwritten manuscripts.

Julie Huetter Library Media Specialist

Roseville Community Schools,Roseville Michigan

 
August 21,1997

This page was adapted from Bernie Dodge 's WebQuest_Template1.html by Tom March