Novels 2.0: Because of Winn-Dixie
Plan of Study
Part 1: Pre-Reading Activities & Ch. 1-5
Part 2: Ch. 6-15
Part 3: Ch. 16-26
Part 4: Post Reading Activities
Pre-Reading Activities & Chapters 1-5
Introduction Prezi: http://prezi.com/3yikomdsbvoa/because-of-winn-dixieintroduction/
About the Setting: Florida
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As a class, create an anchor chart with information that students already
know about Florida. Post for all to see.
Students can work either individually or in groups. They are to conduct a
research on the state of Florida. They can use any resource they would like,
but would greatly benefit from utilizing the Encyclopedia Britannica
Resource that can be found here: http://school.eb.com/elementary
o If students need a password to log in to the Britannica Website, the
school librarian should be able to assist. This is a resource that we
pay a fee to use and it is written specifically for elementary students.
After students have conducted their research, have them create a flyer about
Florida. Encourage them to include anywhere from 3-5 facts about the state
and pictures that will illustrate the facts. They can use the following any of
the Microsoft Office programs, such as Word, Publisher, or Powerpoint.
Stress the importance of citing their resources.
o For those students who have an account and are able to, encourage
them to use Glogster to make an interactive poster instead.
As an extension, you can use the Enchanted Learning resource sheet titled
“Florida Map/Quiz Printout” and have students complete it. A PDF version of
it can be found here:
About the Author: Kate DiCamillo
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Scholastic has a complete lesson that can be used for students to explore
more about the author of Because of Winn-Dixie. You can acces that lesson
by following this link: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lessonplan/about-author-kate-dicamillo
o The following resoureces compliment the lesson above
 About Kate DiCamillo:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/flashlightreaders/wd_
bio.htm
Resources gathered by : Daniela Guardiola
Novels 2.0: Because of Winn-Dixie
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Kate DiCamillo on Writing:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/flashlightreaders/wd_
blurb.htm
See the Story Grow:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/flashlightreaders/wd_
drafts.htm
Kate DiCamillo Video:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/flashlightreaders/wd_
video.htm
Books for Winn Dixie Fans:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/flashlightreaders/wd_
recbooklist.htm
Adventure @ Winn-Dixie
Winn-Dixie is the name of a grocery store that can be found throughout the United
States. In this activity, students will “shop” virtually at a Winn-Dixie store. This
activity can be conducted either individually or as a group.
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Students will find the Winn-Dixie grocery store website.
They will look for THIS WEEK’S AD and select one of the stores in Gainsville,
FL. (This is where author Kate DiCamillo went to college at the University of
Florida.)
They will view WEEKLY CIRCULAR and search to complete the following
questions:
o In the PRODUCE section find the cost per pound of one of the featured
produce items and select one that you could purchase with $3.00.
o In the BAKERY section find the most expensive item that you can find,
include the cost of the item.
o In the DAIRY section find the cost of an egg carton. Write the cost of
the carton and figure out how much one egg would cost.
o In the Pet Shop section, find a dog food item and include the cost.
Write why you would feed that food item to your dog?
o Write a list of at least five items that you would buy if you had $20.00.
Include the item and the price.
Students will find a creative way to display the information they gathered.
Included here is an example of the information using Text 2 Mind Map.
Chapters 6-15:
Overcoming Prejudice
In this story, there are many examples of prejudice. Talk to your students about the
meaning of prejudice and identify some examples that you’ve encountered in the
story. Ex: Gloria Dump being called a witch. Discuss the possible negative effects of
Resources gathered by : Daniela Guardiola
Novels 2.0: Because of Winn-Dixie
prejudice. Gloria Dump tells Opal, “You can’t always judge people by the things they
done. You got to judge them by what they are doing now.” For this activity,
students will look for current news stories that display prejudice. They can work
either independently or in a group and they can decide how to present the
information they compile.
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Students should use the Internet to find one example prejudice in the news.
o Students will summarize the story in their own words and also
answer the following questions:
 Which prejudice was described?
 Who showed the prejudice?
 What was the result of the prejudice?
The Civil War
In Chapter 15 Opie learns about the Civil War, which was a war between the United
States and the Confederate States that took place between 1861-1865. Have
students learn more about the Civil War by watching the video provided by
Discovery Learning that can be found by following this link:
http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=FF7F10A7-FB1A48CA-984B-B7DBC3A96BD7
Reminder: To have access to the video, you must sing in with your account. If you
need assistance with accessing your account, please see your campus librarian.
After viewing the video, you can conduct one of the following activities:
a) Show a map of the United States and point out which states were Confederate and
which were Union. Mark the locations of the major Civil War battles and the pathway of
Sherman’s “march to the sea.” This should help reinforce why the South was much more
devastated than the North after the war.
b) Discuss the effects of the Civil War that can be seen in American society today. These
include the absence of slavery, equal rights for all races, and a strong federal government.
c)
Have each student select a battle from the Civil War and give an oral or written report on
it. Researching the specific events of a battle should make the Civil War seem much more
interesting than merely learning a list of names, places, and dates.
(The Civil War, 2003)
Chapters 16-26:
Partner Interview:
Through this novel, Opal learns a lot about the people in the town. Now it is your
students’ turn to learn more about each other.
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Novels 2.0: Because of Winn-Dixie
As a class, brainstorm interview questions for students to use to find out more about one
another. For example: What is the first thing people notice when they see you? How did
you get your name or nickname? What is your favorite thing to do? What is something
you don’t like? How would you describe your personality? What is something unique
about you? Do you have a hobby? Have partners help each other create a Ten Things
About Me list by interviewing each other. Encourage students to create Ten Things
About Me posters, and display these posters around the classroom. They can also make
an All About Me Video that can be presented to the class.
Recipies
Follow the link below to find two recipes to items that relate to the story. You can follow
the recipes with the students and document it using a digital camera. Afterwards, have
students create a digital story to retell how the recipe was followed.
http://www.mce.k12tn.net/dogs/dixie/candy.htm
Students can use the following sources to create their digital story:
http://littlebirdtales.com/
http://animoto.com/
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=11132
Post- Reading Lessons:
Scholastic has two lessons that are designed for students to complete after the
reading of the entire book. Please access the lessons by following the links
provided.
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Scrapbook Lesson: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lessonplan/because-winn-dixie-scrapbook
Resources gathered by : Daniela Guardiola
Novels 2.0: Because of Winn-Dixie
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Stump the Dump Lesson:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/flashlightreaders/wd_recbooklist.ht
m
Resources gathered by : Daniela Guardiola
Novels 2.0: Because of Winn-Dixie
Resources:
Some ideas adapted from the following resources:
Hart, M. (2003). A guide for using because of winn-dixie. Westminster: Teacher Created
Resources.
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/because-winn-dixie-teachersguide
Civil War. Prod. 100% Educational Videos. 100% Educational Videos, 2003. Discovery Education. Web.
26 May 2012. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>.
Resources gathered by : Daniela Guardiola