Teacher Information

Welcome to the teacher information page for
Tuck Everlasting

Summary...

If Tuck Everlasting is a part of your curriculum, this iAdventure is a great way to encourage your students to think about what they have read and hopefully, advance to higher level thinking levels. In this iAdventure, students will think about the events that occur in the novel Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt and apply the situations to their real life situations. They will have to make decisions, work cooperatively, and analyze what they have learned.

Grade Level	5th-7th grade
Time Period	One computer session, 30-60 minutes Three classroom sessions, 30-60 minutes
Content Area	Reading, Writing, Communication, Technology
Prerequisite	Read the book Tuck Everlasting

Site Map...

Teacher Page (You are here!)	Tuck Everlasting
Research Guide 1	Opening Story Page (with Introduction)
Research Guide 2	Story Page 2A	Story Page 2B	Research Guide 3
Story Page 3A	Story Page 3B	Story Page 3C	Story Page 3D
	"Create a Conclusion" Page

Background Information...

Before students begin this iAdventure, they should be familiar with the story Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit. They should also be able to make decisions both independently and cooperatively. This activity requires student to work in pairs to navigate the iAdventure, and to work as a group to defend their decisions for the conclusion activity.

If you are not familiar with the book Tuck Everlasting but are interested in its content, here is a brief summary taken from Amazon.com:

Doomed to - or blessed with - eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family wanders about trying to live as inconspicuously and comfortably as they can. When ten-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles on their secret, the Tucks take her home and explain why living forever at one age is less a blessing that it might seem. Complications arise when Winnie is followed by a stranger who wants to market the spring water for a fortune.

This iAdventure addresses curriculum areas within the communication arts fields; more specifically reading, writing (persuasive), analyzing, making decisions, and debating.

State Standards...

This iAdventure aligns with the following Missouri State Show-Me Standards for Grade 6...

Communication Arts

speaking and writing standard English (including grammar, usage, punctuation, spelling, capitalization)

reading and evaluating fiction, poetry and drama

comprehending and evaluating the content and artistic aspects of oral and visual presentations (such as story-telling, debates, lectures, multi-media productions)

participating in formal and informal presentations and discussions of issues and ideas

identifying and evaluating relationships between language and culture

Goals

gather, analyze and apply information and ideas.

communicate effectively within and beyond the classroom.

recognize and solve problems.

make decisions and act as responsible members of society.

Curriculum Standards...

This iAdventure aligns with the following Warrensburg School District Curriculum Standards for Grade 6...

Communication Arts: Grade 6 Language Arts

Create print and non-print communications for various audiences and for a variety of purposes.

Create print and nonprint communications to publish or formally present information and ideas.

Demonstrate proficiency in speaking and writing standard English.

Apply communication strategies to identify, understand and solve problems.

Analyze and solve problems involved in creating their own written, oral and visual communications.

Apply communication skills and strategies to facilitate decision making.

Apply information, ideas, processes and skills learned in the study of communication arts to new situations and tasks.

Communication Arts: Grade 6 Reading

Gather, Analyze, and Apply Information and Ideas Read, view, listen to, and evaluate written, visual, and oral communications.

Process, organize and evaluate information and ideas.

Apply information, ideas, processes and skills learned in the study of communication arts to new situations and tasks.

Write about, visually represent and discuss written, visual and oral communications

Participate in informal presentations and discussions

Evaluation of Student Products...

Students will be given points for group participation, completion of worksheets (research guides) and evaluation of the conclusion activity. There are two parts to the conclusion activity, a group debate and an individual written "report." The rubrics for the debate and written portions of the activity follow:
Debate Rubric...

Category 1 2 3 4

Information All information presented in the debate was clear, accurate and thorough. Most information presented in the debate was clear, accurate and thorough. Most information presented in the debate was clear and accurate, but was not usually thorough. Information had several inaccuracies OR was usually not clear.

Rebuttal All counter-arguments were accurate, relevant and strong. Most counter-arguments were accurate, relevant, and strong. Most counter-arguments were accurate and relevant, but several were weak. Counter-arguments were not accurate and/or relevant

Presentation Style Team consistently used gestures, eye contact, tone of voice and a level of enthusiasm in a way that kept the attention of the audience. Team usually used gestures, eye contact, tone of voice and a level of enthusiasm in a way that kept the attention of the audience. Team sometimes used gestures, eye contact, tone of voice and a level of enthusiasm in a way that kept the attention of the audience. One or more members of the team had a presentation style that did not keep the attention of the audience.

Organization All arguments were clearly tied to an idea (premise) and organized in a tight, logical fashion. Most arguments were clearly tied to an idea (premise) and organized in a tight, logical fashion. All arguments were clearly tied to an idea (premise) but the organization was sometimes not clear or logical. Arguments were not clearly tied to an idea (premise).

Understanding of Topic The team clearly understood the topic in-depth and presented their information forcefully and convincingly. The team clearly understood the topic in-depth and presented their information with ease. The team seemed to understand the main points of the topic and presented those with ease. The team did not show an adequate understanding of the topic.

Written Report Rubric...

Category 1 2 3 4

Attention Grabber The introductory paragraph has a strong hook or attention grabber that is appropriate for the audience. This could be a strong statement, a relevant quotation, statistic, or question addressed to the reader. The introductory paragraph has a hook or attention grabber, but it is weak, rambling or inappropriate for the audience. The author has an interesting introductory paragraph but the connection to the topic is not clear. The introductory paragraph is not interesting AND is not relevant to the topic.

Position Statement The position statement provides a clear, strong statement of the author's position on the topic. The position statement provides a clear statement of the author's position on the topic. A position statement is present, but does not make the the author's position clear. There is no position statement.

Support for Position Includes 3 or more pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, examples, real-life experiences) that support the position statement. The writer anticipates the reader's concerns, biases or arguments and has provided at least 1 counter-argument. Includes 3 or more pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, examples, real-life experiences) that support the position statement. Includes 2 pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, examples, real-life experiences) that support the position statement. Includes 1 or fewer pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, examples, real-life experiences).

Evidence and Examples All of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each piece of evidence supports the author's position. Most of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each piece of evidence supports the author's position. At least one of the pieces of evidence and examples is relevant and has an explanation that shows how that piece of evidence supports the author's position. Evidence and examples are NOT relevant AND/OR are not explained.

Grammar & Spelling Author makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. Author makes 1-2 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. Author makes 3-4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. Author makes more than 4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.

Links to information found in this iAdventure...

http://www.fi.edu/tfi/units/life/
http://fi.edu/tfi/units/life/living/living.html
http://www.astrobiology.com/extreme.html
"The Water of Life," by the brother's Grimm
Lyrics from "The Circle Game," by Joni Mitchell
"The Weaver of Time," a myth
http://www.brainydictionary.com/words/re/regret211527.html
http://www.scholastic.com/kids/homework/pdfs/Tuck_Everlasting_pt4.pdf
http://www.scholastic.com/kids/homework/pdfs/Tuck_Everlasting.pdf

Acknowledgments...

Thanks to Stan Smith for his guidance in creating this iAdventure. Thanks to Yahoo images for the pictures found on this page, and to myimager.com for allowing me to edit them. Thanks also to Rubistar for assistance creating my rubric, Natalie Babbitt for the book Tuck Everlasting and many others.

Lost? Here are some links to get you back on track!

Top of Page
iAdventure Index
Mrs. Allen's home page
contact Mrs. Allen

Category	1	2	3	4
Information	All information presented in the debate was clear, accurate and thorough.	Most information presented in the debate was clear, accurate and thorough.	Most information presented in the debate was clear and accurate, but was not usually thorough.	Information had several inaccuracies OR was usually not clear.
Rebuttal	All counter-arguments were accurate, relevant and strong.	Most counter-arguments were accurate, relevant, and strong.	Most counter-arguments were accurate and relevant, but several were weak.	Counter-arguments were not accurate and/or relevant
Presentation Style	Team consistently used gestures, eye contact, tone of voice and a level of enthusiasm in a way that kept the attention of the audience.	Team usually used gestures, eye contact, tone of voice and a level of enthusiasm in a way that kept the attention of the audience.	Team sometimes used gestures, eye contact, tone of voice and a level of enthusiasm in a way that kept the attention of the audience.	One or more members of the team had a presentation style that did not keep the attention of the audience.
Organization	All arguments were clearly tied to an idea (premise) and organized in a tight, logical fashion.	Most arguments were clearly tied to an idea (premise) and organized in a tight, logical fashion.	All arguments were clearly tied to an idea (premise) but the organization was sometimes not clear or logical.	Arguments were not clearly tied to an idea (premise).
Understanding of Topic	The team clearly understood the topic in-depth and presented their information forcefully and convincingly.	The team clearly understood the topic in-depth and presented their information with ease.	The team seemed to understand the main points of the topic and presented those with ease.	The team did not show an adequate understanding of the topic.

Category	1	2	3	4
Attention Grabber	The introductory paragraph has a strong hook or attention grabber that is appropriate for the audience. This could be a strong statement, a relevant quotation, statistic, or question addressed to the reader.	The introductory paragraph has a hook or attention grabber, but it is weak, rambling or inappropriate for the audience.	The author has an interesting introductory paragraph but the connection to the topic is not clear.	The introductory paragraph is not interesting AND is not relevant to the topic.
Position Statement	The position statement provides a clear, strong statement of the author's position on the topic.	The position statement provides a clear statement of the author's position on the topic.	A position statement is present, but does not make the the author's position clear.	There is no position statement.
Support for Position	Includes 3 or more pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, examples, real-life experiences) that support the position statement. The writer anticipates the reader's concerns, biases or arguments and has provided at least 1 counter-argument.	Includes 3 or more pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, examples, real-life experiences) that support the position statement.	Includes 2 pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, examples, real-life experiences) that support the position statement.	Includes 1 or fewer pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, examples, real-life experiences).
Evidence and Examples	All of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each piece of evidence supports the author's position.	Most of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each piece of evidence supports the author's position.	At least one of the pieces of evidence and examples is relevant and has an explanation that shows how that piece of evidence supports the author's position.	Evidence and examples are NOT relevant AND/OR are not explained.
Grammar & Spelling	Author makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Author makes 1-2 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Author makes 3-4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Author makes more than 4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.