You are in grades 5-8 and you have read the book "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare. Now it is time to review what you've read and to dig deeper into the book by completing this WebQuest! "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" is a story that includes history, geography, politics, and human drama.
Judging A Book By Its Cover
"I mistrust you will be a surprise to the good people of Wethersfield," he said mildly. "What will they make of you, I wonder?"
Nat Eaton, son of the captain of the Dolphin (the ship that has brought Barbados-bred Kit Tyler to chilly Connecticut) clearly has ideas about how Kit will be judged by the people of her new Puritan town. A girl who is "forever doing foolish things" can easily get into trouble when people begin to judge her.
Do you ever do "foolish things"? Do you ever step outside what your society thinks is "normal"? What would the people of Wethersfield think of you? Take this survey to find out! Are you very different from Kit?
 Okay, I'll admit it. I judge books by their covers. I think most of us do that, to some degree. I love to browse at the public library or my favorite bookstore. The cover catches my eye first. I delve into the content, too - but the cover is still there - and my initial opinion of it is sometimes difficult to shake. Sometimes covers reveal too much. Sometimes they reveal too little. Have you ever found yourself basing a character's physical description off the cover of the book? Have you found yourself waiting for a part of the plot - another character, a weapon, an accident - to surface because you saw it on the cover? Has your personal judgement about a book ever turned out to be wrong?
Sometimes we judge people like we judge books. Have you ever judged someone by their appearance or by the first conversation you had with them? Have you had someone judge you? What is your view of "normal"? In the book, was Kit considered "normal"?
This WebQuest will not only focus on book covers, but will also further explore the themes and history of "The Witch of Blackbird Pond."
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