1. The Ugly Vegetables
2nd Grade
WEBQUEST BY:LENNAE CRAWFORD
LAE 6316
* Click on the carrots to begin!*

2. Table of Contents
 Meet the Author
 Overview
 Directions
 Grace’s Garden
 Learning a New Language
 Beautiful Gardens
 If I Had My Own Garden
 How to Start a Garden
 Looking Back
 Teacher Resources
 References

3. Meet The Author:
Grace Lin
 Grace Lin is the author and illustrator
of more than a dozen picture books,
including THE UGLY VEGETABLES
and DIM SUM FOR EVERYONE! Also
an author of middle grade fiction,
Grace's most recent novel WHERE
THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON
was released with glowing praise
garnering 3 starred reviews and was the
2009 Parents' Choice Gold Winner.
While most of Grace's books are about
the Asian-American experience, she
believes, "Books erase bias, they make
the uncommon everyday, and the
mundane exotic. A book makes all
cultures universal." See more about
Grace and her work at
www.gracelin.com.
Click on the picture of Grace Lin to
learn more FUN FACTS about her!

4. Overview
This Webquest expands
on the book we read in
class called “The Ugly
Vegetables” by Grace
Lin. Upon completing
this Webquest, we will
learn some fun facts
about the author, new
Chinese terms and so
much more!

5. Directions
 To navigate through the Webquest, click on the RED
pepper to go back and the YELLOW corn to go
forward.
 If you get lost or need to go back to the Table of
Contents, click on the CARROTS.
 Click on the CHECKLIST to find out what you need
to complete for the best grade 

6. Grace’s Garden
“Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle-shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.”
-Anonymous
 Grace’s garden didn’t look like her neighbors. What was the same and
what was different? Click on the scale to fill in the Venn Diagram.

7. Learning a New Language
 Click on the flag below to learn how to say the
names of the Ugly Vegetables in Chinese. Are they
hard to pronounce? Have you heard any of these
names before the story?

8. Beautiful Gardens
 After reading “The Ugly Vegetables,” we know that
gardens can come in many shapes and sizes, with
flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Here are a few more
kinds of gardens. Click on the flowers and look at
the slideshows.

9. If I Had My Own Garden…
 If you had to start your own garden, would it be like
Grace’s or would it be like the neighbors? Click on
the garden below to tell us all about the garden you
would create! Don’t forget to draw a picture. 

10. How to Start a Garden
 Think we can start our own garden? Or maybe you
would like to start one at home with your family?
Click on the garden tools to learn about how to
start your own garden!

11. Looking Back
 In this Webquest, we:
• Learned about Grace Lin
• Compared/contrasted the gardens in The Ugly Vegetables
• Learned the vegetable names in Chinese
• Visited the Chicago Botanic Gardens
• Planned our own gardens
• Learned how to start a garden
 If you did all this, make sure you checked it off on
your CHECKLIST. It is for a grade. 
 Here is a coloring page for your enjoyment.

12. Teacher Resources
 To learn more about Grace Lin and see the suggested
activities for The Ugly Vegetables and her other
books, click HERE.
 To learn about starting a classroom garden and other
ideas dealing with gardens, My First Garden is an
excellent resource!

13. References
 Lin, G. (1999). The Ugly Vegetables. Watertown:
Charlesbridge.
 Music clip- Microsoft Clipart
 All pictures, except where noted- Microsoft Clipart
 Book and author picture- www.gracelin.com
 http://urbanext.illinois.edu/firstgarden/planning/in
dex.html
 http://gracelin.com/content.php?page=uv_chinese_
lesson
 http://gracelin.com/media/book/uvcolorpage.pdf