Charlotte's Web Curriculum
Teaching guide
This unit is designed to allow students with different ability levels to use the computer to research information about various topics related to the story Charlotte’s Web.
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Students need to be exposed to information about science and social studies topics. By using the computer, students will have access to a wealth of knowledge they can learn. Students will be able to connect concepts from Charlotte’s Web to real life information. Since their learning will be based on what they are reading in class, the interest level will be high for the students in learning new science and social studies facts.
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1. To give students an opportunity to do research, collect data, and present reports on the following:
a. spiders
b. pigs
c. farms
3. Sudents will use information they have gathered from the internet as a basis of comparing characters in Charlotte's Web to real life animals and settings.
3. Have students publish a creative stories based on themes from the story.
4. Have students perform a web based activities(webquests) related to spiders, pigs, and farms.
5. Students will make presentations individually or in small groups.
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These activities are designed for students to enhance topics they are learning in the classroom. Students will also strengthen their computer and research skills. This curriculum is intended for 3rd grade students as well as 3rd grade teachers.
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Every year I read chapter books to my students, and this is one they really enjoy. This is a cross curricular unit covering science, math, language arts, geography, and reading. Some of the topics I plan to incorporate into this unit are friendship, farms, and spiders.
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1. Building Background: Before reading Charlotte's Web, we will discuss what they already know. We will spend one period filling out "What I Know" part a KWL chart for each of the following topics: farms, pigs, and spiders.
2. As we begin reading Charlotte's Web, we will develop a sense of setting by viewing, as a class, different types of barns on the internet.
a. Below are some links to Websites with pictures of Barns. After viewing the pictures of real barns, we'll talk about things you'd find there, and students will draw a picture of a barn. Then they will write a descriptive paragraph about their drawing.
Barn Interior , Barn Interior 2 , Barn Interior 3Old Barn , Big Red Barn , Old Gray Barn , Big White Barn , Barn with Silo , Barn Tour , Red Barn 2
b. After reading about ½ story students can map
setting. Map Setting Activity
Sheet
3. Throughout the story students will discover qualities of the characters in the story. Students will complete the following activities related to the characters:
a. Wilbur has a lot of different emotions throughout
the book. Look through the book and write down the different emotions Wilbur
had and why. Emotions
Activity Sheet
b. Write a report on their favorite character. Favorite Character Activity Sheet
c. Students will write a letter in a lesson exploring character motivations and viewpoints in a story. Mrs. Arable is concerned about Fern. She feels Fern spends too much time at the barn, and not enough time playing outside with her friends. Fern is perfectly happy to spend her summer watching the animals at Zuckerman's farm. Students will help the characters understand the other's viewpoint. They will show understanding by writing a friendly letter explaining (from Fern's viewpoint) why she should be allowed to continue spending time in the barn.
4. Think of several traits of Charlotte and Wilbur's friendship and compare those traits to one of your friendships. Think back to our discussion on friendships and write your paragraph on one of your own special friendships.
5. After reading each chapter, students will complete activities that correlate with that chapter. Chapter by Chapter Activities
6. Ask students comprehension questions to get them thinking deeper and broader about what they are learning about in the story. These will help them make connections within the story as well as with the outside world. Comprehension Questions
7. Students will create summaries of Charlotte’s Web to be published online. Use a web to organize writing about Charlotte’s Web. Web Organizer
8. Students will learn about spiders through classroom and online research activities.
9. Students will learn about pigs throught classroom and online research activities.
10. Write an animal story. Decide on your setting, characters,
and a problem. Decide how your story will end. Write words, names, and notes
in the story planner to help you create your story. When you decide on a title,
write it in the center circle.
http://www.abcteach.com/ebwhite/storplan.htm
11. Students will participate in writing activities throughout unit. One required writing will be a short essay about friendship. Students will use questions about friendship to get them thinking what to write. Friendship Activity Sheet
12. Students will learn about farms and compare farm life to city life. City/Farm Venn Diagram Activity Sheet
13. Students will use what they have learned to make classroom presentations.
14. As part of their final project, studens will create Dioramas to depict the setting of Charlotte's Web.
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Barn Writing and Illustration Evaluation
The drawing will be evaluated satisfactory or unsatisfactory
by the teacher. Each paragraph will be evaluated on these points:
• the quality of writing (attention to sensory details)
• the use of complete sentences
• the use of correct grammar spelling
• neatness
Friendly Letter Evaluation
The letter must contain the following points:
• the five parts of a friendly
letter
• reasons that support Fern's viewpoint
• complete sentences, correct grammar and spelling
• neat and easily read
Participation and Behavior Rubric
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Create an ABC book of Charlotte’s web example : http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/charlotte/title.htm
CHARLOTTES WEB WORD SEARCH
http://www.familyeducation.com/printables/piece/0,2357,22-14823-1240,00.html
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http://www.samsfarmsite.co.uk/
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/charl/charlsg1.html
http://www.campbellusd.k12.ca.us/Charlotte's_Web_Page/
http://www.familyeducation.com/topic/front/0,1156,2-14096-1,00.html
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vanished eaves dejected weakling provender orchard commotion budge enchanted trough captivity waded glutton discarded injustice manure perspiration frolic
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We will begin building background during the 3rd week of school. I will begin reading Charlotte’s Web during the 3rd week of school. Students will work in small groups to complete most projects. By the 4th week of school we should begin having computer lab. However, there is a slight chance that 3rd grade will not get a computer lab time. I plan on allowing students to work in pairs to complete research tasks and webquests using the one computer in my classroom that is connected to the internet. Students will be responsible for keeping portfolio that will contain all the research and notes that they complete toward creating their final project. This project should take 4-5 weeks to complete.
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