Charlotte's Web

Charlotte's Web

Written by E.B White

Illustrated by Garth Williams

Published in 1952

Grade Level:3rd-5th grade

Synopsis: The novel is a story about a pig named Wilbur and a spider named Charlotte.  Although an unlikely pair, the two become friends after Charlotte befriends him after she hears Wilbur whimpering about being lonely.  The conflict arises when Wilbur and the other animals in the barn find out that Mr. Zuckerman plans to butcher Wilbur at Christmas time.  Charlotte, being the devoted friend that she is, promises the pig that she will save his life.  With her talent of spinning spider webs, Charlotte makes Mr. Zuckerman believe that Wilbur is a special pig who should be kept alive.  She does this by writing words into the webs she weaves in the corner of the doorway that leads to Wilbur's home in the barn.  .  

     When Mr. Zuckerman takes Wilbur to the County Fair, Charlotte goes along in Wilbur's crate.  They both hope that if Wilbur wins the prize that he won't be killed.  The night before the judging is to begin, Charlotte weave the word 'humble' into her web above Wilbur because she feels it describes perfectly who/how he is.  Their hopes for Wilbur's life to be spared come true when the board of governors of the fair give Wilbur a special award ceremony.  It is then that Mr. Zuckerman assures Wilbur that he will have a long life.  While Wilbur has just been promised a long time to live, his friend Charlotte's life is about to end.  

     Charlotte has focused her attention on forming an egg sac for the eggs that she is going to lay.  She knows that after she lays the eggs that she will become weak and die, but she is at peace with the idea.  Wilbur, on the other hand, is not okay with the idea of his best friend dying.  He is determined to help his weakening friend.  So, with the help of his rat friend, Templeton, Wilbur bring Charlotte safely back to Mr. Zuckerman's barn along with her eggs.  Charlotte's children hatch on a warm spring day and Wilbur is overjoyed, although the memory of his friend will be with him forever.  

Theme/Skill: Simply put, Charlotte's Web is a story about friendship and loyalty.  It is not always easy to make friends, but teaching children the right way to be a good friend is best done by example.  The skill that young children should learn from a unit about this book is friendship; how to be a good friend.  Children can learn about trust, patience, sharing, loyalty, kindness, and generosity.  Children are impressionable when they are young and as teachers, creating positive experiences and setting good examples will hopefully leave a positive and lasting impression on our students. 

Pre-reading activities: The teacher could introduce the students to the book by making them aware of the Newbery Award that is imprinted on its cover.  Talk to the kids about what the award is and show them other books that have won the award.  Lead a discussion about what awards are and why a book might win the award.  The teacher could also teach several mini lessons about the animals that appear in  the book such as pig, spider, horse.  Make sure that students are aware that animals in the real world do not do the things that these animals do in the book.  Teach about the environment that each animal lives in, what they eat, their size, etc. 

Post-reading activities: Teacher may direct the students in a Reader's Theater type activity in which the students work to put together a scene from a part of the book that they want to act out.  Students could make props, create backdrops (scenery), and create cue cards with speaking lines on them.  Students could also work in groups to write a song about the book.  They could bring in instruments or make their own to accompany their songs.  (ideas adapted from "Book Bag Activities for Charlotte's Web" at Book Bag Activities).  Depending on the students, it may be pertinent for the teacher to talk about death and grieving, a topic that comes up at the end of the book.  The teacher may talk to students about why Charlotte died and that it is okay that Wilbur was sad, but also good that he moved on in his own life.  

Assessment: In order to assess the full expanse of students' understanding of Charlotte's Web the teacher could ask his/her students a number of questions from all levels of Bloom's Taxonomy.  For instance, the following questions are listed from easiest (lowest level of comprehension) to most difficult...

• Knowledge-- Where does the main part of the story take place?
• Comprehension-- How and why did Charlotte help Wilbur?
• Application-- How would you have tried to help Wilbur?
• Analysis-- Determine the role each farm animal plays in the book.
• Synthesis-- How would you have ended the book? Write your own ending.
• Evaluation-- Which characters do you best relate to and why? 

(questions borrowed from "Book Bag Activities for Charlotte's Web" at Book Bag Activities).

Reflection:  E.B White's Charlotte's Web has been transformed to the silver screen in both animated film and live action film.  A video game was even created based on the most recent film adaptation of the book (Wikipedia. "Charlotte's Web" 8/30/11).  Films have helped keep the classic children's tale alive for generations and generations.  I first read this book with my reading group in second grade and before long, Wilbur, Charlotte, and Fern were characters that I wanted know, be friends with, and read more about.  Years later, when I was in college, I received the live action film version of the book for a Christmas gift.  I loved it and have watched it multiple times, but nothing, and I mean nothing, compares to a good book.  Publishers Weekly even listed Charlotte's Web as the best-selling children's paperback book of all time as of 2000 ("Charlotte's Web" 8/30/11).  What an accomplishment!  Don't be left in the dark; whether you are old, young, or middle aged I suggest that you find a copy of E.B White's classic, curl up with a blanket, and start reading.  

E.B White; typing