Charlotte`s Web

Mini Unit - Building Empathy
Lesson Plan: Lesson 5 and 6 of 8 - Charlotte’s Web
Audience:
4-8
Duration:
2 hours
Objective
Charlotte’s Web is a humorous and timeless story about the friendship between a pig
named Wilbur and his barnyard friend, a spider called Charlotte. Students will watch the
movie and then discuss the qualities of friendships and why they are important to us.
Students will explore how animals can be friends to humans and how they communicate
with people. Through discussions students will explore how animals communicate with
humans. The movie will be watched in approximately 2 x 45 minute sessions leaving
approximately 15 minutes at the end of each session to have class discussions.
Prior knowledge
• Lessons 1 - 4 of Mini Unit: Building Empathy
• http://www.charlotteswebmovie.com/site/index.php is the official Charlotte’s Web
Website. Here you can log on to their site and visit the Zuckerman Farm with all the
characters from Charlotte’s Web and participate in interactive activities. Some of the
activities include:
• ‘Spell your web’ features Charlotte the spider, where students can practice their
spelling skills.
• ‘Trashy Poetry’ is hosted by Templeton the rat, he will get your student’s imaginations
wandering.
• The Crows, Elwyn and Brookes, will have your students playing ‘Pig-A-Pult’.
• Bitsy and Betsy the cows have ‘Fern’s Sketchbook’ where the students can colour in
online or print off colour in sheets to take home and complete.
• Golly and Gussy the geese lets students play ‘Wilbur’s Barn Break’.
• Samual the sheep takes students to the ‘Fan Art Gallery’ where they can view other
students’ artwork featuring characters and scenes from Charlotte’s Web, as well as
submit their own work and rate others’ talents.
• Walden Media are the official education site to compliment the DVD. Find them at: http://
www.walden.com/walden/teach/charlotte/index.php. This site includes the theatrical
trailer, information on how to purchase Charlotte’s Web the movie as well as a
free ;Educator’s Guide’ to download. The ‘Educator’s Guide’ is a series of lessons
involving the original text of Charlotte’s web for those teachers who might like to do a
more in-depth study of Charlotte’s web before viewing the film.
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Materials
• DVD - Charlotte’s Web (93 minutes). You can purchase your DVD at the official
Charlotte’s Web website: http://www.charlotteswebmovie.com/site/index.php.
• DVD player
Resources
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Lesson Plan
Activity Sheet: Friendship worksheet
RSPCA Posters: Farm animal campaign posters: hens, pigs and sheep
Activity Sheet: Charlotte’s Web Worksheet
Activity: Create your own farm animals bookmark
Procedure
Topic
Notes
1. Introduction
1.1
1.1 Class shares Grasshead developments and any special
requirements they’ve needed.
2. Body
2.1 Charlotte’s Web
(93 mins)
2.2 Qualities of
Friendship
(10 mins)
2.1 At the beginning of each session watch the movie for
approximately 45 minutes.
Follow up activities (section 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4 of this Lesson Plan)
over the two sessions will take approximately 30 minutes in total
over the next two sessions.
2.2 As a class discuss:
•
•
•
•
•
•
How Wilbur was feeling when he first arrived at his new
home?
How do we know he was feeling this way?
What made Wilbur feel better about his new home?
Discuss the qualities of a friend. – make a class list.
Why are friends important to us?
How can our pets be friends to us? (going back to our
animals basic needs, dogs are very loyal animals and
treated with love and respect will be a friend for life, just like
our human friends)
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2.2 Continued
Students can individually fill in a friendship form (Resource 2) –
describing the qualities of a friendship they have with another
person, looking at common interests and why they are important
to them.
2.3 How animals
communicate
(10 mins)
2.3 Throughout the movie the barn animals are developing
relationships with each other by supporting and talking to each
other.
As a class discuss:
•
•
•
•
2.4 Charlotte’s Web
over time
(10 mins)
Do you think animals talk to each other?
How do our animals talk to us?
Look at the different photos of farm animals on the RSPCA
Posters (Resource 3)– discuss the body language of the
animals and what they think the animal is telling us.
Compare the type of farming they saw in the movie to that of
the animals in the campaign posters. Which do they think is
the kindest way to farm animals? Why? How can we tell if
animals have been cared for when we buy products at the
supermarket?
2.4 Students complete Resource 4, Charlotte’s Web Worksheet.
3. Conclusion
3.1
3.1 What have we learned about farm animals from watching the
movie ‘Charlotte’s Web and completing activities? Students can
demonstrate what they have learned by completing Resource 5:
make a farm animal bookmark. Alternatively students could make
a poster or PowerPoint presentation.
Curriculum Links
English
Cultural: Making Sense in contexts
CU 4.1
Students identify points of view and supporting details, and draw
conclusions when interpreting a range of text types; preparing and
presenting reports and expositions that take account of their
relationships with the audience; and when interacting through group
discussion.
Critical: Evaluating meanings in text
CR 4.1
Students identify how the selection of subject matter, attributes,
processes, gestures, and voice qualities is influenced by likely
characteristics and interests of the audience and how these
resources construct representations.
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Suggested Homework Activities
Teachers can choose one of the activities from the Charlotte’s Web website for the
students to complete for homework.
Suggested Extension Activities
The crossword from page 11 or the letter writing activity on page 12 in the Educator’s
Guide found at: http://www.walden.com/walden/teach/charlotte/index.php could be used as
great extension activities for this lesson.
Suggestions for Adapting this Lesson for Lower or Higher Year Levels
This lesson could be adapted to suit older students through a more in-depth study of the
film investigating the representations of farm animals and the farming community. This
could be achieved by investigating first, Charlotte’s web as a source and then second,
looking at the RSPCA campaign website on Fair Go For Farm Animals featured on WOAW
www.woaw.org.au. Students then gather other representations in the media to compare
and contrast various sources of text.
References
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Resource 2
Friendship
Think about a friend of yours and answer these questions.
Friend’s Name: _________________________________
When did you meet?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
What things do you and your friend have in common?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
What interests do you have that are different?
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
What does your friendship with this person mean to you?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Do you think it is important to keep your promises you make to friends? __________
Why is it important?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
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Resource 3
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Resource 4
The movie Charlotte’s Web is based on a book written
by E.B.White in 1952 - that’s 56 years ago!
1. Why do you think that a story written by an author
in New England over 50 years ago could be so
popular in Australia so many years later?
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
2. What do you think the author would want people to think about when they read
the book or watch the film? ________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
When we watch the movie today - try to find examples of people or animals being
good friends to others, and fill them in on this sheet. The first one has been done for
you.
1. The Goose is a friend to Templeton when she lets Templeton have the rotten egg.
2. _______________________ is a friend to _______________________ when
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________.
3. _______________________ is a friend to _______________________ when
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________.
4. _______________________ is a friend to _______________________ when
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________.
Acknowledgments: This resource was adapted from ‘Who is a friend?’ Page 6 of Educator’s Guide to
Charlotte’s Web.
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Resource 5
Create Your
Own Farm
Animals
Bookmark!
Step 1:
Print off this page.
Step 2:
Draw a picture on the
blank half of the
bookmark. Include your
own message about care
and respect for farm
animals!
Farm
animals
are our
friends
Step 3:
Cut around the dotted
line, put a little glue on
the back of your
bookmark and then fold
your bookmark in half!

Step 4:
Enjoy reading your
favourite book using
your new bookmark!
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