Charlotte's Web

Charlotte’s Web

• Genre: Fiction; middle-grade magical realism
• Originally Published: 1952
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 680L; grades 3-7
• Structure/Length: 22 chapters; approx. 184 pages; approx. 3 hours, 30 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Wilbur, a piglet and the runt of his litter, is saved from an early death when the farmer’s daughter, Fern, pleads with her father to let him live. Wilbur enjoys a full life in the barnyard with a colorful cast of other animal characters—in particular, a brilliant spider named Charlotte who keeps him safe by weaving messages about him into her web.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Realities of life for animals on a farm

E. B. White, Author

• Bio: 1899-1985; born in Mount Vernon, New York; earned his BA from Cornell University, where he was an editor of the Cornell Daily Sun; after working as a journalist for several years, published his first article in The New Yorker in 1925, joined the staff in 1927, and stayed with the magazine for the remainder of his career; known for his witty, direct style of writing; winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1963), the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award (now the Children’s Literature Legacy Award; 1970), and a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation for Letters (1978), among other honors
• Other Works: Stuart Little (1945); The Elements of Style (with William Strunk Jr.; 1959); The Trumpet of the Swan (1970); Essays of E. B. White (1977)
• Awards: Newbery Honor Award (1953)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• The Strong Bonds of Friendship
• The Inevitable and Fleeting Nature of Life
• The Influence of Words

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the cultural and literary contexts, settings, and conflicts that shape the growth of the novel’s characters.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the novel’s themes of The Strong Bonds of Friendship, The Influence of Words, and The Inevitable and Fleeting Nature of Life.
• Create an advertisement that expresses a personal passion and incorporates The Influence of Words and their ability to effect change.
• Examine and appraise the author’s purpose and techniques to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding symbolism, characterization, and other topics.