A Wrinkle in Time explores many abstract concepts about freedom, individuality, and choice. These themes are applied both to the individual characters and to entire societies and governmental structures. Students can better understand the importance of these ideas and connect with the text by exploring these concepts in their own lives and the world around them.
For this activity, ask students to compare and contrast important concepts by illustrating them with storyboard examples. The examples may be drawn from personal experience, from history, or from the novel.
Suggested Concepts
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Student Instructions
Compare and contrast important thematic concepts from the book.
Suggested Concepts
Encourage students to engage deeply with the novel's abstract concepts by guiding them in a structured class debate. Debates allow students to critically examine and defend differing perspectives, helping them internalize important themes.
Choose topics such as 'Is individuality more important than equality?' or 'Does free will outweigh fate?' to connect directly with the book’s core ideas. This ensures debates are relevant and thought-provoking for your students.
Divide students into groups or pairs, assigning each side of the argument. Assigning positions at random challenges students to think from multiple viewpoints and strengthens their understanding.
Encourage students to find evidence from the novel, personal experiences, or historical examples to support their arguments. Preparation builds confidence and ensures richer, more meaningful debates.
Moderate the discussion to keep it focused and respectful. Prompt students to listen actively and respond thoughtfully to opposing viewpoints.
Lead a class reflection after the debate to highlight main arguments and connect them back to the novel. This helps students synthesize what they’ve learned and apply it beyond the classroom.
A Wrinkle in Time explores key themes such as freedom, individuality, choice, and the contrast between fate vs. free will, utopia vs. dystopia, and reason vs. emotion. These ideas are presented through the experiences of the characters and the societies they encounter.
Students can compare fate and free will by illustrating each concept with examples from the book, history, or their own lives. Using storyboards, they can depict how characters make choices or feel controlled by circumstances, then discuss the similarities and differences visually and in writing.
Try a storyboard comparison activity: have students pick two contrasting concepts (e.g., reason vs. emotion), create pictures for each, and explain their depictions. Then, students compare the concepts in a third panel, highlighting connections or differences with images and brief explanations.
Connecting themes to personal experiences helps students better understand abstract ideas like individuality and freedom. This approach encourages deeper engagement with the text and helps students see the relevance of literary concepts in the real world.
In A Wrinkle in Time, the planet Camazotz represents a dystopia where everyone is forced to be the same, while the protagonists' home symbolizes a more utopian society that values differences. Students can illustrate these settings and discuss how they reflect the novel’s themes.