Activity Overview
Charlotte's Web is a wonderful story for character mapping. The animals and humans in the story come to life with E.B. White’s descriptive language and dialogue. In this activity, students can create a character map for all of the characters in Charlotte's Web. They can describe character traits and provide textual evidence to support that trait. They can also explain how the different characters contribute to the sequence of events. Students can do this for just a few main characters, or for all of the characters in the story.
Here is an example:
Template and Class Instructions
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a character map for the major characters.
- Identify the major characters in Charlotte's Web and type their names into the different title boxes.
- Choose a Storyboard That character to represent each of the book characters.
- Select colors and a pose appropriate to story and character traits.
- Choose a scene or background that makes sense for the character.
- Fill in Textables for Physical Traits, Evidence, and Help for Wilbur/Charlotte.
Lesson Plan Reference
- [ELA-Literacy/RL/3/3] Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events
Rubric
(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric.)
| Proficient 33 Points | Emerging 25 Points | Beginning 17 Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Character Picture & Scene | The characters and scenes are both appropriate for the book's characters. | Many of the characters and scenes match the book's characters. | More than half of the characters and scenes do not match the characters in the book. |
| Accuracy of Notes | Most of the information of the notes is correct. | Many of the notes have correct information, but some are incorrect or missing. | Less than half of the information of the notes is correct and relevant. |
| Effort | Work is complete, thorough, and neat. | Most of the sections of the character map were at least attempted and work is presentable. | Character map is unfinished and/or disorganized. |
How To Help Students Identify Character Motivations
Identify Central Themes
Discuss the central theme of the story with the students beforehand. In easier terms, teachers can ask the students what they learned from the story and what is the purpose of the story. Initiate a discussion on central topics such as friendship and kindness. Understanding themes will help students understand the purpose of characters and predict their actions.
Discuss Roles
Ask the students to make a list of all the characters in the story from the most important characters to the least important characters. In the same sequence, the students can discuss the role of each character in the story.
Compare Hero and Villain
Usually, stories have both a protagonist and an antagonist and side characters who choose to support one of them. To better understand character motivations, students can distinguish characters as heroes or villains to understand if they will have positive or negative contributions to the narrative.
Discuss Extrinsic Factors
Discuss how the character's surroundings, society, and connections may have an impact on their motives. These elements may influence a character's goals and deeds.
Give Concrete Examples
Link character motives to relevant real-world events or hypothetical circumstances that students may identify with. This enables students to use their knowledge of incentives outside of the text.
Frequently Asked Questions About Charlotte's Web Characters
Why does Charlotte want to help Wilbur?
Charlotte is primarily motivated by friendship and empathy to help Wilbur. She believes in the value of doing something significant for a buddy and wants to make sure Wilbur is secure and content.
What Distinctions Can You Find Between the Farm's Animals?
Each of the farm animals has a unique personality. For instance, the sheep are submissive and obedient, the cows are nice and helpful, and the geese are amiable and talkative. The community on the farm is diverse and intriguing as a result of these characteristics.
Describe some character traits that the author has assigned to Wilbur.
Wilbur is a kind, compassionate, and occasionally worried pig. He has a great deal of affection for his pals and goes through a broad variety of emotions while reading the narrative, from fear and loneliness to joy and appreciation.
How does E.B. White convey human emotions and values through animal characters?
E.B. White expertly conveys human emotions, values, and difficult topics like friendship, mortality, and the enduring power of love using anthropomorphic animal characters. In Charlotte’s Web, many human actions and feelings such as being scared, giving up hope, and helping others have been used to teach important lessons and the value of friendship especially to younger students.
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