Before viewing the film Charlotte’s Web:
Useful vocabulary. See how many words you know! Use a dictionary for the other words!
Spider
Barn
Slop
Web
Farm
Goose
Gander
Sheep
rat
Barn
Ordinary
*Terrific
Scarecrow
Crow
Rat
Slop
Stubborn
Radiant
Humble
Magnum Opus
Salutations
The runt of the litter
Spring pig
selfish
*Be careful! This is a false friend!
Characters:
Wilbur is a rambunctious pig, the runt of his litter, who loves life, even that of Zuckerman’s barn. He sometimes feels lonely or fearful.
Charlotte A. Cavatica , or simply Charlotte, is a spider who befriends Wilbur.
Fern Arable, daughter of John Arable and Mrs. Arable, is the courageous eight-year-old girl who saves Wilbur in the beginning of the movie.
Templeton is a gluttonous rat who helps Charlotte and Wilbur only when offered food.
Avery Arable is the brother of Fern.
Homer Zuckerman is Fern’s uncle who keeps Wilbur in his barn. He has a wife named Edith.
Other animals living in Zuckerman’s barn with whom Wilbur converses are a disdainful lamb, a goose who is constantly sitting on her eggs, and an old sheep.
Henry Fussy is a boy Fern’s age whom Fern becomes very fond of.
Uncle is Wilbur’s rival at the fair, a large pig whom Charlotte doesn’t consider to be particularly refined.
Animal Expressions:
“To beat a dead horse”: to waste time doing something that has already been attempted
“What’s good for the goose is good for the gander”: This idiom means that people should be treated the
same way and not be subjected to different standards.
“He/she’s no spring chicken”: He or she is not young. He or she is old. Uncle the prize-winning pig makes a joke of this when Charlotte asks him if he is a spring pig.
“To be stubborn as a horse” Can you guess what this means?
After viewing the film:
Discussion:
Another Idiomatic expression to think about. What does this one mean?
“You can’t judge a book by its cover”. What do you think this means? Can you think of examples from the film?
Themes:
Choose a theme and find examples in the story to demonstrate it.
Friendship
Love
Family
Loyalty
The cycle of Life & Death
miracles of nature
Animal character traits:
List personality traits for the following animals in the movie.
Sheep: (followers…)
Horse: (stubborn…)
Rat: (selfish, gluttonous…)
Spider: (wise, intelligent, literate)
People: ?
Open-ended discussion questions:
According to Charlotte, people believe everything they read. Do you think this is true?
Why do you think Charlotte’s words helped saved Wilbur’s life?
What do you think Charlotte meant when she wrote SOME PIG in her web? Terrific? Radiant? Humble?
Activities:
The last two paragraphs of the book of Charlotte’s web by E.B. White:
“Mr. Zuckerman took fine care of Wilbur all the rest of his days, and the pig was often visited by friends and admirers, for nobody ever forgot the year of his triumph and the miracle of the web. Life in the barn was very good—night and day , winter and summer, spring and fall, dull days and bright days. It was the best place to be, thought Wilbur, this warm delicious cellar, with the garrulous geese, the changing seasons, the heat of the sun, the passage of swallows, the nearness of rats, the sameness of sheep, the love of spiders, the smell of manure, and the glory of everything.
Wilbur never forgot Charlotte. Although he loved her children and grandchildren dearly, none of the new spiders ever quite took her place in his heart. She was in a class by herself. It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.”
The End
Writing exercises for students:
- Write a new ending for Charlotte’s web.
- Pretend that you are Wilbur. Write Charlotte a thank you letter! (All levels can do this)
- Pretend that you are Wilbur. You are now an old pig. Explain to Charlotte’s great-great grandchildren who Charlotte was and how she saved your life. (Lower levels may write in the present tense or write general sentences about Charlotte. Advanced students may write in the past tense).
- Pretend you are Charlotte. Describe Wilbur and why you like him.
Skits for students to perform:
Students may prepare and act out the following scenes (5-10 min in-class preparation time before performing in front of class. They should improvise and not take notes. Encourage them to prepare in English using what they know. Both characters should contribute equally).
- Fern and her father: Fern must convince her father not to kill Wilbur. She promises to take care of him.
- Fern’s mother and the doctor: Fern’s mother is very worried about Fern because the animals are her best friends. Act out her conversation with the Psychiatrist (who believes in Fern).
- Wilbur and Charlotte: Act out the scene where they met.
- Templeton and Charlotte: Charlotte must convince Templeton to come to the County Fair.
General Information about Charlotte’s Web
Plot Summary for the 2006 film version of Charlotte’s Web
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0413895/synopsis
With the birth of a new litter of 11 piglets, the farmer must eliminate one so the mother can feed them. The farmer gets his ax and selects the runt of the litter when he is stopped by his daughter, Fern (Dakota Fanning). Fern begins to feed her new piglet and names him Wilbur (voice of Dominic Scott Kay). After Wilbur gets strong enough to be on his own, he is put into the barn across the road. In the new barn, he meets many different animals: cows, sheep, geese, a rat, a horse, and of course a spider named Charlotte (voice of Julia Roberts). Wilbur's friendship with all the animals in the barn brings them all together, and they become one big happy family. There is only one problem that Wilbur doesn't know, he is a spring pig, and they don't usually get to see winter. Charlotte promises Wilbur that she will do something to save his life. Charlotte spins the words "some pig" in her web to show the farmer a miracle that may save Wilbur's life. Douglas Young (the-movie-guy)
http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/HarperChildrens/kids/gamesandcontests/features/charlottesweb/default.aspx
Plot Summary for the original book Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White published in 1952
In his classic and beloved novel, E. B. White tells the memorable story of Wilbur, a little pig who becomes famous with the help of his clever friend Charlotte and their chatty animal neighbors. As the runt of the litter, Wilbur struggles to survive from the very beginning. Fern begs her father, Mr. Arable, to raise Wilbur and nurse him to health. Fern succeeds and Wilbur moves to Zuckerman Farm, where he learns the true meaning of friendship from the wise gray spider Charlotte. When it becomes apparent that Wilbur is being well fed for a reason, Charlotte and Wilbur are determined to foil Mr. Zuckerman’s plans. With the help of Charlotte and her “terrific” webs, Templeton the rat, and other barnyard friends, Wilbur becomes the prize-winning pig of the County Fair and the most famous pig ever. Lessons of friendship, loyalty, and truth bind this story together and show readers that friends come in all shapes and sizes.
Multi-media tools for children to do their own research!
Read about the history of Charlotte’s Web and White’s characters
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte's_Web
Play games and explore the Zuckerman Farm!
http://www.charlotteswebmovie.com/site/index.php
Read a letter from the story’s original author: E.B. White about Charlotte’s Web.
http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/HarperChildrens/Kids/AuthorsAndIllustrators/AuthorNote.aspx?CId=10499
About E.B. White
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._B._White