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6901 Wadsworth Blvd.

Arvada Co 80003

School Programs-- 720-898-7240

Based on the book by

E.B. White

Adapted by

Joseph Robinette

February 12 – April 10, 2015

This study guide is also available online at

arvadacenter.org/education/study-guides

“Let our stage be your classroom.”

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This study guide was developed for

the Education Division of the

Arvada Center for the

Arts and Humanities

by Cyndi Branson and Becky Nelsen

with excerpts from the 2003 study

guide by Cayle Townsend.

Additional support provided by:

Enterprise Holdings Foundation

Arvada Center Hospitality Volunteers

Virginia W. Hill Foundation

Kinder Morgan Foundation

Target

Wells Fargo Foundation

Schlessman Family Foundation

Linda and Terry Stevinson

Greetings and Salutations - Welcome to Charlotte’s Web A play for young audiences based on the book by E.B. White

This study guide provides ideas for turning a day at the theater into an interactive

educational experience. It includes information about the plot, appropriate

audience behavior, important words to know about theater and reproducible

activity pages for helping students better understand the story. Ideas presented

in this study guide provide excellent strategies for extending and developing

vocabulary and comprehension in all content areas. We hope you find the activities

transferable across your curriculum. In addition, the guide provides information

and classroom connections. This guide will help prepare students for the

performance and then facilitate reflection afterward.

Children’s Theater and the Arts Day program are sponsored in part by:

TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome 2 Audience 101 3 About the Book & Author 4-5 Links to Charlotte’s Web Activities

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Vocabulary 7-9 Discussion Questions 10-11 Classroom Adventures 11-12 Definition of Terms 13 Reproducible Activities 14-18

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Audience 101

As members of the audience, you play an important part in the success of a theatrical

performance. Please help your students understand that the rules of attending a live

theater performance are different from watching television at home or a movie in the

cinema. As it is a live performance, it cannot be stopped and restarted. Audience members

should laugh, cheer, clap and enjoy the performance, but there are a few rules that need to

be followed. Please review the following theater etiquette with your students prior to your

visit:

• Food, drinks, candy and gum chewing are not permitted in the theater

• Do not talk, whisper, sing or hum during the performance unless

encouraged by the actors on stage

• Keep feet on the floor, not on the seats

• Performers appreciate enthusiastic applause, but not whistling or shouting

• No photography or videotape recording of any kind

• Please turn off all cell phones

Theater Words to Know Backstage - the part of a theater that is not seen by the audience, including the dressing rooms, wings, and

the green room

Blocking - the instructions that actors use to know exactly where they are supposed to be on stage at all

times

Box Office - the place that sells tickets to a performance

Cast - the people who perform in a play

Choreographer - the person who creates dances and arranges movements for a musical

Control Booth - the place in a theater from which all the sound and lights are controlled

Crew - all the people who work together on a production except the cast

Cue - signals that are given to the actors, the crew, the musicians and any others working on a production

Director - the person who provides the vision of how a play should be presented, who works with the actors

on their roles, develops the blocking, and is in charge of the rehearsals

Green Room - a place for the performers to relax while waiting to go on stage (it is not always painted

green! )

Marking Out or Spike Mark - when the stage is marked with tape to show where furniture and props should

be placed during the performance

Props - all the items used in a play to tell the story not including the scenery or costumes, the short forms

of "Properties"

Rehearsal - the period of practice before the opening of a production in which the actors and director work

on the development of the play

Sound Effects - the noises that are produced to accompany a scene in a play, usually produced by a

machine but can be produced by actors or cast members off stage

Being part of the audience is a very important job. Enjoy the

performance!

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About the Book Author: E. B. White

Illustrator: Garth Williams

Copyright: 1952; renewed 1980

Publisher: HarperCollins

Received the Newbery Honor Award in 1953

Other books by E. B. White: Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan

Play is based on Charlotte’s Web: A One Act Play

Plot Summary of the Book

Charlotte’s Web is a tender novel of friendship, love, life, and death. Wilbur,

the pig, is born the runt of his litter on the Arable’s farm. Fern Arable, the

youngest daughter of the family, saves little Wilbur and makes him her pet,

which was very unusual on a farm over sixty years ago. Fern loves Wilbur and

takes very good care of him. Wilbur is an affectionate, sometimes bashful

pig who is playful and happy until he learns about what happens to grown pigs

on a farm. All of Fern’s love cannot save Wilbur from a sure death when it

becomes time for Wilbur to be sold and made into meat. Then, in comes

Charlotte! Charlotte is a very smart, talented spider that becomes Wilbur’s

barnyard friend and helps him from being killed. Some Pig. Humble. Radiant.

These are words that Charlotte spins into her beautiful webs. Charlotte’s

spider webs tell of her feelings for Wilbur, and Wilbur is grateful for

Charlotte’s friendship, bravery, and hard work. Determined to save her

friend, Charlotte spins a web that reads Some Pig, convincing the farmer and

surrounding community that Wilbur is no ordinary animal and should be

saved. Since its publication in 1952, Charlotte's Web has endured as one of

America's best-loved children's books. For over sixty years, this timeless

story of the pig named Wilbur and the wise spider named Charlotte has

continued to warm the hearts of readers of all ages all over the world.

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About the Author

E. B. White (1899-1985) was born in Mount Vernon, New York. During his

lengthy writing career, he wrote for magazines, was a sports writer, and he wrote

children’s books. He was also a reporter and an editor. In the late 1930s, Mr.

White started writing children’s fiction for of his niece, Janice Hart White. Mr.

White is best known for his children’s books.

In 1970, Mr. White received the Laura Ingalls Wilder medal from the U.S.

Professional Children’s Librarians. They recognized his “substantial and lasting

contributions to children’s literature.” He also won the international Hans Christian

Andersen Award. In 1978, he won a special Pulitzer Prize for his letters, essays,

and his other extensive work.

In 2012, the School Library Journal sponsored a survey of readers that identified

Charlotte’s Web as the top fictional title for readers 9-12 years old. The librarian

who conducted the survey said, “it is impossible to conduct a poll of this sort and

expect [Charlotte’s Web] to be anywhere but #1.” Mr. White wrote true classics –

his children’s books have endured in popularity since 1945 when he wrote his first

children’s book, Stuart Little. Mr. White was 86 when he died in 1985.

Other Children’s Books by E.B. White

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Classroom Activities and Reproducibles

There are many pins on Pinterest for activities related to the book

Charlotte’s Web.

Below are some additional links you may find useful:

Activities and lesson plans

https://www.teachervision.com/childrens-book/activity/1732.html

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/charlottes-web-

teachers-guide

http://www.bu.edu/ccsr/files/2011/08/Charlottes-Web-lesson-

plan.pdf

Lesson plans based on the book and movie

http://www.walden.com/wp-

content/uploads/2006/12/CW_EdGuide.pdf

Interactive games

http://www.scholastic.com/charlottesweb/

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Play Vocabulary and Phrases

Use realia, photos, videos, internet resources, and/or examples to help students

gain understanding of these terms.

Ax - a very sharp cutting tool that consists of a heavy edged steel head fixed to a handle

that is used for chopping and splitting wood

Conspiracy – a secret plan made by two or more people to do something harmful or against

the law

County Fair – an event usually held every year at the same location in the countryside,

especially for the competitive showing of livestock (animals) and farm products

Egg Sac – a silken pouch made by a spider where they put their spider eggs

Gosling – baby goose

Hired hand – someone hired or employed to work on a farm

Humble – not proud; not thinking of yourself as better than other people

Injustice – a wrong doing; unfair treatment

Radiant - glowing

Slop – waste food used to feed pigs on a farm

Runt – the smallest baby animal of a litter

Miraculous – a very amazing event, thing, or achievement

Salutations – greetings; different ways to say hello

Schemer – someone who creates a clever, sometimes dishonest plan to get what they want

Spinnerets – the part of the spider used to spin webs

Discuss life on a farm. Who has been to a farm? What animals usually live on a

farm? Engage in some Internet research and look at pictures of farms and farm

animals.

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Frayer Model

Use any of the vocabulary words in a Frayer Model as depicted below:

Have groups of students complete a Frayer Model (template included in

the Reproducibles Section), for different vocabulary words and let

students teach each other about their word.

Definition (in own words)

Description

Examples Non-examples

runt

Small and weak animal

Wilbur – “Charlotte’s Web” Fiver – “Watership Down” Wolverine – “X-Men”

Usually used to talk about piglets or puppies, the smallest or weakest of the litter

Arnold Schwarzenegger

T-Rex

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Vocabulary Sentence Frame

After reading the book, insert a vocabulary word into the first

blank in this sentence frame and have students work together to

complete the frame and draw a picture as modeled below.

An injustice is an unfairness that

(is/has/does) happening to a person or animal.

(Template included in Reproducibles Section)

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Discussion Questions to Get at the Heart of the Story

Ask comprehension questions before, during, and after reading the

story aloud. Encourage children to ask their own questions during

classroom discussions or while sharing with a partner.

Retelling – Literal

1. Who are the main characters of the story?

2. Is Charlotte a real spider? Does Charlotte act like a real spider?

3. Where do Wilbur, Charlotte, and the other animals live?

4. Who are some of the other characters in the story?

Predictive

1. Have a class discussion about the title and cover illustration. Ask

questions that will lead students to predict what will happen in the

story and what the theme or author’s message is in the story.

2. Stop at various places in the book. Ask: ‘What do you think will happen

next?”

3. How will Wilbur’s problem get solved?

Main Idea

1. What does the author want you to learn from reading this story?

2. Why do you think the author wrote this story?

3. What does the author seem to want his readers to really think about?

4. Many people in the story believe Wilbur should die like the other pigs

on the farm. How does Charlotte change people’s minds about Wilbur’s

future?

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Discussion Questions (continued)

Inferential

1. Do the animals in this story behave the way animals really behave?

2. Why do you think the author portrayed the characters in this way?

3. What do you think will happen to Charlotte’s babies?

4. Who do you know that would like this book?

Pre-Performance and Post-Performance Classroom Adventures

Have students look up information about spiders and insects. Have students

complete a Venn Diagram or a Double Bubble Map* (included in the

Reproducibles section) to compare and contrast the two creatures. This

activity can be used to then prompt a discussion about whether they are

more alike or more different.

After reading the book and attending the play, have students complete a

Venn Diagram or a Double Bubble Map* (included in the Reproducibles

section) to compare and contrast the book and the play. After students have

completed their comparison, have them decide if they are more similar or

more different.

Spiders are arachnids. Have your students research the distinguishing

characteristics of arachnids. Pigs are mammals. Have your students research

the distinguishing characteristics of mammals. (Science)

Have students compare the similarities and differences between arachnids

and mammals. A Venn Diagram or a Double Bubble Map* can be used for this

activity also.

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Pre and Post-Performance Classroom Adventures (continued)

A major theme in this story is friendship. As a class, brainstorm important

attributes of a good friend. What makes a good friend? Make a list and use

for the following activities:

Write a newspaper ad seeking a good friend.

Make a wanted poster

Write a Friendship Cinquain* about a good friend

Write a commercial advertising for a good friend.

Charlotte uses her special talents to save her friend, Wilbur. She makes a

plan, organizes the animals, and spins words in her web. What special talent

do you have that you could use to help a friend?

Write a short story in which you use your special talent to help a

friend.

Act out your story

When E.B. White wrote the book Charlotte’s Web, he studied the behavior

of spiders for over a year. Among the things he observed was how the

spiders make webs. Study a spider or a video of a spider spinning a web.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5iN0ZaoW7M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y9K1H6Yn6o

After this research, draw your own spider web using black paper and

chalk. Include a word in your spider web that describes an attribute of a

spider.

Use this site to create crossword puzzles for your students using vocabulary

from Charlotte’s Web.

http://www.armoredpenguin.com/crossword/

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Definition of Instructional Terms

*Double Bubble Map – you can use the template provided in the Reproducibles

Section but it’s actually better if students draw the map themselves so they can

add as many bubbles as they need instead of just filling in the ones that are

provided.

*Friendship Cinquain

Line 1: Person’s name

Line 2: 2 adjectives describing that person

Line 3: 3 action words describing that person

Line 4: 4 words about friendship

Line 5: Nickname or noun

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Classroom

Reproducibles

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Double Bubble Map

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Definition (in own words)

Description

Examples Non-examples

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Compare and Contrast Charlotte’s Web

Book Play

Both

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A is a ___________that (is/has/does)

.