E-BCFN17 – Charlotte’s Web – Chapter 10 – Part 1: Pages 66-71

How do FreeNode lessons work?

FreeNodes are instructor-led schooling lessons with a unique approach, granting you the freedom to independently teach using a personalized lesson plan. This autonomy enables you to tailor your lessons to suit students’ individual needs, learning styles, and interests.

To use a FreeNode, read the provided class outline & follow the formatting provided for each class. Make sure to touch on the Theocratic Connection in each class. Follow the outline closely so it is aligned with our main at-home curriculum.

How Do I Use the FreeNode?

Read this lesson plan before class to familiarize yourself with the ideas and concepts you’ll be teaching the students. You may print this page out if you need to use it as a reference point during live classes.

This lesson is a guide, but feel free to expand on the content or decrease/increase what you teach depending on the learning levels of the students in your class or the amount of time you have to cover the material.

Can I show videos in FN classes?

Yes, feel free to include additional material to supplement the class lesson material. Videos, Physical Objects, Games, Activities, etc. are okay to share in live classes.

Videos should have no advertisements or logos and should be viewed by you before showing them to the students to ensure no offensive or questionable content is included.

The video should make up only 1-3 minutes of the live class and should not take the place of instructor-led instruction. Videos should be supplementary only.

How do bookmarks work?

Bookmarks help you keep track of lessons you’re going to teach in future live classes. The bookmarks you see are for all your bookmarked lessons across all grades.

You can bookmark a lesson by visiting the lesson you want to bookmark and clicking the “bookmark” button in the bookmark section.

You can remove a single bookmark by visiting a lesson you’ve bookmarked and clicking the “bookmark” button again to unbookmark it.

You can clear all of your bookmarks by clicking the “clear all bookmarks” button. Be careful, this will erase all of your bookmarks.

Class Lesson Plan

Student Objectives:

Take turns reading pages or paragraphs in the book to practice their reading skills.
Identify who the main characters and settings of the story are.
Understand the moral lessons presented in the book.
Be able to summarize the story in their own words.

Video Links:

(Kid Comedy) The Rope Swing Safety Video:

Theocratic Connections:

*NOTE: Cover this theocratic connection after completing Activity 3.*

Since this part of the chapter explores safety concerns encourage students to consider the following video and article on safety after class:

Activity 1 – Reading Chapter 10 – Part 1: Pages 66-71 (15 minutes):

Open the story in the Bookclub bookcase and have students take turns reading. Assign character roles if appropriate.

Activity 2 – Discussion (10 minutes):

Ask students the following questions:

“Charlotte is desperate to save her friend Wilbur’s life, and she’s determined to come up with a plan. What are the disadvantages Charlotte faces as a spider trying to save a pig’s life? When Charlotte was planning, were you able to predict what she would do? If you were in Charlotte’s place, what would your plan have been? Do you think it would have worked?”
“Why do you think Charlotte is so determined to save Wilbur? What does this tell us about her character?”
“Can you think of a time when you helped a friend in need? How did it feel to be a good friend?”
“If you were Wilbur, how would you feel knowing that Charlotte is trying to save you? What would you say to her?”
“How do you think the other animals will react to Charlotte’s plan? Why?”
“Fern and her brother Avery spend their days on the farm swinging on a rope swing, building a tree house, catching frogs, and picking raspberries.
Do you think these activities are similar to or different from what a lot of kids do for fun today? What activities do you like to do?”
“On the last page of today’s reading, Avery noticed Charlotte on her web. What do you think will happen next?”

Activity 3 – Watch and Discuss: The Rope Swing Safety Video (5 minutes):

Ask students the following question before watching the video:

“In the book, the rope swing is literally just a rope with a knot to sit on at the end! But most rope swings have a piece of wood or a tire attached to the end. Why do you think that is?”

Ask students the following questions after watching the video:

“Even though the ‘safety’ video is meant to be funny, rope safety is something to think about. The narrator in Charlotte’s Web said that ‘Mothers for miles around worried about Zuckerman’s swing. They feared some child would fall off.’ Do you think it’s possible to get hurt while using a rope swing? How?”
“Do you think Jehovah cares about if we try to make things safe? Why or Why not?”
“Look at the picture on page 71. Is there anything Mr. Zukerman could do to make the rope swing safer?”

(Optional) Bonus Activity: If students are creating a “Charlotte’s Words” dictionary, remind them to add “gullible” and any other new words from this chapter.

Assessment:

Assess student understanding of the story’s moral through participation in discussions, completion of reflection questions, and identification of key concepts presented.