FREE Charlotte’s Web Unit Study

A Charlotte’s Web unit study perfect for homeschool, classroom, or thematic novel study. The book study resources listed in this post are all FREE!

A Free Charlotte’s Web Unit Study

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White is a book that every little kid simply MUST read. Here is a free Charlotte’s Web unit study lesson plan for you and your homeschooled kiddos. You will find plenty of activities, printables, and more in this post!

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It happens to be one of the most beloved classics of most adults’ youth: Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White.  A pig, a spider, a friendship that is enduring and selfless…what more could you want in a book?  This one teaches so many life lessons and introduces our children to an array of farm animals and personality types that they can learn so very much from.  If you haven’t already read it, you are missing out!

Many people love this book because it’s a classic, but it’s the perfect book for teaching moral and character values to young children as well. E.B. White is a master at mixing social-emotional learning, character values, the importance of friends and family, and relationships in this book. His other stories, Stuart Little and Trumpet of the Swan, are also highly popular. Vocabulary that supports character development within the book are words that Charlotte the spider spun in her web such as humble and radiant.

Wilbur the pig just wants a friend. A true friend is what he gets, and the story develops around the theme of friendship. Children can relate to Wilbur and learn to admire Charlotte. They emulate the love that a girl named Fern has for her pet.

This is a Newberry Honor book. In my opinion, it’s a great read for children in grades 2-4. I used the book when I taught 3rd grade in public school, and it’s one of my favorite children’s books ever, alongside The Velveteen Rabbit.

Charlotte’s Web Novel Study with Free Resources and Ideas:

Let’s go beyond the book itself, isn’t that what we do as homeschool families?  There is so much more depth to learn about from farm animals to fair food, vocabulary to coloring.  What is the best part of this unit study?  These are all links to *FREE* resources you can use as you teach this classic in your home. There are a few that aren’t free, but they are worth mentioning. So what supplements are available for Charlotte’s Web?  Read on…

Craft Ideas

• Super Coloring – We need to get back to work, so if your littles are getting restless, go ahead and hand them a charlotte’s web coloring page. This page has a nice coloring page that is the cover image of the book itself. There’s enough detail that makes it perfect for “big kids” to color.
• Not in Jersey – It’s fun to make spider webs, and write vocabulary or other words within them. Perhaps kids can write a character trait they admire within themselves.
• Mrs. MacDonald – There is also a meet the characters page available, as well as some great writing prompts, for character traits journaling
• Primarily Speaking – One of the main characters in this inspiring tale is the spider of course, here is a spider web art tutorial to add some art to your book study. This is a project that includes a beautifully painted spider web.
• Art Projects for Kids – here are instructions for drawing a cute pig!
• Newman’s Third Grade – there are some cute examples of children’s dioramas here. Wouldn’t it be fun to make one?
• Laugh, Paint, Create – For more art projects how about a spider web weaving art tutorial.

Educational Extensions

• E.B. White Read-Aloud – The best thing to do if you don’t want to actually read the physical book, is to hear the book read aloud by the author himself. What a fun experience!
• The characters in Charlotte’s web were part of the county fair, have you learned about your county fair? Try Googling your closest fair to find some local history, or learn a general history of the county fair.
• Scholastic – How about some great discussion questions to facilitate learning?
• 4H – (not free, but frugal) During the fair many children involved in 4H showcase their animals or projects, there are some great educational resources available for animals and more specifically, pigs!
• Spiders Worlds – Want to learn more about spiders? Some great spider facts can be found!
• Inspiration for Education – Here is a free book report assignment that you might like to use, and the author also has a great interactive notebook that your students can complete based on the book’s events.
• ABC Teach – There are an awful lot of amazing characters in the book, help your child learn about each of them in a “Who Am I” activity. A simple printable which allows kids to examine the characters within the book.
• WebQuest – With just a little bit of setup here is an old-style WebQuest scavenger hunt that is sure to keep the kiddos busy and learning.
• Super Teacher Worksheets – Once you are done chatting about the book you can print off some free worksheets by the chapter.
• STEM Activity – this is a fun activity (frugal, not free) in which kids create baby spider balloonists.
• Thriving STEM – multiplication spiders are so cute – practice multiplication by 8!
• Crossword Puzzles – When it is time for a break, bust out the crossword puzzles for some fun.
• Fact Monster – If it is time to see how much your children have learned, here is a free online quiz.
• Easy Science for Kids – There were some chatty geese in the story too, learn about geese and their habits plus more facts about geese.

Recipes Kids Can Make

• The Wilson World – By this time everyone will need a snack, what better way than to include spider webs…edible ones of course! Charlotte’s web spider snack recipe.
• All Recipes collection – Templeton loved fair food, so do the rest of us!  Check out some great recipes to recreate fair food at home.

Great Charlotte’s Web and Farm Animal Videos

Kids love it when we incorporate educational videos into our learning experience. So of course, you’ll want to hear that you can watch the movie! Plus, here are a few good videos specifically about the different animals portrayed in the book. This list includes a simple farm animals video, a short educational video about spiders, learn how smart a pig really is, and a few pig and geese facts.

Charlotte’s Web Editions for All Ages

There are so many ways to learn from a book, Charlotte’s Web specifically offers a wide array of characters and traits that can be further studied too, just ask your child which was their favorite animal then head to your local library to check out even more free resources on the animal that they loved the best!

More Unit Study Resources you might like:

Why You Should Read Charlotte’s Web with Your Kids

Free The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe Novel Study