The One and Only Ivan Novel Study Activities
By MARISSA DESPINS Updated April 08, 2024
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate is a sweet story about friendship and freedom. The engaging story pulls on the heartstrings, and students are quick to immerse themselves in the lives of the compelling characters. Because of this, a The One and Only Ivan novel study is the perfect choice for upper elementary readers.
Based on a true events, The One and Only Ivan is told through the eyes of the kind and gentle Ivan, a gorilla who lives in a shopping mall. He and his animal friends entertain the guests as they shop. Through flashbacks, the reader learns about Ivan’s struggles with living in captivity, and his dreams for the future.
The One and Only Ivan novel study makes a great introductory literature study for younger learners. The story is told from the perspective of Ivan, with short chapters and text that is broken up in ways that make it flow easily. However, don’t let the limited text fool you! The true beauty of this story is in the way Applegate manages to say so much with so few words.
For a no-prep novel study that you can download and use in your classroom right away, click on the image or button below!
The One and Only Ivan Novel Study Activities
Check out some fun activities to use along with this engaging novel below!
1- Compelling Character Activities
Ivan lives in the Big Top Mall with several of his friends. These include elephants named Ruby and Stella, and a small dog named Bob. These characters are beautifully portrayed by Applegate, and students quickly connect to them.
As we work through the novel, I have students complete a variety of different graphic organizers related to character development.
Through Ivan’s eyes, readers gets to watch the characters develop and change over time. Ivan is a strong and dynamic protagonist. Students can clearly see how his interactions with other characters and experiences at the mall bring him to a place where he is willing to take action towards a better future for himself and Ruby.
For additional character development ideas, check out our favorite character analysis activities!
2- Interactive Notebook Activities
Throughout the novel study, I have students collect and record all of our learning in their Interactive Notebooks.
Interactive Notebooks enable students to be creative and independent thinkers and writers. They allow students to express their ideas in unique and engaging ways. Through this, they can effectively process information presented in class.
Throughout the novel study, students use several types of interactive tools to record and process their thinking. This ranges from traditional comprehension questions to activities that flip and fold. The activities completed in the notebooks are more than cutesy cut and paste images. Instead, they teach students to interact with content at a high level, and to make that content their own.
Interested in more information on Interactive Notebooks? Check out my previous posts here, here, and here.
3- Giant Pennant Projects
These pennant activities make great review projects at the end of the novel study. To begin the activity, we first do some group summary work.
Students are divided into groups and asked to summarize the key points of the novel. This is a great opportunity to review the reading strategy of “determining importance”! I have the groups write the summaries on chart paper, and then present them to the class.
After summarizing, I have students individually choose their top five favorite parts of the novel. Students jot these down in point form, and later write them in complete sentences on their pennant projects.
Once completed, these pennants make gorgeous bulletin board displays, and are a great take-home project for students to share with their families.
4- Online Research Activities
As this novel is based on a true story, I have students do some online research on the real One and Only Ivan. To do this, we watch this video clip about Ivan’s release at Zoo Atlanta.
After the video, we talk about Ivan’s experience at the zoo, and answer some comprehension questions based on the video.
5- Adopt a Gorilla
This novel study is a great opportunity to discuss key issues about animal captivity and endangered species. The World Wildlife Federation has a lot of great information online that is both informative and student friendly. You can see some of the great work the WWF has done with protecting the gorilla species in this video.
After learning about the work of the WWF, our class decided to do a fundraiser to help support gorillas. WWF works to support protected areas and other conservation programs across the lowland gorilla’s range. Students wrote letters explaining the need to protect gorillas, and each brought in a few dollars to support the cause. After raising $60, we were able to “adopt” our own gorilla through the WWF.
Through the symbolic adoption, we received a gorilla stuffed animal for our classroom, along with a fact card, photo, and adoption certificate. The kids were crazy excited when it arrived in the mail!
Interested in more information on these The One and Only Ivan Novel Study Activities?
Check out the video below for a detailed view of everything included!
Interested in grabbing this The One and Only Ivan Novel Study to use in your classroom?
Pop on over to my TPT shop by clicking here or on the image below, to snag your own copy of this The One and Only Ivan novel study unit!
Looking for some free resources to use alongside this engaging novel? Check out our post featuring freebies for The One and Only Ivan!
For more information on teaching specific novels, you won’t want to miss our posts on teaching Wonder, The Hunger Games, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Outsiders!
Looking for a FREE novel study resource?
Click here or on the images below to download a FREE activity to teach plot! It includes detailed student notes and fill in the blank notetaking templates!
Interested in signing up for my email list?
If you are interested in signing up for my email list, you can do so by clicking on the link below. I periodically send out emails with free resources, teaching tips, and exclusive deals. Signing up will also give you immediate access to some of my best selling Interactive Notebook resources – foldable activities, graphic organizers, and other fun activities.
