Activities for Teaching A Wishtree Novel Study
By MARISSA DESPINS Updated Sept 28, 2023
Wishtree novel study activities
If you’re looking for a creative and interactive way to teach Wishtree by Katherine Applegate, you’ve come to the right place. This New York Times bestseller is a must-read for young readers. A Wishtree novel study makes the perfect spring read aloud, and is a great tool for teaching young minds about friendship, acceptance, and kindness.
Looking for a COMPLETE Novel Study to use along with this engaging story? Click on the image or button below to download a complete unit with graphic organizers, comprehension questions, vocabulary activities, and more!
Below are some of my very favorite activities for teaching a Wishtree novel study.
Introducing the novel through “Our Tree Named Steve”.
Wishtree is told through the perspective of an oak tree named Red. A fantastic way to introduce the novel is through a short read aloud of the picture book “Our Tree Named Steve” by Alan Zweibel. The story follows the adventures of a tree named Steve, and the impacts he has on a young family.
This is a sweet story, and an outside of the box way to get students thinking about the roles nature plays in the world all around them. You can snag a copy of the book on amazon here, or watch a read aloud of the story on YouTube here.
For tips and tricks for class read alouds, you won’t want to miss out read aloud accountability tips!
Discussion Questions
One of the easiest ways to get students talking about the book is by presenting them with chapter discussion questions. Students can work through the questions independently, then get into small groups to discuss their answers. Later, student groups can volunteer to share their answers with the class.
I am a big fan of the questions pictured above and below, as they are broken up into chapter sets. This allows for enough questions to encourage discussion, without overwhelming students and taking away from the enjoyment of reading. Also, they have space for illustrations, which helps to tie in a little art and engage reluctant readers.
Introducing characters
Character analysis activities are a crucial part of any educational curriculum. Practice with character analysis helps students to better understand literature by teaching them how to recognize and analyze the different characteristics of each character, thus leading to deeper comprehension of the text as a whole.
These activities are a great way for students to look closely at characters. I like that they have space for students to practice their visualization skills through art as well. Not only will this activity help them remember who’s who in your Wishtree novel study, but it will also get them thinking critically about the characters’ personalities and relationships with one another.
For more information on character analysis, check out this blog post. You many also be interested in our complete guide to teaching about character traits!
For a fun FREE activity to practice character analysis, click here or on the image or button below!
CONNECTING TO THE STORY
When it comes to ELA instruction, teaching students to apply reading comprehension strategies is crucially important. These strategies are necessary for our students to grow to become self-monitoring and independent readers. Through active modeling and practice, reading comprehension strategies can have a huge learning impact for both our avid and reluctant readers.
These fun foldable activities are a no-stress way to work on the skill of connecting with your learners. Students simply cut out the foldable and glue it to a sheet of lined paper. Then they can respond under the flaps.
For more information on building reading comprehension strategies, check out this blog post.
Exploring Diversity
Themes of diversity are deeply woven into Wishtree’s narrative. Exploring these topics should be an important part of any Wishtree novel study.
One way to do this is by having your students brainstorm ideas around what it means to be “different” and how we can embrace our differences rather than fear them. It is a great opportunity for students to practice kindness and empathy towards others.
For more novel study specific teaching ideas, check out our posts on Because of Mr. Terupt, Restart, and The One and Only Ivan!
For more general novel study ideas, check out our series all about novel studies! We cover information on what a novel study is, understanding your purpose, choosing your framework, selecting the perfect title for your learners, choosing activities, and organizing your timeline.
Looking for more activities for teaching a wishtree novel study?
Check out my complete Wishtree novel study on TPT by clicking here or on the image below. This resource comes with detailed comprehension questions, graphic organizers, projects, vocabulary activities, and more!
Looking for more reading activities?
Check out some of my previous blog posts on reading below.
How to Plan a Novel Study: Choosing the Activities
How to Plan a Novel Study: Assessment Activities
Hatchet Novel Study Activities
Novel Study Text Selection Tips
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