Charlotte's Web - Lesson 14: Last Day - PowerPoint

In Lesson 14 of an English teaching resource, students delve into the final chapter of E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web," with the aim of understanding how the author creates tension in the narrative. The lesson sets out to read and discuss Chapter Twenty One, focusing on the plot and characters. Students are encouraged to explore the significance of certain quotations from the text, which highlight themes of admiration and friendship. For example, they examine a quote that underscores the unnoticed yet pivotal role of a grey spider, reflecting on how this conveys a sense of admiration. Another quote depicts a moment of farewell that encapsulates the essence of friendship within the story.

The lesson also includes a language focus, where students analyse an extract from the book to identify how E.B. White builds suspense through his writing. They are guided to spot various language techniques, such as the use of simple sentences to convey urgency and personal pronouns to emphasize perseverance. The choice of words like 'desperate', 'failing', and 'solemn' are discussed in terms of adding gravity and danger to the scene, while the action conveyed through verbs injects excitement and suspense. Additionally, students work in pairs to discuss a poignant piece of text that contemplates mortality, aiming to interpret the deeper message behind the author's words and the significance of the spider's reflections on life.