Edward Tulane / Character Study

Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who treated him with the utmost care and adored him completely. And then, one day, he was lost.

Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the top of a garbage heap to the fireside of a hobos camp, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. And along the way, we are shown a true miracle: even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.

Standards:

Key Ideas and Details: RL.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. RL.4.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text. RL.4.3Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions). Craft and Structure: RL.4.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean). RL.4.6 Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: RL.4.7 Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text.

Essential/Focus Questions

1. How do readers connect to characters?

2. How do readers grow theories about characters?

3. How are characters shaped by their experiences?

4. How does an author demonstrate the theme?

• This story centers around loss. In the story, a number of characters lose people and things they love. Have you ever lost something that you loved? How did it make you feel and what did you do to cope with the loss?

• In the story, people make assumptions about Edward based on the way he looks. Why do you think people judge othersbased on their appearance? Is there truth to the old adage, “you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover?” What are somethings people wouldn’t know about you if they based their judgements solely on your appearance?

• Like many stories to come before it, THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE, explores the idea that “there’s no place like home.” Do you believe this to be true? What is it that makes a place a home?

Activities & Assessment:

- Throughout the book, students will be creating theories about Edward and focusing on his character traits.

- Students will be writing about their thinking using evidence and explaining their thinking.