Are you reading The One and Only Ivan in your classroom? If so, these The One and Only Ivan classroom activities will go perfectly with the book!Â
The One and Only Ivan Classroom ActivitiesÂ
This novel is great for grades 2-4. You can do an entire novel study, or you can do it as a read aloud. Either way, these activities are great!
Visualizing the Domain
Visualizing is such a fun activity to do with any novel! Without pictures, it is nice to have students think about what they are reading. It also requires them to work on listening and reading comprehension.
After reading all about Ivan’s domain in the first few chapters, have the students draw and color what they visualize the domain to look like. Then, have them compare each domain and discuss how the details in the book lead them to their picture.Â
Creating a PlanÂ
Towards the middle of the novel, Ivan is working to save Ruby. Have your students create a plan on how Ivan could save Ruby before revealing what his actual plan is. You can have them write out a plan or color one! This is a great way to work on inferencing.Â
Writing a Letter to Mack
This is a great writing exercise! Have students write a letter to Mack, asking him to free Ruby and Ivan from their cage. This requires the students to really think about Mack and what type of language would help make him want to free the elephants!Â
End of Novel Projects
After reading a novel, I love to allow students to show their knowledge and their creativity. Here are some ideas of things you could have your students complete!
- Book Commercial-Plan, film, and create a commercial to advertise The One and Only Ivan.
- Create a 2nd book-Students will create a children’s book that would take place after the ending of this novel.
- Build a Domain– This is a great STEM project! Give the children many different supplies and allow them to make a domain for Ivan to live in.
Want more?Â
If you want everything planned out and ready to go for you, head here! This novel study includes all the activities above and more! There are quizzes, discussion questions, weekly activities, vocabulary, and more!
Hannah Wilde
I am so glad you’re here! I love helping 3rd-5th grade teachers by providing ideas, engaging resources, and professional development they need. I am a literacy coach who is here to help lessen the workload for teachers while making them more confident! I want students to be continually engaged in a rigorous environment!