Are you just as excited as we are for the A Wrinkle in Time movie release? So many of us have loved and taught this book for decades that it’s beyond thrilling for us to see it finally come to the big screen. In celebration, we’re sharing some of our favorite A Wrinkle in Time activities for the classroom.
1. Pique their interest with wild news stories.
SOURCE: TeachingSparkNotes
We love this idea from blogger TeachingSparkNotes: Before reading A Wrinkle in Time, she has students bring in unusual news stories about UFO sightings, psychic powers, or anything else not easily explained by current science. She then has students post the stories on a bulletin board, which they fill in as they dive into the novel.
2. Learn about tesseracts.
SOURCE: Griffin Weatherman
The characters in A Wrinkle in Time are able to time travel through tesseracts. While we haven’t quite made the same advances in real life, tesseracts are real mathematical objects. You can learn more about tesseracts and the math and science of A Wrinkle in Time by checking out our Follett Collection of videos and resources.
3. Design an A Wrinkle in Time board game.
SOURCE: Katie’s Klassroom
Blogger Katie Reisinger has her students design A Wrinkle in Time board games as a final assessment after reading the novel. Some create physical board games; others make electronic ones in PowerPoint. What a fun opportunity for students to flex their creative muscles!
4. Make art inspired by favorite scenes.
SOURCE: Northwind Arts Center
Students at Port Townsend School of the Arts chose their favorite scenes from A Wrinkle in Time to illustrate, using mural-making techniques. Each of the paintings corresponds to a quote. We love the variety of styles!
5. Create a map showing the world of A Wrinkle in Time.
Professional artist Andrew DeGraff designed this map of the beloved novel. (Visit the Follett Collection of A Wrinkle in Time resources to view the whole thing.) Wouldn’t it be fun to have students create their own maps of the book or of the characters’ journeys?
6. Make book trailers.
SOURCE: AsianOtakuFTW
There are some wonderful online examples of student-made book trailers for A Wrinkle in Time. You might compare them with the trailer for the Disney movie. What is similar? What is different? Ask students, based on the trailer, do they think the movie will be faithful to the book? Why or why not?
7. Read other time-travel stories and compare them to A Wrinkle in Time.
SOURCE: Harrison Densmore
Many other books for young readers explore time travel, including the Time Stoppers series by Carrie Jones and When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. Invite small groups to read one of these stories and then compare how time travel is treated in these books versus A Wrinkle in Time. This 3 Theories of Time Travel poster explains some of the most common treatments in popular culture.
8. Discuss what makes A Wrinkle in Time a work of science fiction.
SOURCE: Mrs. M’s Style
What elements are common to science fiction stories? What makes A Wrinkle in Time a work of science fiction? How is science fiction different than other fiction genres (e.g., realistic fiction, mystery, fantasy)?
9. Learn about the life of Madeleine L’Engle.
SOURCE: Pinterest
Did you know that A Wrinkle in Time was rejected by more than 30 publishers? You can learn more about Madeleine L’Engle’s life by checking out the resources available in the Follett Collection on A Wrinkle in Time.
10. Invite students to perform the story in 90 seconds.
SOURCE: James Kennedy
The 90-second Newbery film festival encourages students to retell famous stories in just a minute and a half. They’ll practice their summarizing skills, creativity, and teamwork with this one!
