Finding the perfect upper elementary novel to capture students’ imaginations while teaching important lessons can be challenging. Enter Tuck Everlasting—a timeless story that opens the door to deep discussions, creative projects, and meaningful connections. With the right Tuck Everlasting activities, you can engage students in thought-provoking lessons that bring the novel to life while meeting learning objectives. Whether you’re teaching fifth grade or middle school math, this novel offers incredible opportunities for interactive and impactful classroom experiences.
Having spent over 20 years teaching, I know how crucial it is to keep students involved in the story while hitting those learning objectives. When I first introduced Tuck Everlasting to my fifth-grade class, I saw their eyes light up as we explored themes of immortality, family, and the natural world. Today, I’m sharing some tried-and-true classroom activities for novels like this one to ensure your students stay hooked from start to finish.
To help students deeply understand the novel, here are 5 of my favorite Tuck Everlasting activities, you can add to your novel study block.
Host a Debate: Immortality: A Blessing or a Curse?
Tuck Everlasting raises profound questions about life, death, and the consequences of eternal existence. With this Tuck Everlasting Activity, you will engage students in a debate to explore these ideas further. Divide the class into groups and assign each group a specific topic, such as the advantages and disadvantages of living forever. Encourage students to support their arguments with evidence from the novel, fostering critical thinking and persuasive communication skills.
Character Journaling
While reading, have students to dive deeper into the minds of the novel’s characters by keeping character journals.
Assign each student a character from “Tuck Everlasting” and ask them to write journal entries from the character’s perspective. In these entries, students can reflect on their thoughts, motivations, and experiences throughout the story. This activity promotes empathy, encourages critical thinking, and fosters a deeper connection between students and the characters.
When I implemented this, my students couldn’t wait to share their entries. Many surprised me with their creativity and insights—they truly embodied the characters, making the story come alive in our classroom.
Play Four Corners
This Tuck Everlasting Activity will get your students up and moving about. Create a PowerPoint presentation that asks questions about the novel, its characters, theme, and figurative language. Show the questions, and have students decide the answers by going to the corner of the room that they believe has the correct answer. This activity fosters quick thinking, improvisation, and the possibility of being alone in a decision.
Create a One Pager
Tap into students’ artistic abilities and enhance their comprehension by using illustrations and/or words. Ask students to choose a significant scene or chapter from the novel and create a visual representation on a One Pager template. The One Pager should capture the mood, themes, and key elements of the chosen scene. After completing their One Pager provide students with an opportunity to present their visual representations to the class, explaining their choices and how they relate to the story. This activity allows students to engage with the text on a visual and emotional level while sharpening their interpretive skills.
Design a Map of Treegap
Tuck Everlasting takes place in the fictional village of Treegap. Challenge students to create a detailed map of Treegap based on the descriptions in the novel. Encourage them to include key locations like the Tucks’ house, the spring, and the Fosters’ home.
You can take it a step further by having students work in small groups to compare and contrast their maps. This activity reinforces reading comprehension, spatial awareness, and teamwork.
Create a Tree of Life Bulletin Board
The enormous tree in the story symbolizes the cycle of life and the secrets it holds. Have students create their own artistic version of a “Tree of Life” and use it to map out the characters’ decisions, relationships, and personal growth throughout the novel.
Incorporating art was always a hit with my upper elementary classes, especially those who needed hands-on activities to stay engaged. Pair this project with a short writing assignment where students explain their creative choices.
Dig In With a Novel Study
A written response novel study activity can offer numerous benefits to fifth graders engaged in reading “Tuck Everlasting.” It promotes critical thinking and comprehension skills as students are encouraged to reflect on the text and articulate their thoughts in writing. Through this activity, they can analyze characters, themes, and plot developments, fostering a deeper understanding of the story. Moreover, writing responses allows students to express their personal interpretations and connections to the text, enhancing their creativity and self-expression. It also develops their writing skills, including sentence structure, grammar, and vocabulary, as they strive to effectively convey their ideas. Lastly, this activity encourages independent learning and individual growth as students engage in reflective thinking and take ownership of their learning experience.
Teaching novels in upper elementary classrooms is one of my favorite things, and Tuck Everlasting holds a special place in my heart. Its blend of relatable characters, rich themes, and opportunities for creative projects makes it an excellent choice for fifth grade and beyond. By incorporating engaging Tuck Everlasting activities, you’ll ensure your students not only understand the story but also carry its lessons with them.
💙tina
