The Tale of Despereaux Lesson Plans

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“I honor you…”  These famous words from The Tale of Despereaux will ring in your students’ hearts long after they finish reading this novel.  Read on for some fun The Tale of Despereaux lesson plans, activities, and  ideas to use when teaching this novel, and be sure to print our FREE handouts and a test by clicking the link below!

There are many memorable characters in this novel, but Miggery Sow is definitely a heart gripper!  The reader feels sympathy for her as soon as we read about her clouts to the ear.  One of my really cool The Tale of Despereaux lesson plans involves an activity I used with my students this past school year.   The way Miggery Sow is treated reminded me of a country song.  So, I played the video of Taylor Swift’s song “Mean” by showing them the YouTube music video.  This song fits perfectly for Mig and her very mean uncle.  After watching the video, I had my students write a short paragraph explaining why the song is so fitting for Mig. Then, I challenged them to find songs appropriate and fitting for the other characters in the book.  They absolutely loved this, and when we were done reading, we had a vote and put together a sound track for the entire novel!

After finishing the book, I showed the movie.  The movie is very different from the book, and I wanted my students to take note of the differences so that we could discuss how these differences affected the plot.  I gave them what I will call an “active watching guide” so that they could take notes while whatching.  We held a discussion, and then I gave a test which compared the novel and the movie.  This provided a great opportunity for me to cover an important Common Core standard!

Click here to download our FREE sample packet for The Tale of Despereaux and you will have two printables and a portion of a test!  If you enjoy these freebies, consider downloading our entire teaching unit for this novel.  You’ll have handouts to help you teach each chapter as well as tests, including one to compare the novel to the movie.  You only buy it once, and you have it for years to come!  Plus, all of your plans will be complete!

Happy teaching!