The One and Only Ivan

Written by Katherine Applegate and Illustrations by Patricia Castelao

Published by HarperCollins, 2012

When Ivan ends up living in a shopping mall he does not think it is so bad. He has become used to people watching him through the glass walls of his domain and he rarely thinks about his life in the jungle. Ivan mainly focuses on his friends, Stella and Bob and painting, That all changes when the newest member of the mall, Ruby a young elephant, arrives. With her arrival change comes and Ivan is the only one that can make it happen.
Lexile Level: 570L
Age Range: 8-10 years
Page Count: 319
Suggested Delivery: Small Group, Independent Read
2013 Newbery Medal Winner

Key Words: Hope, Friendship, Heartwarming, Realistic Fiction, Protection.

Internet Resources:
The Book Website
http://theoneandonlyivan.com
The website for the book has a summary of the book along with reviews. There is a tab in which you can read about the real Ivan as well as meet the author.
Book Trailer
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UtPdqV2crQ0
This is a book trailer for The One and Only Ivan. This would be great for the students to watch before reading the book to make them want to read it because it is very dramatic.

Vocabulary:

• Unkempt: not neat or cared for.
• Feeble: lacking physical strength.
• Domain: territory.
• Silverback: an adult gorilla male over the age of 12 with an area of silver hair on his back. The silverback is a figure of authority, responsible for protecting his family. 
• Juvenile: of, for, or relating to something young.
• Gingerly: with extreme care or caution. 

Teaching Suggestions:

1. In the back of the book there is a list of discussion questions that are great to ask students to better their inferential comprehension. 
2. The novel has a theme of belonging so this is something that you can discuss with students. You can ask the students to discuss the idea of belonging from the point of view of each of the characters. Then have them relate it back to what their idea of belonging is to them.

Reading Strategies:

1. Before: To get the students excited about reading The One and Only Ivan, have the students listen to the NPR on the real Ivan. This is a great way to build schema before reading the novel. Ask the students after listening to the NPR what they are expecting the story to be like. 
2. During: Students will get into groups of 4 and will read the book and complete reciprocal teaching. The book will be broken into 8 sections in which everyone will be able to have the job of summarizer, questioner, clarifier, predictor, twice. Here is a worksheet to give each student so that they know what their job is. 
3. After: Using the RAFT Writing model ask students to write a letter to someone who holds animals in captivity to tell them why they should not keep them in captivity. They will be asked to make references to the book and how Ivan's life was in captivity. Here is a worksheet to help students write the letter using the RAFT model.

Writing Activity:
Ask the students to answer the following question in their reading journals: "What do you think Ivan's greatest challenge was? Use examples from the text to support your reasoning."