A Wrinkle in Time Activities

If you’re looking for A Wrinkle in Time teaching ideas, Madeleine L’Engle’s classic fantasy novel offers opportunities for teaching courage, individuality, and the power of love. Students are immediately drawn into Meg Murry’s journey as she travels across space and time to rescue her father. This post includes anchor charts, constructed response questions, and activities that compare the novel to the movie, perfect additions to your unit study.

Reading Level

Lexile 740L

Interest Level

Grades 5-8

Length

228 pages

Award

Newbery Medal

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⭐ About the Book

A Wrinkle in Time begins with one of the most famous opening lines in children’s literature: “It was a dark and stormy night.” Meg Murry, her brilliant younger brother Charles Wallace, and their new friend Calvin O’Keefe soon find themselves swept into an extraordinary adventure. Guided by the mysterious Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which, the children learn that Meg and Charles Wallace’s father is being held captive by a powerful force known as the Darkness.

Their journey takes them to several planets, including Uriel, the Happy Medium’s world, Camazotz, and Ixchel, each offering lessons about conformity, courage, and the importance of thinking for oneself. On Camazotz, the children confront IT, a terrifying embodiment of control and uniformity. Meg must rely on her flaws, her individuality, and her fierce love to save her father and her brother.

⭐ Book Details

Publication Date	January 1, 1962
Reading Level	Lexile 740L • Scholastic Guided Reading Level W
Interest Level	Grades 5–8
Major Awards	1963 Newbery Medal Winner
Length	228 pages (approx. 78,080 words)
Estimated Reading Time	About 5 hours and 12 minutes (at 250 words per minute)
Audiobook Length	6 hours, 27 minutes
Genre	Children’s literature • Fantasy • Quest
Setting	Earth • Uriel • Happy Medium’s planet • Camazotz • Ixchel
Point of View	Third person, limited omniscient
Themes	Power of Love • Value of Individuality • Good vs. Evil
Memorable Quote	“Life, with its rules, its obligations, and its freedoms, is like a sonnet: You're given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself.”
First Line	“It was a dark and stormy night.”

A Wrinkle in Time Teaching Activities

Book Unit Samples

This sample contains…

Vocabulary Practice for Chapter 1
Character Traits Constructed Response Question
Problem and Solutions Constructed Response Question
Setting Constructed Response Question

Teaching Idea #1 ~ Problems and Solutions Anchor Chart

This anchor chart helps students map the problems and solutions in Chapter 4. By using sticky notes, the anchor chart may be reused again and again.

Teaching Idea #2 ~ A Wrinkle in Time Printable Setting Anchor Chart

This anchor chart can be printed poster-sized for a class activity or on a standard piece of printer paper for an individual activity. Click here to read a blog post that provides additional information about this anchor chart.

Teaching Idea #3 ~ A Wrinkle in Time Activities
Comparing the Book to the Movie

A Wrinkle in Time is a science fiction/fantasy novel by Madeleine L’Engle that was published in 1962. The novel has been adapted into a movie twice. The first movie adaptation was in 2003 as a television film. In 2018, a movie adaptation of the book was released, directed by Ava DuVernay and starring Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling.

Play Video about A Wrinkle in Time Movie Trailer

What a fantastic movie!

#1 – Have students watch portions of the movie in small segments throughout the unit. This will help students better understand this unusual story.

#2 – Have students compare the book to the movie.

The Book vs. The Movie

Similarities:

The movie follows the same basic plot as the book, with Meg and her friends traveling through different dimensions to find and rescue Meg’s father.

Meg is an insecure teenager who struggles with feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt.
Dr. Alex Murry is missing.
Meg goes on a venture to rescue her dad with her younger brother, Charles Wallace, and friend Calvin.
The three must battle an evil force to rescue Dr. Murry.

Differences

Meg is still a strong and independent character.
The setting of the movie is the modern-day USA. The setting of the book is 1960s England.
The movie excludes the twins.
The movie shows headlines about Dr. Murry’s disappearance.
The book portrays Charles Wallace as highly gifted, while the movie shows him differently.
The three witches must search to find Dr. Murry in the movie. In the book, the three witches know that Dr. Murry resides on the dark planet Camazotz.
The movie changes the centaur ride into a giant leaf ride.
The Happy Medium is Mrs. Whatsit’s boyfriend.
In the book, Meg travels to Ixchel and meets Aunt Beast. Aunt Beast appears briefly in the movie, but Meg doesn’t meet her.
The book describes many of the settings and characters in great detail. The movie takes a more abstract and surreal approach to the visuals. The film features vibrant colors and otherworldly landscapes.

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A Wrinkle in Time Novel Study includes vocabulary practice, comprehension questions, constructed response writing, and skill practice.

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