If you loved The One and Only Ivan and The One and Only Bob, prepare for another heartwarming adventure with The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate. This is the third and final book in the Ivan and Friends series. This delightful tale unfolds from the perspective of Ruby, a spirited and small elephant with a big heart. Follow Ruby’s adventures as she makes friends, faces challenges, and chases her dreams of a brighter future.
Ruby is born in Africa, where she lives with her herd until poachers kill her mother. She is rescued by two bulls, then taken to an orphanage, where she meets Jabori, who cares for her. She is captured again and sold to a circus, where she befriends Fiona, another elephant. Mack, who owns a mall, buys Ruby where she meets Stella, another elephant who teaches her riddles and questions. Stella dies, and Ivan, a gorilla, promises to find Ruby a better home. Ruby ends up at the sanctuary, where she learns to love her tusks and appreciate the gifts of life. She feels happy and loved by her herd, family, and friends, especially Ivan and Bob, a dog.
This post offers a variety of engaging activities and teaching ideas to complement this remarkable story.
The One and Only Ruby Teaching Ideas
Teaching Idea #1 – Novel Study Samples
This PDF contains novel study samples, including Chapters 1–9 vocabulary and comprehension questions.
This handout also contains the activities mentioned in the blog post.
Teaching Idea #2: Wild vs. Captive African Elephants T-chart Activity
Before reading the book:
- Begin with a brief class discussion about what students already know about elephants.
- Highlight the differences between wild and captive environments.
- Introduce the T-chart to the students, explaining that it will help them compare and contrast wild and captive African elephants.
- Allow students time to answer the questions.
- Summarize the differences between wild and captive African elephants based on the T-chart.
Teaching Idea #3: Tuskday Celebration Activities
The One and Only Ruby Teaching Ideas #1
Have your students create a Tuskday card for Ruby, congratulating her on her growth and maturity. They can decorate their cards using words, pictures, stickers, or other materials. They can also write a personal message to Ruby, telling her what they admire about her, what they learned from her, or what they wish for her.
The One and Only Ruby Teaching Ideas #2
Have your students make a collage of the gifts that the world gave them or that they gave the world. They can use magazines, newspapers, photos, drawings, or other materials to cut out and glue images that represent the gifts. They can also write a caption or a sentence to explain each gift.
The One and Only Ruby Teaching Ideas #3
The Elephant Adventure Trail Game will add fun and laughter to your The One and Only Ruby’s Tuesday Celebration! This interactive game, available for download in the attached PDF, transforms the learning experience into a playful journey filled with elephant trivia, jokes, and amusing challenges. As students play the game board, they’ll encounter questions about elephants, enjoy a good laugh with elephant jokes, and face unique challenges that add a touch of fun to their reading adventure.
Download the PDF now and let the Elephant Adventure Trail Game turn your Tuskday Celebration into an unforgettable experience!
Teaching Idea #4: Elephant Appreciation Day
Check out my blog post titled Activities for Elephant Appreciation Day for additional activities to add to your study of The One and Only Ruby. This post includes ten activities, from elephant idioms and fables to discovering intriguing facts about their lives. You’ll find grammar practice, witness the heartwarming story of Kuishi’s Rescue, delve into elephant art, and even incorporate math with Elephant Math Adventure! Visit the blog post for a complete handout, printables, and an ele-fun quiz to add to your study.
See the product that inspired this post.
The One and Only Ruby Novel Study includes vocabulary practice, comprehension questions, constructed response writing, and skill practice. We
Check out blog posts for the other novels in this series.
