Flora & Ulysses

Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo explores the adventurous dynamic between Flora and her family. After Flora watches a heroic squirrel overcome a powerful vacuum cleaner, she names him Ulysses and they become inseparable. Through meeting Ulysses, Flora's world is turned upside down as she navigates through family dynamics and recognizes the importance of sharing her ideas to those around her.

Common Core State Standard:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3 Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).

During reading:

• Cover essential vocabulary terms as they arise in the story:

  • Malfeasance: unjust conduct by a public official

  • Cynic: someone who is critical towards others

  • Indomitable: impossible to defeat

  • Shuddering: violent shaking

  • Surge: a sudden powerful movement

  • Eradicate: to destroy something completely

  • Depleted: to use up the supply of something

• Example discussion questions to drive comprehension:

  • How is Flora's family dynamics addressed within the novel? How does Flora interact with her family members? What does this say about her relationships with those close to her?

    • How do these relationships progress throughout the novel?

  • How do Flora and Ulysses interact? How would you describe their relationship with one another?

  • What superpower does Ulysses have and how does he reveal it in the story?

After reading: 

• Students will be given the task of rewriting the story as a picture book, using very simple and minimal words so that it can be enjoyed by early elementary students. This project can be presented and shared to students in younger grade levels.

• Students may also be given the task of using Voki to create an animated character from the story and have them recite a scene from the story from their perspective

  • Link to Voki to get started: https://www.voki.com/site/create#google_vignette