Narrative

The unit plan for The Hobbit will run for three consecutive weeks. However, for the purposes of brevity, we (the teachers) have only specifically outlined the four individual lesson plan days of Monday – Thursday in Week Two. Nevertheless, it is appropriate to give a brief synopsis of the standard activities and projects that would occur each day, regardless of coverage of a specific theme.

Warm Up – At the beginning of each class, we start with a warm up activity that will get the students thinking about the topics we’ll cover in some way. Usually, this will be a vocabulary builder or “word of the day” that we allow the students to guess for its definition. These will be words taken directly from the text that we feel might confuse young readers. As with any vocabulary learning, we will stress that the students look for any possible root word origins or what part of speech the word might be when the students make their guesses.

Recap – Since nightly reading is essential (see inclusions of reading assignments within the narrative and individual lesson plans) to be able to enjoy the books in this class, each day will include a brief (or extended) recap of the previous night’s reading. This recap might start with a short quiz. This quiz assessment is not to penalize the student for not reading, but is there to draw out any confusion or misconceptions that the students might have acquired overnight. (The quizzes can be graded by switching papers and will be collected by the teacher.)

The next important part of the recap is to cover any aspects of the basic plot that are not fully understood by the students. The Hobbit is a book that is driven by action, and sometimes students can get confused about the characters, their behaviors, and their motives. In all discussions of these aspects, the teachers will look for participation that demonstrates understanding and inquiry. We will ask our students if they can surmise what might happen next based on the reading they have completed. This is a good opportunity to foreshadow upcoming events and spark an interest for the students to read closely and carefully.

While we are looking at plot, it is also very important to look at The Hobbit for its style and diction. As this is an ELA class, it is very important to our discipline to note how the author uses figurative language, dialogue, and sentence structure to create a tone for the book. Students will be encouraged to look for these writing traits in various authors and be able to differentiate between them in later exams.

The last part of recap is our discussion with the students about themes and tone. Although we cover three very distinct themes in Week 2, this is not exhaustive of all of the themes in The Hobbit. Students will be encouraged to “read between the lines” to see if Tolkien might have been suggesting deeper messages than the ones on the surface. Tolkien’s tone will also be held up to the light to detect whether he was serious or jocular about his tale. The teacher will explore with the students whether there are any extended metaphors or allusions hidden within the text.

Writing – It is essential that some type of writing occur each day within the classroom. These assignments do not have to be long and drawn out; they can simply be a writing in the student journal that answers a simple question. For example, the students might be asked if they ever tried to get out of a duty or a chore for which someone had “volunteered” them. These writing assignments would go into the student’s writing journals which would be collected on the Friday of each week. While spelling, grammar and punctuation would be noted (for areas of improvement), these daily writings would be followed for the students’ abilities to articulate themselves to the scope and focus of the question.

Wrap-Up/Cool Down – Like any exercise regime, we all warm up at the beginning and we cool down at the end. Each class period, we will make sure to leave time for the students to make any final comments or ask any burning questions that would otherwise linger. Again, this is essential for us teachers to gather the necessary feedback that allows us to be reflective and recursive. We may notice that some element or aspect of the day’s learning did not go as we had planned and we need to devote more time to in the next class period. It is important that we discover those areas of learning that contain gaps before we introduce new information.

After-care – Each day presents different challenges for both teachers and students. We want to make sure to provide even a moment at the end of class for the student who might have an embarrassing question, problem with a peer, or problem understanding the assignments. This time might be conducted in just a minute or two outside of the classroom. We want to respect our educator colleagues to make sure we get our students to the next class on time, but, sometimes, it is important to hear what a student has to say before a little problem becomes a big problem. Sometimes the student might need additional help, or he or she might need to be referred to a guidance counselor, but we need to not be controlled by the bell system when a student needs extra attention for any issue.

Our individual lesson plans offer very rich and active learning opportunities for the students, but we do not want this to overshadow that the same focus on students and their differentiated learning occurs every single day. We propose that these best practices are built into all successful classrooms and they exist as an adapting routine for excellence!

Reading Assignments for Homework

Monday – Homework read Chapter 1 (pp. 1 – 27)

Tuesday – Homework read Chapters 2 & 3 (pp. 28 – 54)

Wednesday – Homework read Chapters 4 & 5 (pp. 55 – 90)

Thursday – Homework read Chapter 6 (pp. 91 – 111)

Friday – Homework read Chapters 7 – 9 (pp. 112 – 188)

On the last day of Week Two (Day 10) and the first three days of Week Three (Days 11-13), the focus of the class shifts primarily to the Summative Assessments, whereby the students use allocated class time to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate to combine their knowledge of creating cultural artifacts and arguments to determine who will win the gold bounty at the end of the novel. Specifics of the assessments include the first three group members (The Scholars) collaborating on a 5-6 page report on the group’s Middle Earth culture (Hobbit, Elf, Dwarf, Men), to be presented on the Challenge Day of the Victory Celebration (Day 15) along with a technological accompaniment of their choice. They will also help the other group members (The Artisans) to locate citations from the book to justify their creations; all justifications will be about 250-words long, documented, and read when the artifact is presented on the Fair Day of the Victory Celebration (Day 14). Specifics of cultural artifacts created could include any or all of the following:

Three of these roles are required on each Clan, as they are research roles. The artisans should be assigned by skill.

The Scholars— As well as their own research, the Scholars will advise the Artisans as they search for references in the book. The Artisans will help the Scholars with costumes, armor, heraldic design, and/or cultural representations which support their cultural claims.

Leader/Spokesman— This is the leader of the Clan and will represent the leader of the Clan in the book The Leader researches the particular claims of the Clan’s Middle Earth race (Hobbit, Elf, Dwarf, Men) to the treasure; writes it in two pages typed plus sources, and presents an outline of it in 4 minutes at the Challenge Day. The outline must be scanned and presented on Powerpoint, due to the teacher on Week 3, Day 3, so that it is ready for the presentation on Week 3 Day 5.

Ethnographer— Ethnographer is a person who gathers and records data about culture and societies. The Ethnographer researches the particular characteristics of the Clan’s Middle Earth race (Hobbit, Elf, Dwarf, Men) writes it in two pages typed and documented, and presents an outline of it in 3 minutes at the Challenge Day. The outline must be scanned and presented on Powerpoint, due to the teacher on Week 3, Day 3, so that it is ready for the presentation on Week 3 Day 5.

Historian— Creating history and timeline taken from the book. The Historian creates an original, accurate timeline for the culture and explains it to the class in costume, if desired. One page must be submitted plus sources, along with the timeline, presented at the Challenge Day. NOTE: The timeline must be scanned and presented on Powerpoint, due to the teacher on Week 3, Day 3, so that it is ready for the presentation on Week 3 Day 5.

The Artisans NOTE: There are four artisans and seven roles, so that each student may choose a role suitable to his or her skills. A student may volunteer to perform two roles, but must research both and must present both in the time allotted. For example, the Bard/Minstrel would write both the words and the music to a Middle Earth song representing the Clan identity. The Herald/Armorer might research both the armor and coats of arms and create both, with the help of the Clan. The Linguist/Minstrel might sing in Anglo-Saxon.

Cartographer— A Cartographer is a person who makes maps. The Cartographer creates an original map (made totally by YOU) of all locations, including those that the Ethnographer, Leader, and Historian present. The Cartographer also illustrates the map in culturally appropriate ways. The Cartographer explains the map in costume, if desired. A 250 word justification must be submitted with sources, together with the map on the Festival Day when the Artisans present. NOTE: The map must be scanned and presented on Powerpoint, due to the teacher on Week 3, Day 3, so that it is ready for the presentation on Week3 Day4.

Minstrel— Minstrels provided castle entertainment in the form of singing and playing musical instruments. Minstrels often would record the deeds of heroic knights in songs giving the knight great publicity and establishing respect and additional status. The Minstrel creates and performs music as it might be found in the Clan’s Middle Earth culture in costume, OR sets to music a part of the text; and performs it in costume on Week 3 Day 4. A 250 word justification must be submitted with sources, and a recording or score of the music.

Tailor— A tailor made clothes for the nobles and required having knowledge of various fine and expensive materials. The Tailor esearches and helps to make or find costumes, or advise about appropriate costumes for the Clan members and the clothier herself/himself based on research into the book. The Tailor may be consulted by all others on the Clan who want to dress in Middle Earth costumes, and may confer with the Tailors of other Clans. A 250 word justification must be submitted with sources, as well as the costumes the Clan wears on Week 3 Day4.

Armorer— A medieval armorer held an important occupation in the medieval workforce. Armor had to be uniquely made to fit its wearer and was considered one of the specialist Medieval Jobs. The Armorer researches and builds “historically” correct armor for him/herself, and help with armor for the Clan. It must be made of cardboard, foil, soft plastic or cloth. No wood or metal may be used, due to security. A 250 word justification must be submitted with sources, as well as the armor on Week 3 Day 4.

Bard— A Bard was a professional poet, employed by a patron, such as a monarch or nobleman, to commemorate the patron's ancestors and to praise the patron's own activities. The Bard will write poetry in celebration of the Clan’s culture, presenting it on a Powerpoint slide (due by Week 3 Day 3) and will read it as a part of the cultural Festival on Week 3 Day 4. A 250 word justification citing quotations from the book will explain how this represents the Clan’s Middle Earth culture.

Herald— A herald was a knight’s assistant and an expert advisor on heraldry. The herald (or harker) would declare announcements on behalf of the king or noble to the public. Normally this was done on a given day when the public would assemble at the base of a castle tower or in the town square and the herald would shout out the news. The Herald was also an expert in the symbols found on armor and banners. The Herald will aid Clan members in the construction of personal Coats of Arms to adorn their armor, costumes, and banner. The Herald will explain the symbols used for the Clan’s armor and justify them from the book in 250 words or more, and present them on Week 3 Day 4.

Linguist— A person accomplished in languages; especially: one who speaks several languages. The Middle Earth linguist will study the appropriate language for the Clan. Tolkien’s languages for Dwarves and Elves will be used. Tolkien used Anglo Saxon (Old English) for the Hobbits; the same language will be used for the Men. The Linguist should consult with the Linguists of other Clans to compare and gain understanding. He/she should help the Clan members find suitable names, write their names in the language, and learn a greeting for Festival Days. The Linguist will also write a 250 word justification, and will prepare a Powerpoint slide with examples of the language for the presentation on Week 3 Day 4.

The justification will include a description of the differences of the Clan’s language from Tolkien’s other languages. (See the link to the language site in the Handbook. Note: The language for both the Men and the Hobbits in Anglo-Saxon, or Old English.)

Group Presentation for Homework

Monday – Preparation for Group Project

Tuesday – Preparation for Group Project

Wednesday – Preparation for Group Project

Thursday – Group Project, Part A

Friday – Group Project, Part B