The Hobbit.
Some may hate the Tolkien classic, others may be obsessed with it. I’m obsessed, and I love it. I truly think reading it for the first time as an adult helped me choose to get out of my comfort zone, leave my hometown, and have a baby all in one fail swoop.
This post is somewhat different from a traditional ELA lesson plan, it is all my ideas of how to use The Hobbit either in your classroom or as a multi-subject study for your homeschool curriculum.
Many of these ideas won’t be applicable to the traditional classroom, but they can inspire summer activities for teacher parents. Since moving to Utah, I’ve met so many parents who homeschool, and after my sister (who does not homeschool) mentioned she wanted to read The Hobbit for her daughter’s winter family read aloud book, I had a moment of inspiration.
So here we go…
A mega brainstorm list of ways to make the The Hobbit come alive for your students or kids.
Exploring Themes in The Hobbit Through Circle Time or Journal Prompts
Before reading the book, get your kids exploring some big ideas (aka thematic ideas) that the novel explores.
- What does your perfect cozy day look like?
- What does it mean to be comfortable?
- What is a comfort zone?
- Is staying in your comfort zone or being too comfortable a bad thing?
- If you could go on any adventure, what would you do? Where would you go?
- How is going on an adventure different from being in “your comfort zone”?
Extension Ideas: These journal prompts or family discussions could be broken up over several days and could be used to plan your own family adventure or make for a fun project-based learning exercise where students research their own dream adventure vacation.
The Hobbit Thematic Ideas for Literary Analysis
For your older homeschool students (8th or 9th graders) or your classroom, use The Hobbit as an entry point to teach literary analysis writing by exploring these ideas:
- Comfort Zones
- Bravery
- Unlikely Heroism
- Making hard decisions (Bilbo standing up to Thorin)
- Being corrupted by power
For example, use the following writing prompt: How do you see the idea of unlikely heroism demonstrated in the character of Bilbo?
Teach skills like embedding text evidence, citing evidence, and analytical writing after you and your kids have finished the novel.
Vocabulary Activities for The Hobbit
Go through the chapters of The Hobbit and find words that you are either unfamiliar with or that your kids may not know. If you want one made for you already, check out Learn for Your Life’s vocabulary list that picks out higher level words from each chapter (YAY— I love the internet).
Teacher Tips on Vocabulary Instruction for Homeschooling Parents:
One way to really up the rigor of studying vocabulary and teaching independent study skills is by using a Frayer Model variation vocabulary card.
One on side of an index card, write the word. On the other side, include the definition, a picture, the part of speech, and a synonym for the term.
If you are teaching multiple ages at the same time, then consider reducing the grammatical components of the cards. But, no matter what age you teach, include the hand drawn picture! Associating the word with an image plays into dual-coding learning theory which suggests that we learn more and remember more details if we associate words with a visual aid.
If homeschooling, consider assessing your child’s knowledge of the word orally and see if they can use the terms in a sentence or a short story of their making. For younger kiddos, see if they can pick it out in the story and remember the synonym for it.
As the teacher, get excited when you read the word out loud in the story. I’d say something like “WHAT? WE KNOW THIS WORD!!! Who can tell me what it means?!” — I get cheesily excited when intentional teaching moves come up in stories.
Use The Hobbit to teach geography and art skills through map making
Consider tracking Bilbo’s journey while reading, and then conclude the read aloud with making a map of his path through Middle Earth. You may even want to stain the paper with tea before making it to give the map an “old” look.
Here’s how to make your own “historic” paper:
Bring Non Fiction Reading into The Hobbit Homeschool Study Through Library Trips
Whether you are a teacher parent in the summer, a nanny, or a homeschool parent, let’s get out of the house and go to free places in our communities, or make a plan to spend a little bit of money on a day trip.
Going to the library is a great way to enjoy air conditioning in the heat but also teach great life skills like speaking to an adult (a librarian) respectfully and independently, how to regulate our volume in a public space, and how to handle library books with care.
These are skills we are not naturally born with, so consider just that aspect of visiting a library a lesson on its own.
Now what to check out…
I’d recommend coffee table books or photo heavy books on any of the following topics. See what your kiddos are excited to learn.
- Medieval England
- European History
- Spiders
- Forests
- Trees
- Mountains
- Caves
- Fantasy Characters
- Elements (like GOLD)
See what sparks your child or students’ interest and give them time to just read on their own. Ask them about what they’ve read, and once you’ve gotten to the related portion of the book, see if they can make any connection to the non-fiction text that they’ve read.
Head Outside for a Hobbit Hike
Besides cultivating a healthy lifestyle, being in nature helps activate a child’s imagination and can help improve attention, focus, and symptoms of depression according to a UC Davis health blog.
So where should we go on our Hobbit related adventure?
Find a safe creek or trail to hike. While walking (especially with littles) ask them to play pretend with you: Imagine we are going to find a treasure…what will we find in this forest? Let them take the story away from there.
Escape the Elves on a Family River Float
This summer, I had the time of my life river floating in Idaho with my 8-year-old niece. It made me think Bilbo and the dwarves escaping the elves and floating down the river to Lake-town (Chapter 9).
If you have a river floating space in your community, I highly recommend doing this. While the Bear River in Idaho was more intense than the Southern streams I’m used to, I still felt safe floating while 8 months pregnant, and my niece had a blast and was safe with her life vest on.
Cultivate Bravery Through a Cave Visit
One of the scariest parts of the novel (to me) is Bilbo’s cave adventure. Not only do the poor ponies get eaten, but we are also introduced to Gollum and his riddle game. Is there a cave close by to where you live? See if you can check one out or go on a tour to make this portion of the novel come alive.
Transform Outdoor Games into Hobbit-Themed Challenges with Your Homeschoolers
Trolls and Daylights
In a yard or public park, play a modified version of freeze tag with your kid’s friends where two “trolls” are “it”. When you yell “DAYLIGHT” the trolls themselves must freeze or they have to play as the hobbits and dwarves. This game is great for teaching impulse control, taking turns, and for plain old energy release.
Spider Web Rope Climbing
Inspired by a Forest School activity, weave a rope around two-three trees to create a web like structure out of rope that your kids must climb through to escape. That’s my simple rendition of making a spider web, but if you want a more detailed game read more about the forest school activity here.
No matter what, the activity will help dexterity, gross motor skills, and general agility for your kids.
When I said brainstorm, I meant it. I hope that these ideas can help you make Tolkien’s gem of a book on heroism and comfort zones come alive with your family or students.
If you use any of these ideas, please tag me on Instagram (@mrswalkersroom) so that I can see your own adventures!
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