Teaching "The Hobbit"

1: A Detailed Description of the Text:

After being visited by a wizard named Gandalf, a hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins is drawn into helping a group of dwarves reclaim their land. Reluctant and terrified to go on this adventure, he eventually decided to go along. Throughout their journey the group faces a number of setbacks, and Bilbo gets separated from the rest of the group after being knocked unconscious. Eventually stumbling upon a creature named Gollum and a magic ring, he engages in a game of riddles to leave and not be eaten by the strange creature. After reuniting with the dwarves and Gandalf, they run into problems with a giant spider, and then a group of wood elves and all the dwarves end up captured. Bilbo frees the dwarves by using his magic ring, and ends up in Lake-town, where a bunch of humans live. Eventually, Bilbo and the dwarves make it to the mountain where the treasure of Thorin, the leader of the dwarves, is guarded by a dragon named Smaug. Tricking Smaug, Bilbo convinces the dragon to attack Lake-town, which proves to be the dragon's defeat, and the men, elves and dwarves begin to fight over the treasure. Eventually, a group of goblins and wargs (sentient wolf-like creatures) join in, and while the combination of the humans, dwarves, and elves manage to win, Thorin dies in the conflict. After some mourning, Bilbo returns home to live a peaceful life for a while.

2. Why Did I Choose This Text and Who's the Target Grade Level?

I chose this text because partially because of my enjoyment out of the book when I was younger, despite not being required reading. Additionally, the book is a simple read for 7th and 8th grade students, meaning the book is a bit more accessible for students as a whole. The story can be used to explore themes related to greed, race, and heritage and how those affect character motivations and actions in the course of the story. Multiple characters are driven by green throughout the novel, which has consequences for those characters over the course of the novel, and influences the choices of some of the characters. Similarly, topics relating to race and heritage can be similarly examined, as both those play into the behavior and rationale behind character actions.

3. Some Teaching Examples

This text could be used to examine the relationship between characters and the plot, as well as how character actions influence plot. Additionally, the book could be used as a teaching device for figurative language, comparing the symbolisms for race, heritage, and greed. The book is a simpler read than the majority Tolkien's work, and would also be able to work on several writing activities. Finally, there are some teaching exercises you could do comparing the (pointlessly extended and in many cases redundant) movies.

4. Potential Teaching Problems

The book isn't a very "risky" book to have in the classroom, being already included on the required reading lists for some schools. The biggest problem with this this text is that there is more violence than some parents would probably be okay with, including the death of at least one named character. Some parents may not be okay with their children reading about that in a book in school. The other issue, although uncommon, is the inclusion of magic and fantasy, which could create some problems with more religious families that may not be okay with such things in popular media.