J. R. R. Tolkien

Lesson plans for The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings

Alphabet Soup: Exploring the World's Different Alphabets
This lesson plan asks students to read a New York Times article about a man who converts the world's alphabets to computer Unicode. After reading it, students research the alphabets of the world.

Glory Road: Epic Romance As An Allegory of 20th Century History
Historical background to and influences on The Hobbit, lesson plans and activities, annotated bibliography.

The Hobbit
This 12-page document addresses 58 vocabulary words drawn from the novel. Adobe Reader or compatible application required for access.

The Hobbit unit
Vocabulary, reading questions, and links explaining the archetypal journey of the hero. Some documents require MS-Word or compatible software for access.

The Hobbit, Study Questions
Four essay/discussion questions and possible answers.

The Hobbit Teachers Guide
Activities to support the novel.

Lord of the Rings Word Search
An online, interactive word search for character names. A good activity for elementary students.

National Geographic, Beyond the Movie Lord of the Rings
From the site: "Discover the history, myth, and cultural forces that inspired The Lord of the Rings and explore the parallels between the imaginary world of Middle-earth and our own." An excellent resource with lots of classroom application.

Old Hobbits Are Hard to Break
This standards-based lesson asks students to "role-play advertising executives in an exploration of how films are marketed on the Web to distinct audiences" (from the site).

Screen Play
In this standards-based lesson, "students examine The New York Times' review of the film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings' as a starting point for learning about the basic elements of scriptwriting. They then act as scriptwriters to adapt scenes from literature into scripts, following a conventional screenplay style and format" (from the site)."

The Sorcerers Shown: Comparing Similar Character Genres in Literature and Film
Designed for grades 6-12, this lesson draws heavily from U. S. popular culture. Students read an article from the New York Times (available at the site) and analyze the relative strengths of various characters.

Teacher's Guide for The Lord of the Rings
Separate guides for The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King.

The Tolkien Archives
Slide show on book covers, trivia quizzes, onlinen video about the movie soundtrack, and articles about Tolkien printed in the New York Times.

The Tolkien Society Education Page
Teaching ideas. This page has a few ideas and is interested in hearing yours.