English - Yr 8 - Unit 2 - Resource - The Hobbit - Teacher LA
English - Yr 8 - Unit 2 - Resource - The Hobbit - Teacher LA
English - Yr 8 - Unit 2 - Resource - The Hobbit - Teacher LA
1. Introduction activities
a. Examine the front cover of the novel what do you think the novel is
about.
b. Write down anything you know about the author
c. Examine the map at the beginning of the book and discuss with your
classmates.
d. What are runes?
e. Decipher the rune characters on the top of the first page.
f. Decipher the message on the map located under the pointing hand.
g. Explain the difference between a goblin and a hobgoblin.
h. Construct a chart with the rune characters and the English translations.
i. Translate the last message found in the introduction.
2. Develop a list of creatures you meet throughout the novel and describe briefly
each of their personalities.
Creature Character Description of personality
Hobbit Bilbo Baggins Well to do, respectable
Hobbit Bungo Baggins (Bilbos parents) Mother Baggins (Belladonna Took)
Mother Baggins not as respected as Bagginses, though richer Took
adventurous
Wizard Gandolf (friend of Old Took) very adventurous
Dwarf Thorin Oakenshield Head Dwarfs – played harp
Dwarfs Kali & Fili Blue hoods, silver belts and yellow beards
Youngest, best sight played fiddles
Dwarfs Balin & Dwalin Balin – White beard likes beer,
Brothers Dwalin - blue beard green hood, bright eyes
Dwarfs Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin Two purple hoods, a grey, brown, and white hoods
and Gloin and gold and silver belts played flutes. Dori is the
strongest
Dwarfs Bifur, Bofur, Yellow, pale green hoods and sky blue – played
Bombur clarinets
Bombur – immensely heavy – played drums fastest
Trolls William, Bert & Slow & suspicious about anything new. Hated ths
Tom site of dwarfs uncooked. Argued
Elve Elrond Master of the house, noble, as strong as any warrior,
as wise as a wizard, as venerable as a king of
dwarves, and as kind as summer, new all runes
Goblin The Great Goblin Biggest and wisest, very gruesome in his orders
Gollum Gollum A weary interesting character, slimy
Eagle The Lord of the Filled with curiosity
Eagles Friendly to Gandalf as Gandalf had helped him on
another adventure
Skin- Beorn Interested in there adventures, friendly big man,
changer very helpful in their adventures
Spiders Attercop Evil, meat eating
&Tomnoddy
Wood-elves Elf-king
Wood-elves Elvenking
Dragon Smaug
Bard
3. Draw a picture of what each of the creatures looks like you meet throughout
the novel. Annotate the features on each of the creatures and classify whether
they are good or evil.
Hobbit
Pg 13. Rare & shy, little people ½ our height, smaller than the bearded dwarfs, Fat
in the stomach, dress bright colours (green & yellow) wear no shoes because their
feet grow natural leathery soles and thick warm brown hair like their They have long
brown fingers, good natured faces and laugh deep fruity laughs
Wizard
Tall pointed blue hat, long grey cloak, a silver scarf which his long white beard hung
down below his waist and immense black boots.
Dwarf
Blue beard tucked into a gold belt,
Trolls
Great heavy faces, language poor, slow. When hobbit skinned and boned wouldn’t
make a mouthful for the trolls, Hated ths site of dwares uncooked. Argued
Elve
Dwarves don’t get along with them think their foolish, they know a lot about the
people of the land. Laugh a lot
Goblins
Stony voices, rough, sang, eat horses and ponies and donkeys, cruel, bad-hearted
and wicked, untidy and dirty
Gollum
Small slimy creature, as dark as darkness, two big round pale eyes in his thin face.
He paddled in his boat using his large feet looking for blind fish which he used his
long fingers. zHe ae meat too. Don’t like Goblins. Lives on slimy rock on lake.
Eagles Not kindly birds, some cowardly and cruel though the northern mountains
were proud and strong, noble-hearted. They did not like goblins or fear them.
Goblins feared them.
Spiders
Wood-elves – not wicked folk, magic strong, more dangerous and less wise than
high-elves. They did not
Dragons
1. What indication is there that Thorin is the leader of the dwarves? Doesn’t
join in, in the singing is older, speaks mainly, expects presents, family were
great explorers
2. Explain the humour in the expression, "I . . . cook better than I cook."
Biblow saying that he can cook better than he would taste
3. Explain moon letters. – are rune letters, but you cannot see them Elrond
says they can only be seen when the moon light shines behind them. The
moon must be a moon of the right shape and season as the day when they
were written dwarfes invented them
4. What was the purpose of the riddle game. – to suss one another out
5. Explain the significance of the title of the chapter ‘Out of the Frying-Pan
into the Fire’ . They literally were out of the frying pans of the Goblins
however they started a fire under the trees of where they were trying to
escape from the wolves
6. How did the Elvenking respond to the news of the dwarves' plans to slay
the dragon, Smaug, and capture his treasure. ?/??? he didn’t believe them
7. How does Bilbo finally unlock the riddle and the secret door? Pg 256 sun
shone on the rock, there was a loud crack and a piece of rock fell leaving a
hole to appear. The key Thorin had around his neck that came with the
map fitted
8. How did the dwarves respond when Bilbo asked for volunteers to
accompany him into the Mountain? Dwarfs and accepted happily after
becoming the new leader
9. How does the Bard save the day?
10. What is the "gleam in the gloom" and how does it turn the tide of the
battle?
Chapter Three-- A Short Rest (they finally get a rest at Elronds house – elves who
sing and the dwarfs think there a bit silly)
According to Gandalf, what lay hidden somewhere not too far ahead of the
travellers?
Who was Elrond?
What is Durin's Day?
Chapter Four-- Over Hill and Under Hill (bilbos dream comes partly true all there
belongings are taken by the Goblins. The Great Goblins orders them to be
murdered, then he is killed by Gandalf with his sword they all escape. No food or
ponnies. Goblins chase them faster and they know the way better. Thorin and
Galdolf with their torches kill some Goblins. Biblo at end of pack is grabbed and hit
his head).
Explain how the dwarves and the hobbit were able to find their way up the
treacherous mountain.
What did Tolkien mean by a thunder-battle?
Describe what the stone-giants were doing. -
What indication is there that the cave might not be safe?
Summarize Bilbo's dream that evening. – crack in cave floor began to sink
Why was it fortunate that Bilbo had accompanied the dwarves into the cave?
What happened when the crack in the wall snapped shut?
Explain how the horses, ponies and donkeys all disappeared.
Why were the Great Goblin and many of his soldiers so upset when they saw
Thorin's sword?
Who came to the rescue of the dwarves and what weapon did they use?
What happens to Bilbo at the end of this chapter?
Chapter Five-- Riddles in the Dark – Bilbo is lost travels through tunnels then hits
icey water where he meets Gollum Gollum a weird slimy creature plays the riddle
game with Bilbo. Bilbo wins so Gollum is suppose to show Bilbo the way out. Bilbo
finds the ring in his pockets makes him invisible which comes in handy when he
needs to escape from the Goblins.
Why was Bilbo so frightened when he regained consciousness?
What does Bilbo find as he crawls blindly along the floor of the tunnel?
Why was Bilbo comforted by his dagger or small sword?
How was Bilbo able to see in the darkness?
Why was Bilbo reluctant to wade in the water?
Who is Gollum and where does he live?
Explain the power of Gollum's ring.
Why did Gollum hurry right past Bilbo?
Explain how Gollum unexpectedly aids the hobbit in his escape.
Why are the goblins reluctant to pursue Bilbo Baggins once he is outside?
Chapter Six-- Out of the Frying-Pan into the Fire – still lost Bilbo finally runs into his
crew. Still invisible with his ring on he listens to his group talk about him then he
surprises them. Start to travel on then run into the Wargs- they ran up the trees to
escape and meet the Eagles. They throw fire on the wolfs. The goblins turn up and
laughed. The eagles then swept in to carry all the dwarfs away. They eat and have a
good sleep.
What did Bilbo Baggins intend to do if he was unable to find Gandalf or the
dwarves?
What did the dwarves want to do when there was no sign of Bilbo?
How might you use the power of the golden ring if you possessed it?
Why did Gandalf encourage the adventurers to hurry on their way?
What noise did they hear as they stepped into the clearing?
Why would the ring not protect Bilbo from the wolves (Wargs)?
Who helped Bilbo escape into the tree?
Why did the wolves alert the goblins to the adventurers who are hiding in the
trees?
Who rescued the party of adventurers from their perilous position in the trees?
Chapter Seven-- Queer Lodgings – The eagles drop the group off. Gandalf tells them
he will be leaving them. Introduces them to Beorn to help them with directions etc.
They swapped stories and stayed for a few nights. Beorn hated goblins and was very
fierce he laughed that they had killed the head goblin anf wolf. Beorn gave them
ponies and plenty of food and sent them on their way. They say goodbye to Gandolf
Why did Bilbo pinch the eagle?
What announcement caused the dwarves to moan and Bilbo to weep?
According to Gandalf what are two possibilities explaining the origin of Beorn?
How does Gandalf prove himself to be a great manipulator when he is talking
to Beorn?
What information did Beorn glean in his travels to the wolf-glade?
What gruesome sight did Beorn reveal to the adventurers when asked by Bilbo
what had happened to the captured wolf and goblin? Cut there heads off put
them out the front
What warning does Beorn give the travellers about proceeding through
Mirkwood?
What shadowy form did Bilbo think he had seen on the third evening of their
journey?
What were Gandalf's final cautionary words as he bade farewell to the
dwarves and Bilbo?
Chapter Eight-- Flies and Spiders –travel along in the thick forest running low on
supplies and come across a boat bombur falls out plan doesn’t work. See light and
fire continue to be hungry. Get into spider battle where Bilbo uses his ring. spiders
tried to eat Bombur. Thorin is captuered.
Why were the travellers unable to cross over the stream by bridge?
Describe what happened to Bombur as he was about to step into the boat.
Explain how Bombur's unfortunate incident slowed their travels.
Explain why Bilbo and the dwarves strayed from the path.
What did Bilbo discover was happening to him when he awoke?
Explain the transformation of Bilbo Baggins' character as he renames his
sword Sting.
Why is Bilbo horrified when he stumbles upon the dwarves in a dark part of
the Mirkwood forest?
Explain why Bilbo was so adroit at throwing stones.
Summarize Bilbo's rescue of the dwarves.
What do the dwarves discover when they take a headcount?
Chapter Nine-- Barrels Out of Bond –the rest of the dwarfs surrended except Bilbo as
he put his ring on. Bilbo goes into the palace via the creek back entrance and
resuces all the dwarfs. They head to the river and climbed into a barrel and travel
on the river for a long time.
Where did the Wood-elves take their captives?
How did the dwarves react to their interrogation by the Elvenking?
What does the Elvenking order his men to do?
How did Bilbo learn that Thorin was being kept captive in the dungeon?
Who played a key role in the escape of the dwarves from prison?
Briefly describe their final departure from the palace.
Chapter Ten-- A Warm Welcomethe towns people are very nice feed them and
provide bedding. Sent them on their way with ponies and plenty of provisions.
Describe the scene as Bilbo approaches the region where the trees ended.
Describe the strange town at the mouth of the Forest River.
What strange creatures inhabited the town?
Why did the guards at Lake-town not keep a very careful watch?
Why were the raft-men elves so astonished at the appearance of the dwarves?
Why does the Master relinquish his own great chair to Thorin despite the fact
that he is not completely convinced that the dwarf is who he claims to be?
How appropriate is the title of this chapter?
Who was the only person thoroughly unhappy the day of the departure? Bilbo
Chapter Eleven-- On the Doorstep – they took a break and found a crack in the rock
worked out how to open it
Why did the men of the town refuse to stay overnight where the dwarves
disembarked?
Describe their surroundings as the adventurers moved nearer to the Mountain.
Which dwarf informs Bilbo that he was in the Dale the day the Dragon
attacked?
What did Bilbo and his companions see on their scouting expedition?
Explain how Bilbo begins to take a leadership role in their quest.
Chapter Twelve-- Inside Information – Bilbo managed to get into the cave and see
Smaug and the treasure.Bilbo began talking with the dragon. He laughed at him
because he wanted to know how he intended to get the gold out of the mountain
and how to get it passed the lake men etc. Smaug gets angry rock goes everywhere
and they get stuck
What took away Bilbo's breath?
Describe the dragon.
What did Bilbo carry back to the dwarves?
How do we know that Smaug kept close tabs on his treasure?
What analogy does the author use when describing the dragon's rage?
What indication is there that Bilbo is turning into a real leader?
What can no dragon resist?
What was Bilbo pleased to see when he tricked the dragon into displaying his
underside?
Why does Bilbo regret his comment about the Barrel-rider to Smaug?
Why does Bilbo throw a stone at the thrush?
How did the band of adventurers become trapped in the Mountain?
Chapter Thirteen-- Not at Home – they manage to escape and start making there
way away from the mountain Smaug nowhere to be seen.
Explain the significance of the title of this chapter.
Why do the dwarves finally relent and make their way down the dark tunnel to
Smaug's lair?
What does Bilbo confiscate from the mound of treasure?
How does Tolkien use the treasure to portray the dwarves in a negative light?
What does Thorin offer Baggins as a reward for his assistance? jacket
In addition to the gems and gold, what else did the dwarves confiscate?
Why did Thorin offer to lead the group of adventurers to the Front Gate?
11. What indication is there that Thorin is the leader of the dwarves?
12. Explain the humour in the expression, "I . . . cook better than I cook."
13. Explain moon letters.
14. Explain the basic rules of the riddle game.
15. Explain the significance of the title of the chapter ‘Out of the Frying-Pan
into the Fire’ .
16. How did the Elvenking respond to the news of the dwarves' plans to slay
the dragon, Smaug, and capture his treasure.
17. How does Bilbo finally unlock the riddle and the secret door?
18. How did the dwarves respond when Bilbo asked for volunteers to
accompany him into the Mountain?
19. How does the Bard save the day?
20. What is the "gleam in the gloom" and how does it turn the tide of the
battle?
Class activity
Debate the following statement with your classmates. Fantasy is a waste of time
for most teenagers and adults. Fictional literature should for the most part be
limited to children below the age of 12 as it serves little purpose other than to
entertain. At the conclusion of the debate, conduct a vote and announce the
results.
Extension Activities