The Hobbit Literature Unit

If you have been following me for any length of time, you probably know that I am an avid reader. Over the past few months I have made it my mission to share my love of books with my children and to introduce them to some great classics. And what is a classics challenge without some J.R.R. Tolkien? Originally I planned to create my own complete literature unit for The Hobbit, but there were so many great options available that I skipped the hard work and got right to the fun stuff! However, I want to share the resources we used with all of you.

{Learning Resources}

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• The Hobbit Copywork from Walking by the Way
  If you are not familiar with Ami from Walking by the Way, you need to check out her blog! She has so many great ideas and free resources.
• The Hobbit Teacher’s Guide from Penguin Random House
  Penguin Random House divided the book into eight sections. We followed the recommended reading timeline, and used the discussion questions to better understand the book. This site also includes an “About This Author” section that you may find useful.
• Who Was J.R.R. Tolkien? by Pam Pollack
  Whenever we do a literature unit I like to include an author study. I think learning more about an author can help children connect more with what they are reading. I absolutely love the “Who Was” series, and this was a great addition to our collection.
• Essay Ideas for Younger Students from The Tolkien Society
  We used these essay ideas as writing prompts for journal time since my little guy isn’t quite ready to be writing full essays. I really enjoyed reading my children’s journal entries. 
• Poems in The Hobbit
  The Tolkien Gateway has listed all of the poems in The Hobbit Tea Time Tuesday along with what chapters they were in. Since we have every week, we used this list to revisit the amazing poetry from the book.

{Hobbit Holes}

I knew as soon as I selected The Hobbit that I wanted to do something similar to a fairy garden for our school room. 
Suggested supplies:

• A container
• Soil
• Empty soda can
• Faux moss
• Modeling clay
• Rocks
• Twigs
• Glue
• Sand
• Faux flowers
• “Fairy garden” decor

Instructions:

1. Fill your container about half way with soil. Then place the empty soda can on top of the soda, and fill the container the rest of the way with soil. You will want to pack the soil onto the can, so it stays in place. (Note: Make sure to leave one end of the soda can uncovered so you can attach a door later on.)
   
2. With a glue bottle add a little bit of glue on top of your soil, and then pack moss on top of it. The glue is not necessary, but we found it was easier to get things to stay in place.
   
3. Use modeling clay to create a door and any other decor you may want to decorate your Hobbit Hole with. My daughter, Julia, create little hobbit men for both her and Jack’s Hobbit Holes. Once you have shaped the door to the right size, simply press it onto the front of the soda can. 
   (Note: Your modeling clay may take a day or more to dry, especially if it is thick. Allow proper drying time before attempting to paint it. My children decided not to paint any of their clay pieces.)
4. Finally, decorate your Hobbit Hole with any of the remaining supplies. My children added walking paths, trees, and flowers.

{More Fun Activity Ideas}

• Have a movie weekend–Watch all the movies and pig out on snacks after finishing the book! 
• Build with Legos while reading–There are a ton of great Hobbit sets available.We purchased this one.
• Prepare and eat a hobbit feast–One of my favorite parts of The Hobbit is the feast. Have your children prepare a feast for dinner one night.

Thank you for checking out The Hobbit literature unit…

I hope your found this list of resources helpful. If you have any great activities to add to this literature unit comment below. We are always looking for new ideas. 

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