Where+the+Wild+Things+Are

 Max is a young boy, aged 10 or so, with an active imagination. If he doesn’t get his way, he has a tendency to throw temper tantrums. He is very independent and able to keep himself occupied for hours on end playing make-believe games, but he also seems lonely and needs a friend. One day an impromptu snow-ball fight breaks out between Max and his sister and her friends. All is going well until the older kids take it too far and destroy Max’s fort, causing a moment of terror for him where he is buried in the snow. He retaliates against his sister (Claire) by trashing her room. Later that night he feels further ignored by his Mother, rudely demanding her attention away from her boyfriend. During the ensuing argument, Max runs away, wearing the wolf costume he had been playing dress-up in.

Max runs away physically, but mentally as well and escapes into a world of his own creation, the world of his imagination. At first the audience is led to believe that Max is physically running away from home, but when a boat ride turns to fantasy and he ends up on an island full of giant wild things, we realize we must suspend belief and just go with the story. While on the island, Max makes friends with the Wild Things, and is proclaimed King. Despite running away from conflict, Max finds himself in the middle of conflict, dealing with what seem to be overgrown children having tantrums of their own. He has the added burden, as King, of being responsible for trying to solve these problems. In the end Max leaves the island to return home to his worried but loving Mother.

**//a) //****//In what grade level / course would you teach this text? Are there other courses for which it might also be appropriate? //**

Depending on the level of discussion, this film could be used in Grade 9 applied through to Grade 12. Although the Grade 12’s might be reluctant to view what they think is a “kid’s” movie, the issues it addressed of family, acceptance, the struggle with growing up, are universal to all and appealing to the child, the Max, inside all of us.

﻿ **﻿History** - write an account of the movie as a Historical review. Consider what might have happened had Max not returned home. As a leader, do you think he could have maintained power amongst his people? **﻿Geography** - look at the different landscapes on the island and explain how each of them are made via the geographical processes (plate tectonics, etc.). **﻿Biology** - identify the traits of each of the wild things and determine a possible lineage based on dominant or recessive traits. Pair two of the wild things together and create an offspring that displays traits of both of it's parents. Create a dihybrid punnet square (16 squares) and show the outcome and predictors of the different types of offspring this pair will have. ﻿**﻿Physics** - Draw and measure the structures that they build during the movie - from the round houses to the extensive family dwelling at the end. Structurally, is this building stable and possible? **Dance** – choreograph a Wild Rumpus to the music in the film. **Drama** – Create and act out a scene based on the Vampire story that Max tells his mother in the movie. Add more dialogue to flesh out the interactions between the characters. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">**French** – Translate the dialogue in a chosen scene, either Max arguing with his mother, when he first meets the wild things, talking alone with Carol, or when he announces he is leaving. Or watch the French version of the film and do the same create a character activity as below, but in French. French film is entitled “Max et les maximonstres”. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">**Music** - analyzing the different pieces in the movie and how they relate to the mood and atmosphere of the different scenes. Listen to the music with the screen blank and ask for the student's feedback on whether it is a happy, sad, exciting, depressing, etc. type of scene

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> ﻿ **//<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">b) //****//<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">What are the main ideas/ issues/ teaching points which you would emphasize when teaching the text? (Consider the knowledge possibilities: Social, topic, cultural, textual.) //**

__<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Social Knowledge __ <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">- no man is an island, we must all depend on others <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">- people change, even if we don't want them to <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">- change is difficult to adjust to <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">- friendships can be difficult, a balance of giving and receiving, the joy of having fun together, the pain of feeling hurt and betrayed

__<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Topic Knowledge __ <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Love, Courage, Bravery, Independence, Leadership, Conflict, Survival, Escape, Fear, Anger, Revenge, Trust, Friendship, Betrayal, Influence, Loyalty

__<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Cultural Knowledge __ <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">- family and belonging are the basic needs of humans (and wild things) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">- conflict is necessary to work out issues <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">- honesty is not always the best policy (if you are about to be eaten) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">- lying can have serious consequences

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">__Textual Knowledge__ <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">- movie <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">- although the story almost seems like a 1st person narrative since it’s all going on in Max’s imagination, the story is 3rd person limited from Max’ point of view <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">- storyline jumps between the real world and the wild things island <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">- time moves slower on the island, weeks pass compared to hours in the real world <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">- very little dialogue

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">**//<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">c) //****//<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">What are the issues/ challenges you might encounter in teaching the text? //**


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">For the most part there are very few human characters in the story. Will the kids be able to empathize with the Wild Things, which are for the most part female and male.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Girls that tend to obey the rules may dismiss the movie as they may not understand the violent tendencies of young boys.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Kids who really like the book may be reluctant to see the movie, or they may not like the interpretation of the movie.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Kids of all ages will relate to being angry at their parents or their siblings. It’s how they channel that anger, do they bottle it up and keep it inside, do they have outbursts like Max? Perhaps the kids won’t all related to Max’s way of dealing with his anger, but I think they can all relate to his feelings. The scene in his snow fort is very strong, very scary in fact because you think he might suffocate. Most kids can relate to the revenge aspect of being angry, tearing up his sister’s stuff because he’s mad at her.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Definitely the issue of how to channel anger would be an important one to have in the classroom, what are some healthy ways. Go for a run, go for a walk to cool down, go read for a while, take your energy out on a physical sport, even punching a punching bag is therapeutic. Most people when they are angry want their feelings to be understood. The parent can go a long way to acknowledging the anger, ask them for a period to cool off, and then calmly discuss things later. Even silly things like counting to 10, they really work. Obviously in the movie Max runs away, which is extreme. I know many kids (me included) who had their bag packed ready to run away from home. My problem was my best friend lived across the street, but I wasn’t allowed to cross the street by myself, so I couldn’t figure out how to run away.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Issues related to varying types of family units within the student’s experience and the difficulties of single-parent families. Max is very conflicted when his Mom starts dating, as can be seen by his acting out. The students in the classroom may identify too much with this and may have trouble discussing this. Those from a 2-parent nuclear family may not empathize with Max if they have not been in this situation.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">**//<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">d) //****//<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Describe one possible assignment / activity which you could use when teaching the text. How does it connect to the curriculum expectations of the course you are teaching? //**

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Kids can reflect on a time when they were very angry with their parents or their sibling and they wanted to run away from home. They are to do a comic depiction of the action, minimum 12 frames long that outlines their story. The quality of the drawings is not as important as the ideas that they convey and the story accompanying it.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Have students complete a Venn diagram to compare the similarities and differences between the picture book and the movie.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Compare and contrast the snowball fight in the real world and the dirt clod fight on the island.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Compare and contrast the interaction between Max and his mother and Max and Carol. In what way are the roles reversed when the issue of "being out of control" comes up, who is the parent and who is the child?

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Have students write an alternate ending to the movie where Max does not leave the island – how do you think he might resolve the conflicts between the Wild Things?

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">The monsters are a metaphor for the people in our lives or different aspects of our personality. Match up 3 of the wild things in the movie with people in Max’s life (a bit like Dorothy and the wizard of Oz). Give reasons why you believe certain characters represent the people in Max’s life.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">This movie has also been described as a journey within. Explain what is meant by that. Are the wild things personifications of the people in Max's life, or do they represent Max's inner self which he isn't willing to accept?

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">While watching the movie, kids can do a scavenger hunt for different literary devices/terms and provide an example of as many as they can – you can assign a points system for finding examples from each so kids will compete and actively watch during the movie.

[] <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Read the above article about the life of Maurice Sendak and reflect on how you see the story in a different light now that you know more about the author. Perhaps it is an autobiography told from his angry, sad childhood.

[] <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Read the above interview with Maurice where he discusses the movie and his childhood. This would appeal to the senior students as he is very funny and truthful about the book and the film. He tells parents to go to hell if they think the movie is too scary for young children.

<span style="color: #482b4f; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">** Culminating Activity - Make your Own Wild Thing ** <span style="color: #482b4f; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">In the movie, the Wild Things that Max meets on the Island are personifications of the real people in his life. They may also reflect Max' inner struggle with his impending maturity as he realizes he has to grow up. All kids hate change, and Max tries to resist growing up by escaping for a while. However, during his escape Max learns many valuable lessons through his interaction with his imagined Wild Things.

<span style="color: #482b4f; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">In your life, you must be frustrated sometimes with people in your family, even yourself. We all have traits that we don't like but come out at the worst of times. In this exercise you will do a self-reflection and create a Wild Thing that has some of your best and worst traits. Not only will you design your character, but you will create them as well. Using the website [|www.papercritters.com], follow the instructions to create your own self as a monster. The completed worksheet will explain how you chose the details of your character and what they represent.

<span style="color: #482b4f; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Exemplar - Meet Random, my Monster. <span style="color: #482b4f; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">For my character he is not always happy, so he has a sad face. Random has large eyes because he likes to observe what is going on. He has large ears to hear what is going on, but he doesn't say much. He is sometimes lonely and wants to make friends, so he wears a sticker that says "Hello my name is" in the hopes that people will talk to him. On his shirt is a flock of geese flying away, and they represent friends that have moved away that he misses. Random works hard so he wears heavy working gloves, ready to pitch in as he can be very helpful. He has a tattoo of a Japanese character on the back of his neck that means "Honour thyself", but in fact he spends more time helping others than helping himself. He loves nature so the designs on his pants are rainclouds and raindrops, but this also represents his mood, which can be gloomy. When he is gloomy he likes to spend time by himself, which makes him even lonier. Random is trying to be cool by having his hair died green, but sometimes the other monsters just make fun of him because he is different. He is purple because he is secretly a romantic but is too shy to ask out the girl in his class that that he really likes.

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<span style="color: #482b4f; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Here are some examples of some other critters from the website.

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<span style="color: #482b4f; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">This is the template that gets printed once it has been designed on-line. If computers are not available, you can print blank templates for the kids to colour themselves. While doing the online design, you can preview your monster in 3D to check what he'll look like. This way you can see if the pants line up on every side, or the hairline, etc. You can even upload some of your own graphics to use for your creation. It takes some carefully cutting out and gluing, but in the end you have this adorable little creature that stands up all by himself. <span style="color: #482b4f; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">