Tuesday 9 June 2015

Wild Things and LEGO WeDo

Where the Wild Things Are is a 1963 children's picture book by American writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak. The book has been adapted into other media several times, including an animated short in 1974; a 1980 opera; and a live-action 2009 feature-film adaptation, directed by Spike Jonze. The book had sold over 19 million copies worldwide as of 2009.


Sendak won the annual Caldecott Medal from the children's librarians in 1964, recognizing Wild Things as the previous year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It was voted the number one picture book in a 2012 survey of School Library Journal readers, not for the first time.


This story of only 338 words focuses on a young boy named Max who, after dressing in his wolf costume, wreaks such havoc through his household that he is sent to bed without his supper. Max's bedroom undergoes a mysterious transformation into a jungle environment, and he winds up sailing to an island inhabited by malicious beasts known as the "Wild Things." After successfully intimidating the creatures, Max is hailed as the king of the Wild Things and enjoys a playful romp with his subjects; however, he decides to return home, to the Wild Things' dismay. After arriving in his bedroom, Max discovers a hot supper waiting for him.




I read this popular story to my grade 2 students. You can use a "teaching support kit" like this one I found on the Internet or any other one you find yourself. 


WTWTA lesson plans are available on Pinterest as well.


The LEGO Education WeDo kit offers us a perfect chance to link this storybook to simple machines topic. Here you have very good ideas to work with a Sailing Boat in a storm. 




We just have to unpack our Where The Wild Things Are action figures by Macfarle toys to represent Max's story. 



Making a WTWTA toy theatre might be even a better and cheaper idea. 

1 comment:

  1. This post is superb!
    I am using it these days. I am working the same story with different age pupils and with different LEGO materials. I will try to use it in year 6 with WeDo, as you say. You all will see the results soon.

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