Fantasy Unit Journal Topics

The Hero’s Journey & The Lion King Call To Adventure Simba is a teenager, and Nala comes to tell him that the once wonderful land he used to live in is now a wasteland and overrun by his evil uncle. 

The Hero’s Journey & The Lion King Refusal of the Call He refuses at first because he's been gone for a long time and is embarrassed because he ran away. He also still thinks he is responsible for his father's death. 

The Hero’s Journey & The Lion King Supernatural Aid Rafiki the baboon does a little magic to allow Simba to talk to his father in the stars. Rafiki also shows Simba his reflection and Simba realized it is time for him to take responsibility for the kingdom. 

The Hero’s Journey & The Lion King Crossing of the First Threshold Simba is leaving paradise for his homeland that has now become a wasteland run by Scar and the hyenas. He must be ready to fight his uncle and face his family, as well as take responsibility for the entire kingdom. He eventually goes because he can't bear the thought of his suffering mother. 

The Hero’s Journey & The Lion King Threshold Guardians The hyenas work to prevent Simba from getting to his ultimate enemy – Scar.

The Hero’s Journey & The Lion King Belly of the Whale Simba leaves behind his childhood and chooses to enter the belly of the whale, moving towards his right to be king. 

The Hero’s Journey & The Lion King Road of Trials / Brother Battle Simba will face his family and fight his Uncle Scar. He doesn't really want to fight, but is not afraid of anything except facing his family. He receives help from Nala, Timon, and Pumba.  

The Hero’s Journey & The Lion King Atonement with the Father Simba is told the truth about his father's death not being his fault. He realizes that the only way to make his father truly proud is to take on his responsibility of king. 

The Hero’s Journey & The Lion King Sacred Marriage Simba and Nala are united together.

The Hero’s Journey & The Lion King Ultimate Boon Simba becomes the rightful ruler of the kingdom.

The Hero’s Journey & The Lion King Freedom To Live Simba does achieve the ability to let go of the fear and anger due to his father's death. He certainly does not regret the past, and he anticipates the future to be bright with his new family and kingdom.

The Hobbit Journal Topics

Journal 1: Fantasy Genre What do you already know about the fantasy genre? Do you like the fantasy genre? Why or why not? What is your favorite fantasy text (book, movie, video game, television show, etc.)? Why do people love fantasy? What draws us to it?

Journal 2: Danger VS Safety or Peer Pressure Option 1: Which would you choose? An easy life of security, doing basically whatever you want but nothing dangerous, and living to an old age A life of risk and adventure and danger, but you would not live beyond being 50 years old Why? Option 2: Do you ever struggle with peer pressure? If so, describe an instance when you gave into peer pressure and the outcome was positive and an instance when you gave into peer pressure and the outcome was negative. If you have not experienced peer pressure, please complete the above journal. Before Reading

The Heroic Quest & The Hobbit While reading The Hobbit, we will be keeping a log of Bilbo Baggins’ movement through the heroic quest. After each chapter, I will ask you to take a look at the chart and complete any sections which you believe Bilbo has completed in his journey.

Read Aloud Today, I will be reading the first chapter of The Hobbit aloud in class.

Journal 3: Narration’s Influence Instructions: Please read chapter two in The Hobbit and then complete one (1) of the following journal options. Option 1: Other than their size and smell, the narrator does not give a physical description of the trolls. Tolkien assumes that the audience will know what trolls are and how to defeat them. All inferences into the character of the trolls are drawn from their dialogue. Write or draw a character sketch of the trolls based on their dialect and dialogue. Option 2: While the narrator has no respect for trolls, he’s equally uncomplimentary about Bilbo and the dwarves, who foolishly stumble upon the trolls. It’s Gandalf who saves them, yet in order not to be left behind, Bilbo must come up with a satisfying tale as to how the dwarves, and not Bilbo, got caught. Rewrite the passage as if Bilbo was the narrator, beginning with the lie that he went off to practice pickpocketing. After Chapter 2

Read Aloud Today, I will be reading chapters three and four in The Hobbit aloud in class.

Read Alone Please read chapter five in The Hobbit.

Class Activity When lost in the caves, Bilbo is on his own for the first time during the adventure. He becomes the leader of a personal expedition to find a way out of the caves and reunite with the dwarves. As a class, come up with five to eight characteristics of a good leader. Then, rate Bilbo on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being best, on each characteristic. Use specific examples from this chapter to back up your rating. After Reading Chapter 5

Journal 4: The Magic Ring Imagine you have Bilbo’s magic invisibility ring for ONE WEEK. Tell me about your week, the things you do, and what happens as a result of your ability to become invisible.

Today I will be reading chapter six in The Hobbit aloud. Read Aloud Today I will be reading chapter six in The Hobbit aloud.

Test & Read After completing the test on chapters one through six, please read chapter seven in The Hobbit. Chapter seven in The Hobbit should be completed for Monday.

Journal 5: Logic & Persuasion Option 1: Just as Gandalf manipulated Bilbo into going on the journey, Gandalf tricks Beorn into letting all of the adventurers to stay at his house. Gandalf has the dwarves appear two at a time at Beorn’s door, so that Beorn doesn’t initially realize how many guests he will have. In addition, Beorn doesn’t like dwarves, so Gandalf has to portray the dwarves as overly heroic to get Beorn to like them. Applying Gandalf’s technique, write a counter argument from Bilbo’s perspective about why he should not be on the adventure. Option 2: Gandalf leaves the group at the end of the chapter but promises that the next stage of their journey is very dangerous. No one considers leaving the party, though, because Gandalf has boosted their confidence enough that they think they can get through it. Pretend you are a motivational speaker, and you need to get the adventurers through a murky forest, knowing that to stray from the path means almost certain death at the hands of goblins, orcs, or worse. Craft a speech that: boosts the group’s confidence, convinces them to continue the journey, and gets them excited about the journey After Chapter 7

Agree or Disagree? Directions: Read the statements below and decide whether you agree or disagree . Record this in your journal. Some people have all the luck. There is some truth in superstitions (like breaking a mirror brings seven years bad luck or stepping on a crack in the sidewalk would break your mother’s back). The weather and our surroundings can change our mood. Going through difficult times can help a person become more mature or gain more confidence in themselves. Spiders are evil and if they were bigger they would eat people for dinner. Our elders usually have a good reason for making the rules they do. It is difficult to go a whole day without food. Too much pride can get a person into trouble. The love of money is the root of all evil. After you have finished going through the statements, choose one and write about an experience you have had that makes you feel the way you do about that statement.

Read Aloud Today I will read chapter eight of The Hobbit aloud in class.

Read Alone Please read chapter nine in The Hobbit on your own.

Journal 6: Character Study Bilbo spends a lot of time waiting, as he takes messages back and forth between the dwarves and Thorin. Based on the events of the chapter, write Bilbo’s diary entries for this time period. Show his transition for becoming more like Gandalf.

Read Today, please read chapter ten in The Hobbit.

Journal 7: Capturing the Adventure Please read chapter eleven of The Hobbit. After reading chapter eleven, please complete the following journal: Pretend you are a journalist.  Write a news story about the band of adventurers’ journey and what you anticipate will happen in the days ahead.

Test: Chapters 7 - 12 First, we will be completing the chart for the previous chapters. Take the test. Read chapter thirteen in The Hobbit by tomorrow.

Journal 8: Personal Growth & Reading What did Bilbo learn about himself in the forest? Explain this in great detail with complete sentences and paragraph structure. Please read chapter fourteen in The Hobbit after completing the journal.

Read Please read chapter fourteen in The Hobbit.

Journal 9: Female Characters? Why do you think there are no female characters in the novel? Please give three strong reasons. Explain your reasons in paragraph format.

Journal 10: Symbolism After reading the chapter, please complete the following journal. To Bard, the gold represents retribution for his people; he is willing to take a reasonable settlement. For Thorin, the gold represents the restored legacy of his forefathers, and he is willing to die for it. Write a journal entry about a family heirloom or personal keepsake that you would not give up, or explain under what circumstances you would part with it. What does the item symbolize to you?

Read Please read chapters sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen of The Hobbit. They should be completed for Monday.

Journal 11: The Battle Instructions: After completing your journal, please read chapter nineteen. Option 1: Conflict is almost avoided due to Bilbo’s actions. He gives up his share of the treasure as ransom for the Arkenstone. However, he also temporarily loses his friends because of his betrayal. Write a letter from Bilbo to his Hobbit friends explaining the situation and why he did what he had to do. Option 2: Create a map or drawing of all of the encampments. What is the strategic value of each position and their leaders? Make a note of where Bilbo is during the conflict and evaluate his strategy. Option 3: Gandalf seemed to know in the previous chapter that the goblins would attack, but he kept the information to himself. He allows the dwarves, elves, and humans to come to an understanding before he announces the goblins’ arrival. Develop a list of pros and cons for telling the adventurers about the goblins before they reconciled. Did you come to the same decision as Gandalf?

Quizzest on Chapters 13 – 19 & Journal 12: Many Options Instructions: After completing the test on chapters 13 – 19, complete one of the following journals. Option 1: Imagine you are a reporter, and write an interview with any character in the book, from any point in the book. Write the questions, and write what that character answered. Option 2: Pick any character or creature from the book, and tell what happened to that person or creature after the book ended. (Please do NOT tell about The Lord of the Rings, if you have read it. Make something up!) Option 3: Pretend you are any character in the book (except for Bilbo). Tell in the first person (using “I”) your own story, or something from the story from your point of view. Option 4: Review The Hobbit as a book—what you liked, what you didn’t, etc.