Where the wild things are – literature and cinema

For upper-intermediate to advance learners of English.

Have you ever tried learning or keeping up to a language by reading children’s books and retelling the story? If not, you should.

Sue

Where the wild things are.

Where The Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak.

"The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another his mother called him 'WILD THING!' and Max said 'I'LL EAT YOU UP!'

WebQuest

Where the wild things are is a classic in illustrated literature. Sendak innovated not only in the way we tell a story but also in the way we relate its verbal narrative to its visual one. It’s a success among kids and adults.

1. Who is Maurice Sendak and why was his book Where the wild things are banned in 1963? Go navigate a bit and find the answer. Then tell me what you think of it.
2. How do the illustrations on the book relate to the verbal text and what was innovative about it?

The Film x The Book

1. Watch the film review and then say what differences between film and book are according to the reviewer.

The book

1. Listen to a read-aloud session of the book Where the wild things are and prepare to retell the story. Take any necessary notes.

Vocabulary

• gnashed : gnash means to rub your teeth together really hard (ranger Pt/grincer Fr)
• mischief: mischief is naughty behaviour. (travessura Pt/bêtise Fr)
• rumpus: a rumpus is a wild party or disturbance.(tumulto Pt/bagarre Fr)

Once upon a time…

2. Record yourself retelling the story. You can use vocaroo.com or any other way of self recording that you know (a podcast, maybe). Find a person to listen and give you feedback.

Action-project

1. Tell the story to a group of kids learning English. It can be from the school where you are learning English or you can join kids from family. Be creative!

Conversation

What questions would you ask the kids about the story? What if your audience is an adult one? Which questions would be more suitable?

Conclusion

Where do you put your wild things?

Would you recommend this book to a child or an adult? What about the film? Why?

Sue