A Writing Root for Where the Wild Things Are

Main Outcomes:

Oral re-telling, developing a new character, own version narrative

Length:

Two+ weeks, 10+ sessions

Recomended term:

Overview and Outcomes:

In this ten-session Writing Root, which we suggest will take 3 weeks to cover, the children discover some footprints and a clump of fur: who – or what- has been in class? Then they find Sam’s Sack, which is filled with objects beginning with the letter ‘s’. The classic text Where the Wild Things Are is shared and then, through song, roleplay and activities such as Monster Meet and Greet, the children devise their own Wild Thing characters to create their own version of the story. 

Synopsis of Text:

One night Max puts on his wolf suit and makes mischief of one kind and another, so his mother calls him 'Wild Thing' and sends him to bed without his supper. That night a forest begins to grow in Max's room and an ocean rushes by with a boat to take Max to the place where the wild things are. Max tames the wild things and crowns himself as their king, and then the wild rumpus begins. But when Max has sent the monsters to bed, and everything is quiet, he starts to feel lonely and realises it is time to sail home to the place where someone loves him best of all.

Text Rationale:

This classic text is widely considered one of the most important picture books for children and has had many different adaptations since first being published in 1963, including an animation, a live action film and even an opera. Multi-award winning, prolific author and illustrator Maurice Sendak has a distinctive and iconic stye and this text is the one he is most known for. This book has links to PSHE, exploring behavioural expectations, coping with strong emotions and the power of the imagination. 

Links and Themes:

Monsters, adventures, behavioural expectations, imagination, fantasy settings

Date written: June 2017