This is a suggested teaching schedule for a 10 class study of Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea. Lesson plans and handouts can be downloaded individually by clicking on the name of the file in the schedule below. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view these files.
Audio Guide CDs are available only for the communities participating in The Big Read. If your community is participating, contact the lead community organization to receive a free Audio Guide CD. Non-participating communities can listen to the full audio online.
Day One
FOCUS: Biography
Day One Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Listen to The Big Read Audio Guide. Discuss Reader's Guide essays "Introduction to the Novel," "Ursula K. Le Guin (b. 1929)," and "Le Guin and Her Other Works." Write a short essay on the opening paragraphs of the novel.
Homework: Read Chapter 1.
Day Two
FOCUS: The Fantasy Tradition
Day Two Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Discuss some of the qualities of literary fantasy. Write one-page essay on favorite work of fantasy.
Homework: Read Chapter 2. Read Handout
One: Naming, Magic, and the Balance of
Nature.
Day Three
FOCUS: Narrative and Point of View
Day Three Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Discuss aspects of narrative and tone in A Wizard of Earthsea. Write essay on the narrator's attitude toward Ged's youthful mistakes.
Homework: Read Chapters 3 and 4.
Day Four
FOCUS: Characters
Day Four Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Discuss the school for wizards on Roke Island and Ged's relationship to Jasper and Vetch. Write an essay on one of the master-wizards and what they contribute to Ged's education.
Homework: Read Chapters 5 and 6.
Day Five
FOCUS: Figurative Language
Day Five Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Discuss style and atmosphere in A Wizard of Earthsea. Pick out some striking sentences. Write a short essay using a similar heroic style.
Homework: Read Chapter 7.
Day Six
FOCUS: Symbols
Day Six Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Discuss symbols of the novel, then pick one for an essay.
Homework: Read Chapter 8.
Day Seven
FOCUS: Character Development
Day Seven Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Discuss how fear is a test of character. Write a portrait of how Ged has changed since the beginning of the book.
Homework: Read Chapter 9.
Day Eight
FOCUS: The Plot Unfolds
Day Eight Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Discuss the social, class, and ethnographic aspects of the novel. Write an essay on one of the women characters in Ged's life.
Homework: Read Chapter 10 and Handout
Two: The Earthsea Trilogy.
Day Nine
FOCUS: Themes of the Novel
Day Nine Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: Read aloud in class Handout Three: Ged's Coming of Age. Discuss major themes and motifs. Ask students how they would teach the novel.
Homework: Work on final essay.
Day Ten
FOCUS: What Makes a Book Great?
Day Ten Lesson Plan [PDF]
Activities: List points that make a book great. Write an in-class paper on why fantasy should or should not be part of everyone's reading life.
Homework: Turn in final essay.
Handouts
Handout 1: Naming, Magic, and the Balance of Nature [PDF]
Handout 2: The Earthsea Trilogy [PDF]
Handout 3: Ged's Coming of Age [PDF]
* Page numbers in this guide refer to the Bantam 2004 paperback edition of A Wizard of Earthsea.
