'Where the wild things are' by Maurice Sendak ranks among the top ten selling children's books of all time. It offers teachers and students an enchanting mix of fantasy, beautiful artwork and the underlying struggles of Max in dealing with challenges of being a child in a world run by adults.
As a teacher who has repeatedly studied the book and different screen adaptations with students it has been an enduring winner as a platform to teach students a range of social and academic skills areas across the curriculum.
The story is highly applicable to kids of all ages as it deals with emotions, family issues and how our behavior and feelings affect the world we perceive around us. It connects emotional balance and behavior through a compelling story and Sendak's amazing illustrations which captivate young audiences.
This page is a repository for all my own and other resources to assist teachers in teaching 'Where the Wild things are." I do hope you enjoy it and would love to hear from you if you have any resources or suggestions you would like to share.
This free video is an visual audiobook of Maurice Sendak's 'Where the wild things are.'
Where the wild things are teaching guides and resources
WTWTA Teaching Support Kit: This is the official Teacher's guide from publisher random house. It was updated in 2010 and is full of great ideas including a Bloom's Taxonomy grid of activities for students to complete. An excellent
Teacher Film Guide: This is the official teacher guide from Warner Bros Pictures based around the 2009 film: It contains a range of activities and tasks for both teachers and students. A great starting point.
Beyond the Blue Screen Film Teacher Guide. Also Very Useful
Where the Wild things are activity booklet: A collection of awesome printable worksheets and activities from Harper Collins
WTWTA Teachers Guide for Kindergarten and Junior School: Compiled by Patricia Glennon and Penny Paschal it is rich in ideas for a junior audience. Plenty of creative ideas.
Permission slip to see the film: Use this if your students need parental permission to see the film at school.
What are the themes of Sendak's books? This activity explores the concepts and themes that run throughout all of Sendak's books for students to compare and contrast.
Beautiful 'old school' animation and narration of 'Where the wild things are'
Book review; This is a great example of a quality book review of where the Wild things are and should be shown and modelled to students before starting their own.
Making Family connections: This is a great task for students to do in linking the events that occur in the book and film with those of their own lives.
Cloze Activity: of Book review
letter of Apology: Make a list of the “mischief” Max did at the beginning of the book. Then write an apology letter from Max to his mother.
Transcript of the Film: You might like to use parts of this in your reading sessions
Preschool activities for Where the Wild things are for junior students.
Write your own Blurb: Use the example to assist you.
When I feel sad I will.. get your students to write about their emotions
Leave your memories of "Where the wild things are" Blog - great interactive activity
Download a huge collection of where the wild things printables here.
Craft Activities: These are some great creative activities generally based upon the artwork from the book. Activity 1, Activity 2, Activity 3, Activity 4, Activity 5
Where the Wild Things Are Games and Activities
Where the Wild Things are Crossword Puzzle Maker
Where the Wild Things Are Floor Puzzle
More Where the Wild Things Are Lesson Plans
A Guide for Using Where the Wild Things Are in the Classroom
Texture and Pattern Art Lesson
Language Arts, Science and Math Curriculum
Language Arts & Music Lesson Plan from PBS
Elements of a Story Lesson Plan
“Oh, please don’t go—we’ll eat you up—we love you so!”
Interactive Activities
Create your wild self: students can use this create a wild monster of their own that they might like to translate into a story. A number of opportunities here.
Where the Wild Things Are (Fun Brain)
Where the Wild Things Are HangMouse (Learning Games for Kids)
Where the Wild Things Are Letter Fall (Learning Games for Kids)
Where the Wild Things Are Speedy Speller (Learning Games for Kids)
Where the Wild Things Are Story Blanks (Learning Games for Kids)
Where the Wild Things Are Which One (Learning Games for Kids)
Where the Wild Things Are Word-O-Rama (Learning Games for Kids)
Where the Wild Things Are Word Search (Learning Games for Kids)
