Where The Wild Things Are

WHERE THE WILD
THINGS ARE
MAURICE SENDAK
TEACHING SUPPORT
KIT
by Suzanne Oakley
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
Teaching Support Kit
CONTENTS
1. Introduction 3
2. Notes on structure 3
3. Themes 3
4. Activities 4
These notes may be reproduced free of charge for use and study
within schools but they may not be reproduced (either in whole or
in part) and offered for commercial sale.
Visit www.randomhouse.com.au/readingguides for information on

other Random House Australia teaching support kits and reading guides.
Copyright © Random House Australia 2010
TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Where the Wild Things Are 2

1. INTRODUCTION
From the back flap of the 1993 Bodley Head hardback edition
Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are was first published in New York in 1963.
Four years later the Wild Things came to Britain where they soon tamed the initial furore
from the critics, and carried on with their own wild rumpus to make the book an
acknowledged classic of twentieth-century children’s literature.
Where the Wild Things Are is the first book of a trilogy that includes In the Night Kitchen,
a dream fantasy, but as the artist says, ‘a fantasy rooted ten feet deep in reality’, and
Outside Over There, which The Sunday Times described as ‘his most outstanding work
yet; entirely real, other worldly and not to be missed.’
An author-artist of world renown, Maurice Sendak was awarded the Hans Christian
Andersen Illustrator’s medal in 1970 in recognition of the excellence of the entire body of
his work.
2. NOTES ON STRUCTURE
THEMATIC SCENES IN THE STORY
 Max is playing
 Max is sent to his room
 Max begins his journey
 Max arrives at the Land of the Wild Things
 Max stands up to the Wild Things
 Max is made King
 Max organises the Wild Rumpus
 Max sends everyone to bed
 Max decides to return home
 Max is back in his bedroom
3. THEMES
 Parental love
 The nature of our emotions
 Power and control
 Resolving conflict
 Empathy for others’ feelings
 Taking responsibility for our actions

4. ACTIVITIES
STORYBOARDING OR COMPOSING A JOURNAL
Have students storyboard using text and images, or create a journal of the thematic
scenes in the story (p 3 of these notes). Have them summate the plot, then describe how
Max is feeling in these moments.
CREATE THE UNSPOKEN TEXT
Sendak has left four pages of Wild Rumpus-ing without text. Have students write
dialogue and story for these four pages.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE: THE MOVIE
The tagline for the movie poster is ‘there is one in all of us’.
 What do the film makers mean by this statement?

 Do you agree?
 What changes have they made to the story for the movie? Compare the changes
to the narrative referring to characters, art design, etc.
 Discuss why these changes were important, what more (or less) they tell us about
the characters or the story.
READERS’ THEATRE SCRIPT
Create a readers’ theatre script of the text, allowing students to read the narration and act
the parts of the characters. To learn more about readers’ theatre visit:
www.education.tas.gov.au/curriculum/standards/english/english/teachers/reading/theatre
CREATE A DREAMSCAPE
Max’s time in the Land of the Wild Things is an envisioned world of his imagination. Have
students create an artwork that looks like their dreams and imaginings. Ask them to think
about their use of palette (colours), materials (paint, crayons, pencils, textas etc.) and
creatures (who or what are in it). Get then to name their imagined world.
READING THE IMAGES
Have students ‘think, pair and share’ their thoughts about these questions.
 Why did Maurice Sendak choose this colour palette?

 Notice the framing of the illustrations and their relative size on the page
throughout the story. How does it change and why?
 Notice changes to Max’s suit throughout the story. (Is the hood on? Does he
have his crown?) What role does this have in telling his story?
 How do the images show Max’s power in the story? (Relative size of objects,
etc.)

BLOOM’S TAXONOMY – QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
Create questions that have different cognitive demands on students and allow them to
look at a text on a number of levels. For more competent students, ask them to create
their own questions for all of the levels in the Taxonomy.
Bloom’s Domain Verbs Sample Questions/Activities
Remembering Recalling information,

What is the boy in the book’s name?
(read at text level, recognising, listing,
How did Max get to the land of the Wild Things?
directly from the describing, retrieving,
words)
What was waiting for Max when he returned?
naming, finding.
Understanding Explaining ideas or

(requires some concepts,
Why was Max sent to his room?
understanding, interpreting,
Why was Max made King of all Wild Things?
comprehension, summarising,
interpretation of
Why did Max wish to return home?
paraphrasing,
events) classifying, explaining.
Using information in
Applying another familiar Write a dialogue between Max and his mother
(must be able to situation, before he was sent to his room.
apply understanding implementing, Write a dialogue after Max returned from his
to a new situation) carrying out, using, adventure.
executing.
Breaking information
into parts to explore
Analysing understandings and Why did the Wild Things like Max?
(comprehending relationships, Why did Max like the Wild Things?
relationships and comparing, Why was Max unhappy to be sent to his room?
their effects) organising, Why do we never see Max’s mother?
deconstructing,
interrogating, finding.
Was Max’s mother justified in sending Max to his

Justifying a decision bedroom? Was it a fair punishment?
Evaluating or course of action, Max’s dinner was still warm when he returned. Did
(students should checking, he really go anywhere?
analyse the hypothesising, What is a Wild Thing?
characters and critiquing, Does the author want us to sympathise with any
author’s intent) experimenting, character? If so who, why and how?
judging. Why did Max send the Wild Things to bed without
any supper?
Generating new
ideas, products, or
Creating ways of viewing Retell Where the Wild Things Are from the
(requires original
things, designing, perspective of one of the Wild Things.
thought and
planning)
constructing, Write text for the four pages without text.
planning, producing,
inventing.

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WHERE THE WILD

Visit www.randomhouse.com.au/readingguides for information on

TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Where the Wild Things Are 2

TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Where the Wild Things Are 3

CREATE THE UNSPOKEN TEXT

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE: THE MOVIE

 What do the film makers mean by this statement?

READERS’ THEATRE SCRIPT

READING THE IMAGES

 Why did Maurice Sendak choose this colour palette?

TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Where the Wild Things Are 4

Bloom’s Domain Verbs Sample Questions/Activities

Remembering Recalling information,

Understanding Explaining ideas or

Was Max’s mother justified in sending Max to his

TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Where the Wild Things Are 5

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