Lord of the Flies, Where the Wild Things Are, and Maurice Sendak

This lesson seeks to complicate the common 'innocence of children' adage into something more rich and strange.  Using Maurice Sendak as a sage who understood the terrors of childhood, the lesson prompts students to consider just how innocent childhood really is.

First, the article (published in the Atlantic a few weeks after Maurice Sendak died) illustrates the degree of understanding Sendak had for the difficulties of childhood.  It is written at a high lexile and is appropriate for advanced readers.

The PowerPoint takes viewers to an interview with Maurice Sendak and Stephen Colbert.  Disclaimer: there are some mild expletives in this video.  Be sure to screen it first.  

Then, it connects viewers to a video reading of "Where the Wild Things Are," which continues the line of questioning between Sendak and Colbert.

Finally, the lesson concludes with a Freewrite about innocence.  The natural next step would be a classwide or small group discussion.

Possible Next Steps

1. This is part of a Socratic Seminar assessment in its current state.  We use the conversation as inspiration to write "7.7.7's":  7 quotes from the book followed by 7 deep comments and 7 open questions.   Students bring these prepared questions and thoughts to the formal Seminar, which they run entirely without teacher support.  So, at its core, this lesson is intended to foster critical thinking in the space of a literature discussion.