copyright 1999, Sirpa Grierson

Aylesbury History Aylesbury History. Roger J. King. http://www.aylesbury-index.co.uk/history1.html. This site is about the history of Aylesbury. It gives an overview of what is known about the people who have lived in this area of England. I included this site beause it portrays the amount of history that is in England. This weight of the past is what one feels when one is in Europe. Understanding that reminders of past civilizations can be found in many English towns helps illuminate why Will finds so much of the Old Ones in his town. In the United States, there is not the same feel of history and legends inside of our towns and cities. This history should help capture the feel of European history that one little town in Buckinghamshire has about it. Ravensgard Anglo-Saxon Culture Ravensgard Anglo-Saxon Culture. http://users.aol.com/gerekr/anglo.html This site is fantastic! It is Anglo-Saxon culture and history. Plus a link to Medieval research resources that has some links for teaching about English History. There are links to old maps of England and to texts from the different groups who ruled England. There are also links to medieval history sites and lots of pictures of the country and of archeological finds that relate to English history. This history fleshes out the backdrop for Susan Cooper's novel. Arthur Arthur. Brian Edward Rise. http://www.pantheon.org/mythica/articles/a/arthur.html This site gives a good definition of who King Arthur was and a great summary of Arthurian legends. It includes other links to explain important places and people in the myths and mentions the history of the Arthurian legends. It gives a great overview for where Arthur came from and why he is important in British legend. Exploring Arthurian Legend Exploring Arthurian Legend. http://edsitement.neh.fed.us/lessonplans/Arthurian_legend.html This is a link to a lesson plan that teaches about Arthurian legends. Probing the background knowledge of the classroom about King Arthur and then using the internet to flesh out that knowledge, this lesson asks the students to present a report on Arthurian characters. This introduction to the novel, The Dark is Rising, will help students understand the feel of old magic and the important legends that Will belongs to. Character Profile Character Profile. Kirstie-Anne opaleski. http://www.ncte.org/teach/Opaleski16356.shtml This lesson plan focuses on how the students can learn about their character. The plan uses The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to illustrate the lesson plan, but I think that it can be adapted to Susan Cooper's book. The plan asks students to map characters by writing one word to describe each character for each chapter of the novel. They are also asked to create a visual representation of the characters' journeys throughout the novel. The students write a journal entry while pretending to be a character from the novel, etc. I think that this lesson plan will help students to understand the characters in The Dark is Rising. See How They Grow: Character Developement in Children's Series Books Schmidt, Gary D. "See How They Grow: Character Developement in Children's Series Books." Children's Literature in Education. 18 (1987):34-44. I chose this article because I think it's importatnt to stress the character developement that takes place in The Dark Is Rising. Will should be seen to grow and the students reading the book need to learn how to identify this growth. They need to understand how Will's growth helps them to care more about him and understand him more. Will's fight with the dark is symbolic of each of ours, it says in this article and that needs to be stressed in teaching this novel. Reading the Signs of Light Drout, Micheal D. C.. "Reading the Signs of Light: Anglo Saxonism, Education, and Obedience in Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising." The Lion and the Unicorn. 21.2 (1997) 230-250. This article reminds the reader that there are not only Arthurian legends worked into the novel but also Anglo-Saxon allusions. This brings up a lot of interesting historical aspects that the Anglo-Saxon Culture website can flesh out. The connection between the book and that culture is in this article. students might become interested in the Anglo-Saxon culture, which played a part in our culture because many of our ideas and many pilgrims came over from England. This can also tie The Dark is Rising into other Anglo-Saxon Literature that teachers might need to teach, such as Beowulf. Susan Cooper's book could be used to lead into Beowulf and connect it to more modern times. Magical Medievalism and the Fairy Tale in Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Sequence Goodrich, Peter. "Magical Medievalism and the Fairy Tale in Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Sequence." The Lion and the Unicorn: A Critical Journal of Children's Literature. Dec. (1998): 165-177. This article focuses on The Dark is Rising as a fairy tale and shows the medieval historical aspects in the series, I thought it was interesting to look at the book as a modern fairy tale. This could be used to point out the aspects of all fairy tales to students. Or this article can help the teacher connect the Middle Ages to students through the use of medieval images in the book. Back to Top Reading Activities (compiled by Jenny Curlee) |Pre-Reading | During Reading | Post-Reading | Pre-Reading Buchanan, Sally. “My Candle.” Teachers.Net. 21 July 1999. 25 Sept. 2004. <http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/1186.html>. The teacher that uses this activity says her students love it and I think it would be an interesting way to introduce them to the figurative language used in the book. Susan Cooper is very vivid with her descriptions and if the students learn how to create their own similes and metaphors then they will be able to understand Cooper’s as well. Since it is dealing with candles it also deals with light and darkness which is a prevalent theme in the book. Curlee, Jenny. Personal. “Movie Clips.” 27 Sept. 2004. Clips from various movies such as: Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Labrynth, Spider-Man, Mulan, Hercules, and Willow effectively show how the hero journey is a stereotype and students will recognize the heroic qualities in each of the characters. Most of the students will already be familiar with the movies and most probably like them. Using movie clips would blend media and language arts in a way students are likely to enjoy. Harris, Reg. “The Hero’s Journey.” The Hero’s Journey in Education. 1 July 2004. 26 Sept. 2004. <http://www.yourheroicjourney.com/index.shtml>. This is a great source for explaining the hero journey. It is broken down into levels that the hero must overcome. It is a great guideline to teaching about the heroic journey or for viewing a heroic journey film. Any heroic journey could fit this outline if taken apart and analyzed. The essay is well written and very descriptive about each stage in the journey. Harris, Reg and Susan Thompson. “Hero’s Journey Teacher’s Guide.” The Hero’s Journey in Education. 1 July 2004. 26 Sept. 2004. <http://www.yourheroicjourney.com/manual.shtml>. This looked like it would be a valuable resource for teachers who are going to teach the heroic journey. It seems a bit expensive, but it has a lot of information. Holman, Jane. Personal. “Become a Teenage Warrior.” 5 Oct. 2004. This article and assignment would be perfect for setting up the idea of a teenage hero. The will begin to see what characteristics and personality traits heroes have. Most of the heroes and heroines in fantasy novels and movies are young adults or teenagers. This activity will prepare them for reading about eleven year old Will Stanton who is actually an Old One and knows more than most people do. They will also be learning to make inferences and connections. Penguin UK. “Susan Cooper.” 1995-2004. 16 Oct. 2004. <http://www.penguin.co.uk/nf/Author/AuthorPage/0,,01000041781,00.html This website offers a brief background on Susan Cooper. Students can become familiar with the author before they begin reading the book so they have some idea of who she is because it will affect her writing. She grew up in England and Wales and her stories are full of the traditions, customs, and heritage of those places. Thompson, Raymond. Interview. Interviews with Authors of Modern Arthurian Literature. July 1989. 19 Sept. 2004. This interview gives the students a more personal look at Susan Cooper. The interview is written directly from her answers and the students get a feel for who she is as a person. They will also learn more about what she was influenced by when she wrote her books. <http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/intrvws/cooper.htm>. Wikipedia. “Buckinghamshire.” 16 Oct. 2004. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckinghamshire>. The book is set in Buckinghamshire and this will give the students a lot of background information on the setting. They will learn about its population, tourist sites, and famous people from that area like Ozzy Osbourne, Mary Shelley, and Percy Shelley. Setting is very important because it helps the reader to relate to the novel. It also grounds it in place and time. Hopefully the students will learn enough to be able to picture it in their heads as a real place and not some far away hard to imagine place. “King Arthur.” 16 Oct. 2004. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Arthur. The Dark is Rising series is an Arthurian series. References to Arthur are present in all the books. Most of the students will probably know who Arthur is, so this article will either refresh what they know or expose them to what they didn’t know. The article has different subheadings about Arthur including Arthurian Romance and modern references in film and literature. It even has links to other pages about Arthur. It is a really good brief overview of Arthur. ---. “Merlin.” 18 Oct. 2004. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_%28wizard%29>. Since Merriman is meant to be Merlin it would be worth it to know some information about Merlin. Similar to the King Arthur article, it provides background information about Merlin. It is not as detailed as the one on Arthur, but this article does talk about the varying accounts of Merlin that exist. It also has fiction about Merlin listed and Merlin websites. Walker, Grey. “Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising Series.” Green Man Review. 16 Oct. 2004. <http://www.greenmanreview.com/dark_is_rising.html>. This is an excellent source for summaries of the whole series. I chose this site because of its summary for Over Sea, Under Stone and because it mentions Merriman and Merlin being the same person which is very important when reading the second book. In Over Sea, Under Stone, Merriman is first introduced and the entire series is set up. It’s important for the students to know this information because it makes the second book more clear overall. It is possible to read the second book without any information about the first. The reader would probably still understand that it has something to do with King Arthur and it’s not too hard to make the connection between Merriman Lyon and Merlin. Back to Top During Reading Class Zone. “Beowulf.” 1995-2004. 26 Sept. 2004. <http://www.classzone.com/novelguides/litcons/beowulf/guide.cfm>. I thought this would be interesting because loyalty is important in a hero journey. Will has to choose to remain loyal to the Old Ones and has to put what’s best for everyone above what’s best for his family. Luke Skywalker has to remain a champion for the Light side of the Force even though his father asks him to join the Dark side. Each member of the Company in Lord of the Rings has to resist the temptation to take the ring for themselves for their own personal gain and glory. Spider-Man has to choose between fighting evil and having a normal life. Child Development Institute. “Birth Order.” 18 Oct. 2004. <http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/birth_order.htm>. Will comes from a very large family and is the youngest, yet his family say he is a “rather old eleven”. I think the students would be interested in looking at Will and his siblings and seeing how they match or don’t match the characteristics. This article has good descriptions of the different positions. Curlee, Jenny. Personal. “Bulletin Board.” 17 Sept. 2004. I think it would be fun for the students to help contribute to the bulletin board for this story. Each group would be responsible for a character, scene, item, or event. Having them draw exercises their creativity and lets them contribute to the class. ---. Personal. “Prophecy.” 28 Sept. 2004. In the book there is a sing song rhyme that is often quoted throughout the whole series. It makes more sense with each book that is read. The proph- ecy gives the readers clues as to what will be happening. A prophecy is a mystery that only makes sense as one continues reading or watching. I thought it would be fun for the students to make up their own prophecies about their own heroic journeys and use them later on in one of the post activities. Holman, Jane. Personal. “Hero.” 5 Oct. 2004. This activity will help them prepare for a post activity later on. It also lets them be creative and adventurous. It’s a fun activity for students to emphasize their personality traits or to show what traits they desire like magical powers or super human strength. ---. Personal. “Monster.” 5 Oct. 2004. This activity would be done in conjunction with the hero activity because every hero needs to have some adversity or challenge. For Will Stanton it is the Dark, for Luke it is the Dark side, for Frodo it is the ring, for Spider-Man it is Doc Oc or some other villain. ---. Personal. “Say Something.” 5 Oct. 2004. I would have the students keep a reading journal and use this handout as a guide. I would probably require so many entries of each type and let the rest be optional. This handout will help them become better readers and thinkers because it will require them to be active about their reading. They will be asking questions and predicting and making connections to other things they’ve read or heard or seen. ---. Personal. “Star Wars and Myth: The Hero’s Journey.” 5 Oct. 2004. This handout is a condensed version of the information from “The Hero’s Journey”. It also deals specifically with Star Wars. I would give this to the students before we watched the movie so they would know what they should be focusing on. This handout is also a guideline to follow for the paper they will be writing. Scholastic. “All About Winter Storms.” Winter Storms. 27 Sept. 2004. <http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/winter/storms/index.htm>. For most of the book the characters are besieged by a winter storm. I would use this article to explain about winter storms. We would discuss the terminology that goes along with winter terms and ask them if they remember ever having been in any blizzards or ice storms. I would also ask how they feel when there is a winter storm raging outside. I would encourage them to come up with metaphors and similes about their feelings. We would also discuss the symbolism connected with winter and storms. Star Wars Episode One: A New Hope. Dir. George Lucas. With Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher. Lucasfilm Ltd. 1977. I would have the students watch this movie because it is a classic representation of a hero journey. I think many parallels can be drawn from the movie and applied to the text. Luke and Will are parallels, as are Ben Kenobi and Merriman. There are also the two opposing sides which is basically good and evil. The movie is rated PG and ought to be appropriate to be shown in school. It is also a really great movie that I love. Stein, Henry T. “Adlerian Overview of Birth Order Characteristics.” Classical Adlerain Psychology Home Page. 18 Oct. 2004. <http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/hstein/birthord.htm>. I added this second article because it contained a few more positions that the first article didn’t. The most relevant to the book are “twin” and “ghost child”. Will has twin brothers and he also had a brother who died as a baby. This article would be used the same way as the first. Wikipedia. “Bronze.” 18 Oct. 2004. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze>. One of the Six Signs Will has to find is made from bronze. This would be used for background information on bronze. ---. “Fire.” 18 Oct. 2004. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire>. One of the Six Signs Will has to find is made of fire. This would be used for background information on fire. ---. “Herne the Hunter.” 2 Oct. 2004. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herne_The_Hunter>. Herne is an unusual character who appears briefly at the end of the book. This article would help the students better understand who Herne is. When I first read the book I had no idea who Herne was. ---. “Iron.” 18 Oct. 2004. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron>. The first Sign Will receives is made of iron. This article will give the students background information on iron. Perhaps we could use the information to discuss why iron is first. ---. “Rock.” 18 Oct. 2004. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_%28geology%29>. This is actually for the Sign of Stone. There was no listing for Stone so I used Rock. Stone is also one of the Signs that Will hunts and this article would provide background information on stone/rock. ---. “Water.” 18 Oct. 2004. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water>. One of the Signs is made from water and this article would give students background information on water. It might also provide insight as to why water cannot be controlled by the Light or Dark but is of the Higher Magic. ---. “The Wild Hunt.” 2 Oct. 2004. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_hunt>. The Wild Hunt takes place near the end of the book and this would give the students an explanation of what the Wild Hunt actually was. It also connects it back to mythology which is prevalent in The Dark is Rising. ---. “Wood.” 18 Oct. 2004. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood>. One of the Six Signs Will has to find is made of wood. This article would give the students background information on wood. Back to Top Post Reading Curlee, Jenny. Personal. “The Dark is Rising Paper.” 10 Oct. 2004. I think the students should write at least one paper on the book we’ve read in class. I would have them write about one of the themes that we had talked about while we were reading. Their handouts and journals should give them a starting ground for their paper. I would like them to analyze the theme and give specific examples. I want them to show me they have learned the themes of the book and are able to define them and support their opinion. ---. Personal. “Make Masks.” 26 Sept. 2004. I thought it would be fun for the students to make masks or other objects related to the things we have learned about while reading the book. The students could make masks of any of the characters from the book or may choose to do a character from Star Wars or from one of the clips we viewed. Students could be creative and use various materials like crayons, markers, glue, glitter, feathers, and paint. They could also make items like lightsabers and the Six Signs, or a flute or a Carnival head. ---. Personal. “Merlin and Merriman.” 18 Oct. 2004. I would have the students write a paper comparing and contrasting Merriman and Merlin. Even though Susan Cooper uses the Merlin figure he is quite different as Merriman and it would be interesting to see how students view the two. It would also be an assignment that caused them to look for broader connections. Merriman and Merlin are from different times and have different personalities, yet they share the role of acting as a guide to another. ---. Personal. “Wild Hunt.” 26 Sept. 2004. I thought this would be a fun activity where the students could be active and have fun. I’ll split the class into groups and then take them to the cafeteria or outside or classroom (if all else fails). Hidden around the area will be strips of paper that have names, themes, symbols, ideas, words, etc. that are relevant to the unit we have been doing. Also hidden will be various types of candy. When the students return to the classroom the groups will get up and present its findings to the class. I would use things like King Arthur, Merlin, Will, blizzard, Midwinter’s Eve, Merriman, Light, Dark, Signs, water, Call to adventure, Luke Skywalker, and Darth Vader. Holman, Jane. Personal. “Star Wars Paper.” 5 Oct. 2004. There is no point in watching the movie unless some sort of assignment can justify it. A paper on the movie will reinforce the ideas of the hero journey and students will be able to cite specific examples of how the movie follows the characteristics of the hero journey. Larkin, Kyle. “Movie Posters.” LessonPlanPage. 19 Sept. 2004. <http://www.lessonplanspage.com/printables/ PLAArtMoviePostersForNovelsReadGoodIdeas>. This seems like a fun activity for the students to do after they have fin- ished reading the book. Most, if not all, of the students love movies and this assignment would make them the director and producer of their own movie. It would also be interesting to see who the students cast for the characters and to have them justify why they chose those people. Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction. “Start of the Hero’s Journey.” 15 Aug. 2002. 26 Sept. 2004. <http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/smc/journey/>. This website looks like it would be a lot of fun for students. I looked at some of the examples and there wasn’t a whole lot of writing that had to be done. I liked how the website divides everything up into things like character description, call to adventure, supernatural aid, and belly of the whale. The students can go in and write a paragraph or so for each section. The students can also review other stories and analyze whether or not they match the hero journey profile. Robb, Kim. “More Ideas Than You’ll Ever Use for Book Reports.” Teach Net. 25 Sept. 2004. <http://www.teachnet.com/lesson/langarts/reading/bookrepts1.html>. This site has some really good ideas. I was surprised at how many ideas there were listed. Some of them are better than others and some are more involved than others. I would select five choices and have the students choose one to complete. ---. “More Ideas Than You’ll Ever Use for Book Reports.” Teach Net. 25 Sept. 2004. <http://www.teachnet.com/lesson/langarts/reading/bookrepts1.html>. I would offer five more choices and have the students select one. Trivia Architect. “ ‘The Dark is Rising’ ” by Susan Cooper.” Fun Trivia. 7 March 2002. 16 Oct. 2004. <http://www.funtrivia.com/quizdetails.cfm?id=69420&origin=4312>. This little quiz would test the students’ knowledge of some of the details from the book. The major themes and symbols of the book are not tested in this quiz, but the students could take it to see how well they paid attention to detail.

Back to Cooper's Page

 

Reading Resources and Unit Guide for this Novel