Book Bag Activities for
Alice in Wonderland
By: Luke Jennison

• Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Illustrated by John Tenniel. Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers. ©1946

Rationale:

• The reason that I chose this book is because it is a classic. It is definitely one of my favorite books that I have ever read. I know kids will enjoy it just as much as I have. This story is filled with such wonderful imagery; it is hard not to get caught up wonderland.

Information about the author:

• Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) was born on 27th January 1832, in the parsonage of Daresbury, Cheshire, the eldest son of the Reverend Charles Dodgson, perpetual curate of the parish. In 1843 the family moved to Croft-on-Tees, south of Darlington, where the young Charles wrote poems and stories to amuse his sisters and brothers.
• He was educated at Richmond School and Rugby before following his father to Christ Church, Oxford, where he took up residence in January 1851. He worked hard, obtaining First Class Honours in the Final Mathematical School in 1854. He had already been appointed to a Studentship (the equivalent of a Fellowship in other colleges) in 1852, and in January 1855 began his teaching career at Christ Church. The position of Student entitled Dodgson to lodgings and a secure (if limited) income for life, but it also imposed restrictions.
• He had to proceed to holy orders and never marry. (In fact, although he was ordained deacon in December 1861, he never became a priest.) In February 1855 he was appointed Sub-Librarian at Christ Church, and later in the same year he was made Mathematical Lecturer.

Questions to use with the story:

• Level I Question: Who is the main character in the story?
• Level II Question: Who does Alice chase into the hole?
• Level III Question: How could Alice avoid the argument that she has with the queen?
• Level IV Question: How is Alice different from the characters in Wonderland?
• Level V Question: How do the different characters affect Alice in the story?
• Level VI Question: Which character has the biggest influence on Alice, and why?

Activites to use with the story:

• While the students are reading the story, have them take turns reading the story out loud, so everyone in the class can participate with the story.
• Along with reading the story, have the students act out the different roles of the characters in the story.
• Have the students make a list of all the characters that Alice meets along her journey. Also have each student jot down a brief description about the role of each character in the story.
• Have the students create three of their own characters in wonderland, and have them write how the could meet Alice, and the roles they would play in the story.
• Have the students create a story of their own wonderland with the characters that they just created.
• Have the students talk about and share adventures that they have gone on. The can bring in pictures of vacations they have gone on, want to go on, or bring in artifacts of things they have done.
• Have the students create a map of what their wonderland looks like, then have them compare and contrast with the rest of the class.
• Have the students write a poem about the theme or message that they got out of the story.
• Watch the Disney version of Alice in Wonderland, then have the students compare the book to the movie.

Read the sequel, Through the Looking Glass, and have the students compare the two stories.

Bibliography of related books:

• Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Assessment Plan:

The way that I could assess the children and reading the book is through the different activities that I have planned. I don’t want to use the conventional worksheet to quiz students. I want to make it fun for them, while tying in the different activities. For example have the students write a story and use some language arts skills. Activities like this also build on their creative skills.