Lesson​: Applying Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) to ​The Hobbit ​Graphic Novel

Duration​: 1-2 days

Objectives​:
● Students will…
○ Analyze images from a graphic novel employing Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS)
○ Justify inferences by citing visual evidence
○ Cite textual and visual evidence to compare and contrast in paragraph form the
representation of literary scenes in words versus in pictures
○ Evaluate why and how the medium of a story impacts the information conveyed

Standards​:
● Common Core Reading Anchor Standard 7:
○ Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including
visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
● Common Core Reading Anchor Standard 9:
○ Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build
knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
● Common Core Writing Anchor Standard 1:
○ Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts,
using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
● Common Core Writing Anchor Standard 4:
○ Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and
style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Materials​:
● Copy of ​The Hobbit​ graphic novel for each student or each pair of students
○ Page numbers in this lesson plan refer to the 2012 Del Rey Trade Paperback
Edition, illustrated by David Wenzel and adapted by Charles Dixon
○ If you do not have enough copies of the graphic novel for each student or pair of
students, you may use one copy of the book, displaying the images using a
document camera or overhead projector
● Copy of ​The Hobbit​ by JRR Tolkien (text-only edition of your choosing) for each student
○ If you do not have enough copies of a text-only edition of ​The Hobbit,​ you may seek
permission to make photocopies of just the following passages for your students:
■ The passage when Bilbo first encounters Smaug
■ The passage describing the Battle of Five Armies
■ The passage when Bilbo first encounters Gollum
● Students’ own notebook paper, pens/pencils

Procedures​:
1. Have students turn to page 101 (“The glow of Smaug!”) in their illustrated copies of ​The
Hobbit ​OR display the page using projection technology. Have students look closely at the
image for 30-60 seconds, silently.
Hannah Markwardt http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Hannah-Markwardt/
 2. Ask the class, “What do you see in this picture?” Go around the classroom and have each
student point out one unique thing (object, character, action, etc.) they see in the picture.
This helps all students study the picture very closely and notice things they might not have
noticed independently. If a student makes any inferences in his or her answer, follow up
with the student by asking, “What makes you say that?” or “What visual evidence can you
cite that leads you to that conclusion?”
3. Now ask the class, “What’s going on in this picture?” To answer this question, students will
be combining the various visual clues they uncovered answering the previous question to
make inferences. For each inference, ask the students to justify their answers by asking
“What makes you say that?” or “What visual evidence can you cite that leads you to that
conclusion?” Then ask the class if everyone agrees with the inference, based on the
available information. Encourage alternate theories and their justifications.
4. Ask the class, “What more can we find?” Repeat steps 3 and 4 for all additional
observations and inferences students offer.
5. After all inferences and theories have been shared, verbally summarize what the class has
decided about the image.
6. Next, have students read the passage of the text edition of ​The Hobbit​ in which Bilbo first
encounters Smaug. Have students write 2-3 paragraph responses in which they compare
and contrast Tolkien’s textual description of this encounter with the graphic novel illustration
of it. Students should address the following questions:
a. What is the same?
b. What is different?
c. What is included in the text that is not in the illustration?
d. What is included in the illustration that is not in the text?
Have students justify their answers to the preceding questions by citing textual and visual
evidence.
7. Have students take turns sharing their written responses. Discuss why and how the
medium of a story impacts the information conveyed.
8. Repeat steps 1 through 7 regarding p. 124 (“It was a terrible battle”) and p. 43 (“I don’t
know where he came from, nor who or what he was. He was Gollum…”).

Assessments​:
● Formative: VTS and medium discussions
● Summative: written responses

Hannah Markwardt http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Hannah-Markwardt/

Additional Resources​:
For more information about VTS and examples of its use, please visit the following sites:
● http://teachers.mam.org/collection/teaching-with-art/visual-thinking-strategies-vts/
● http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/13279/
● https://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/teaching_visual_thinking_strategies.shtml
Remember that web addresses can change. These are the most up-to-date URLs for the
preceding resources as of publication, but resources can move. Many sites about VTS can be
found using a simple Internet search for “Visual Thinking Strategies.”

Accommodations​:
● Exceptional Education: Lead the class in examining one quadrant of the picture at a time to
focus students’ attention and decrease excessive stimuli.
● English Language Learners: Have students write down the things they see in their home
language, then translate their lists using a bilingual dictionary.
● Gifted: Have students create research projects about the ways in which the medium chosen
influences the information expressed in any work of art or literature.

Hannah Markwardt http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Hannah-Markwardt/