While many people will get an introduction to the The Hobbit through Peter Jackson’s big screen adaption of the literary classic, many of us are already acquainted with it because of our English classes.

The J.R.R. Tolkien book was required reading. Through a sample unit for seventh grade English/Language arts students provided by Georgia’s department of education, teachers have common core aligned lessons on The Hobbit they can use to tap into the movie’s buzz.

Download the unit here. You can also find it on the Georgia DOE’s wiki. Be sure to leave comments there on how you are using it, whether you have modified it and what suggestions you have on how to make it better.

I liked the section that prompts students to evaluate what makes an effective argument. As per the common core standard, students are instructed to pore through diverse sets of media - audio books, films and printed book versions to make their cases.

In another unit exercise, students conduct read aloud sessions with the intention of examining literary styles.