"The Hobbit": A 30 year tradition in Mr. Loyd's class

I was a senior in college before

I read The Hobbit.   I followed it up 

quickly with The Lord of the Rings

trilogy.  This was for a children's literature

class, one of my most beneficial ever.

But as a third grade teacher, it was some

years before it dawned on me that even

8 and 9 year olds would be captivated by

the classic tale of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf,

twelve dwarves, and of course, Smaug.

I'm not even sure what year I decided to

read the book to a class for the first time,

but it was probably around 1980 or '82.

Perhaps some of my readers can recall.

Anyway, once I started reading it, it

became a winter tradition.  Beginning

the first school day of January, I would

turn out the lights, gather my students

around me, and venture into the unknown

territory of Middle Earth with them.

I never regretted the experiment, and in

fact was utterly impressed with the depth

of understanding my students invariably

showed.  By my retirement party in 2008,

this poster said it all . . . .

Creating the necessary aura for this book

was crucial.  My first thank you is to my

brother, who gave me a 1978 Tolkien

calendar.  When I began reading The

Hobbit, the cut-outs from that calendar

became my January bulletin board.  Students

would spend much of their before school

time and other free time studying and

wondering over these drawings.  If you're

one of my former students, you may

remember these excellent illustrations.

If not, you'll still enjoy the fine artwork,

at least if you're a LOTR fan.  I'll post

these photos with little or no explanation.

One or two other Hobbit/LOTR blogs

will follow shortly.

Gimli and Legolas (not in The Hobbit)

This is Frodo, not Bilbo, though Bilbo
battled spiders in the forest of Mirkwood.

King Theoden was bewitched and beguiled
into serving the evil Dark Lord Sauron.

The Riders of Rohan were some of the "good guys"
of The Lord of the Rings.

Strider, a ranger, and friend of Gandalf, was
destined to become king. (LOTR)

Shades of the talking trees of The Wizard of Oz.

The Dark Tower, dwelling place of the Dark Lord.
In The Hobbit, he was called the Necromancer. 

Perhaps the high point of the entire
Lord of the Rings.  Gandalf the Grey returns from his
assumed demise as a more powerful white wizard.

The equally evil and pitiful Gollum is a constant
through The Hobbit and the trilogy.

Beorn is introduced in The Hobbit (but not
in the first movie).

Frodo gets some old-fashioned hobbit
hospitality, but danger lurks nearby.

The powerful Saruman has gone over to the dark
side and becomes Gandalf's nemesis.

This scene at the Grey Havens pictures many of
the beloved characters of The Lord of the Rings.

Note Bilbo (with the cane) who surprises Frodo
and his traveling companions by his presence
with elves.

In The Lord of the Rings, this is where a great
council led by Gandalf and Elrond forms the
Fellowship of the Ring.

Though most of these pictures refer to The Lord
of the Rings and not specifically to The Hobbit,
they always provided just the right atmosphere
to delve into this wonderful book on cold
winter afternoons.  Many students have told
me they never forgot the books.  I certainly
learned never to underestimate my students.
The power of motivation and a desire to discover
enables students to understand things most
people would say are beyond their abilities.
I wonder if some day I can sequester my
grandchildren for a month and tantalize
them with the voices of goblins and trolls,
spiders and Gollum, Gandalf and of course,
Smaug, the dragon.