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The Wizard of Oz: a book club kit
Where it comes from. L. Frank Baum wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in Chicago, and it came out in 1900.
In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). A cyclone carries Dorothy and her dog Toto from Kansas to the land of Oz. She follows the yellow brick road to ask the Wizard to send her home, and she makes three friends on the way. In the end she learns that her silver shoes can take her home, and she clicks her heels three times.
Reading plan, by the story's parts. Meeting 1: Part One, “The Storm” and Part Two, “The Yellow Road”, pages 1–7 (about 5 minutes aloud); Meeting 2: Part Three, “The Witch and the Curtain”, pages 8–13 (about 4 minutes aloud). Each stop's own questions, which never give away what comes next: The Wizard of Oz by chapter.
Questions to talk about
- Who wrote The Wizard of Oz?
The story's answer: L. Frank Baum wrote it, and it was published in 1900 as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. - How does Dorothy get home from Oz?
The story's answer: She clicks the heels of her silver shoes together three times and says where she wants to go. She finds herself on the Kansas prairie. - Are the shoes silver or ruby?
The story's answer: They are silver in the book. The 1939 movie made them ruby red because they looked better in color film. - What is The Wizard of Oz about?
The story's answer: It is about a girl far from home, her friends and a long walk to find help. In the end she finds she had the way home with her all along. - Which character changed the most from the beginning to the end?
Listen for: Ask what changed them. - Which scene would you put on the poster if this were a film?
Listen for: A way to find the scene that mattered most to each reader.
Did you know?
- L. Frank Baum wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in Chicago, and it came out in 1900.
- The 1939 movie changed some things; in the book Dorothy's shoes are silver, not ruby.
- Baum wrote thirteen more Oz books after the first one.
Activity: Cast the film
Choose who would play each character, draw the poster with your scene on it, and give the film a one-line tagline.
More to talk about
More facts for the leader
- Dorothy's three friends travel with her to the Emerald City.
Words to teach before you start
- cyclone: spinning storm
- prairie: flat grassland
- coward: easily scared person
- prisoner: captive
- despair: lost hope
Questions leaders ask
How long does a The Wizard of Oz book club meeting take?
Reading it aloud takes about 9 minutes in all, so plan one meeting of 30 to 45 minutes, with time left for the questions. The reading plan on the sheet says where to stop.
What age is The Wizard of Oz for?
It is written at Peabody level 10, a grade 5 reading level, so most children at that level can read it alone. Younger children can listen to it read aloud.
Do the children need to read it before the meeting?
No. Each child can read it free on Peabody, before the meeting or together at it, and the questions work either way. The sheet's short version gives the ending away, so keep it for the leader.
How do I use the questions?
Start with the story's own questions, which have answers in the leader's notes, then move to the open ones and listen for reasons. There is no wrong answer to an open question. Stop when the group runs out of things to say.
Club kits for stories like this
- Peter Pan (level 10)
- The Case of the Missing Mangoes (level 10)
- Alice in Wonderland (level 11)
- How the Camel Got His Hump (level 8)
- Rip Van Winkle (level 12)
- The Elephant's Child (level 8)
How this kit is made
The short version, the facts and the first questions with their answers are the story's own, written for its page in Peabody's library and checked against the sources named there. The open questions, the activity and the plan are Peabody's, written for this kind of story. No part of it is written by a computer model.
Running the meeting: the meeting plans (30, 45 and 60 minutes) and the sign-up sheet.