The Dark Is Rising

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What is an example of a myth, fairytale, or legend that is especially important or meaningful to you? What conflict is central to the story?

Teaching Suggestion: Myth, legend, and fairytale–especially those that are part of English, Irish and Scottish culture–are important elements of the story. They make the world of the novel feel familiar and believable to the reader. It may be beneficial to introduce the theme of The Reality and Timelessness of Myth as students discuss the legends, myths, and fairytales they know.

• "Differences Between Myths, Legends, Folktales, & Fairytales": This video explores the specific differences between myths, legends, and fairytales.

2. What are some responsibilities adults have that children don’t have to worry about?

Teaching Suggestion: Eleven is very young for a person to take on the responsibility to save the world (as Will must do). Each step he takes toward being an Old One (adult) is accompanied by some new and seemingly overwhelming challenge from the Dark. Discussing and analyzing the topic of responsibility might help students to establish a pre-reading connection to Will’s situation. Students might find it useful to look at the list of features that commonly appear in a coming-of-age story, which appears in the later Discussion/Analysis section. This relates to the theme of Coming-of-Age As a Leap Into the Adult World.

• “11-Year-Old Child Development Milestones”: Here are some developmental issues younger students may be dealing with if they are about the same age as Will.
• “Developmental Milestones [Part 5: Adolescence]”: This article lists some of the issues older adolescent students may be experiencing.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Have you ever felt you had to do something that might hurt another person because there was something more important you had to consider? Discuss the circumstances and how the choice made you feel. If you have not experienced this situation, discuss a parallel experience for a character in a book or film.

Teaching Suggestion: The author was strongly influenced by her experience living through World War II as a child. Students might directly discuss whether they believe things like bombing civilians and using nuclear weapons can ever be justified, even in response to violence. Younger students might consider smaller-scale ethical quandaries—for example, whether it is acceptable to lie to protect a friend even if they have done something wrong. This relates to the theme of Dark May be Evil but Good Is Not Nice.