The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

• Genre: Fiction; children’s literature classic; fantasy/adventure
• Originally Published: 1900
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 1030L; grades 3-8
• Structure/Length: 24 chapters; approx. 154 pages; approx. 4 hours on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Young Dorothy (later named “Dorothy Gale” in the third book) is whisked away by a cyclone to Oz, a fantasy land populated by a host of curious inhabitants. With some new friends at her side, Dorothy must evade the Wicked Witch of the West and seek the help of the great Wizard of Oz to get home to Kansas.

L. (Lyman) Frank Baum, Author

• Bio: 1856-1919; homeschooled until the age of 12; left academy schooling early and never earned a diploma; possessed an early interest in writing and theater; married suffragist Matilda Joslyn Gage and adopted her interest in women’s suffrage; lived in Aberdeen, Dakota Territory, from 1888 to 1891, but business and career prospects there did not succeed; moved to Chicago; met with great commercial and critical success with the publication of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and went on to publish an additional 13 books in the Oz series
• Other Works: Father Goose, His Book (1899); The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904); Ozma of Oz (1907); Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz (1908); The Road to Oz (1909); The Emerald City of Oz (1910)
• Awards: YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens (for a 2010 graphic novel edition); School Library Journal’s Top 100 Children’s Novels (2012)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Confidence and Self-Belief
• The Triumph of Good Over Evil
• The Importance of Friends and Family

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of life on prairie farms in the American Midwest, and contrast this with Baum’s depiction of the varied and verdant Land of Oz.
• Identify and discuss through written and spoken responses the themes of Confidence and Self-Belief, The Triumph of Good Over Evil, and The Importance of Friends and Family.
• Contrast The Wonderful Wizard of Oz with other fairy tales; unpack Baum’s vision that fairy tales should offer wonder and joy without violence or overt moral teachings.
• Consider and analyze in structured essay responses the recurring motif of home, the settings in the story, the challenges the characters face, and other topics.