The Lost Thing

THELOSTTHING ShaunTan teachersNotes ByNancyMortimer content Introduction LanguageandLiteracy VisualLiteracy DesignandLayout DiscussionPoints The at seaaffairShaunTan TeachersGuide2009Page1of8 www. hachettechildrens. com. au INTRODUCTION The helpless amouristhefirstpicture supportthatShaunTanhas some(prenominal)writtenandillustrated,andthe resultisawonderful,warm,humorous news reportthatwillbereadandenjoyedbyawide rambleof ages. Thereissomuchtoporeoverandponderinthisbookthatitwillbeawelcomeadditionto theresourcesthatteachers set outtodrawon.The compositionisanage? oldandfamiliar baffled pursue romancetoldbytheboyandaddressedtothereader. Itisamatter? of? factanecdote,fullofinterestandcompassion,buttheaccompanying illustrationsmakeThe scatteredThingextremelychallenging. Thejuxtapositionoftextanddrawings makeabookthatisboththought? provokingandfilledwithfoodforthought. TheLostThing stomachbe accustomdintheclassroomfrommiddleprimary goodthroughtoupper secondaryandagreatdeal gut terbegainedbythosewhoreadit. TheLostThingShaunTan TeachersGuide2009Page2of8 www. achettechildrens. com. au oral communicationANDLITERACY Thelanguagethe drooliswritteninissimpleandostensibly dead on targetforward,however ShaunTanisconstantlychallengingthereaderwithhisunexpecteduseofwordsand conceptslookatthemeaningofthewordweirdfor typesetters caseandthesummaryofthe thingItwasquitefriendlythough,onceIstarted lecturetoitwhendepictedonthepage isahuge,indefinable,outlandishcreature. Thenarratortellsthe baseinafamiliarWhatIdidintheholidaysmode. QuestionWhatisthe operationofthissimplelanguageandminimaltext?QuestionWhatwasa corporealdilemmaforthenarrator? (Page16) Satire Satireinliteratureholdsthemirrorupforustolookatoursociety,ourfoiblesand ourselves. Lookatthe gear upofsatireinTheLostThing. Metaphor LookatTheLostThingasbeingametaphorandthushavingunlikemeaningsfromwhat appearsonthesurface. Discussthiswiththeclass. Understatement LookattheplaceunderstatementplaysinTheLostThing. Opening L ookparticularlyatthebeginningofthestoryandcomment. TheLostThingShaunTan TeachersGuide2009Page3of8 www. achettechildrens. com. au Ending Whatistheimpactattheendofthestory? Whatdoyouthinkhashappenedtothenarrator? Characters Doacharacter thinkofthenarrator,outliningwhatheislikeandwhatheenjoysdoing. Whatothercharactersareinthestory? Whatpartdotheyplay? ActivityLookatthelostthingitself,andmakealistofwords,whichdescribeit. Humour Whatmakesthestoryhumorous? Wheredoesthe piquecomefrom? Discusswiththe classdifferentsortsofhumourandlookattheingredientsthatcomprisehum