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Teaching The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Don't treader on me.

  • Activities: 13
  • Quiz Questions: 80

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The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the story of King Caspian's journey through the Eastern Seas to find the seven missing lords of Narnia and seek out Aslan's country. Non-nerd translation: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the third of C.S. Lewis's Narnia chronicles to be issued, following The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in 1950 and Prince Caspian in 1951, there's a bratty little British girl named Eustace, and there are magical talking animals.

Allow us to explain why this deeply whimsical book's worth your classtime: although C.S. Lewis dresses it up with all kinds of fantasy, supernatural, and mythological elements, at its heart this book is a quest story—a quest to lead a good life, led by ultra-relatable schoolchildren. Aslan & Co. might as well be speaking directly to us as we're reading the book: the whole point of teaching us about courage, steadfastness, and friendship in Narnia is so we'll be able to transfer those values over to our own mundane lives.

Awww.

In this guide, you'll find

  • real-world geography time, connecting islands to those in the book.
  • research about young sailor Laura Dekker, and steps for a presentation comparing her journey to Voyage.
  • dream diaries and analysis.

But don't worry if it feels "too real" reading your students' dream diaries and you wanna opt out of that one—luckily, this fantasy novel and Shmoop guide have something for everyone.

What's Inside Shmoop's Literature Teaching Guides

Shmoop is a labor of love from folks who love to teach. Our teaching guides will help you supplement in-classroom learning with fun, engaging, and relatable learning materials that bring literature to life.

Inside each guide you'll find quizzes, activity ideas, discussion questions, and more—all written by experts and designed to save you time. Here are the deets on what you get with your teaching guide:

  • 13 – 18 Common Core-aligned activities to complete in class with your students, including detailed instructions for you and your students
  • Discussion and essay questions for all levels of students
  • Reading quizzes for every chapter, act, or part of the text
  • Resources to help make the book feel more relevant to your 21st-century students
  • A note from Shmoop's teachers to you, telling you what to expect from teaching the text and how you can overcome the hurdles

Want more help teaching Teaching The Voyage of the Dawn Treader?

Check out all the different parts of our corresponding learning guide.



Instructions for You

Objective: Hip, hip.

The main characters in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader visit lots of islands in the story, some of which have pretty obvious similarities to real islands. In this lesson, your students will choose three real-life islands to read about and then make connections to the book by comparing the real islands to the fictional ones.

This should all take about an hour, or one class period.

Materials Needed: Links to island articles, a copy of the text and/or Shmoop's handy summary page

Step 1: If you haven't discussed the islands in the book recently (although there's really no excuse for that…), refresh everyone's memory by very briefly discussing them. You can jot them on the board if the students don't have a list:

  • Lone Islands
  • Dragon Island
  • Burnt Island
  • Deathwater Island
  • Island of the Voices
  • Dark Island
  • Island at the World's End

Step 2: Next up, your students will read the following articles and then choose three of these interesting islands to write about (you can print these articles out for them or just pass them the links):

Step 3: Lucky duck, they're going to make connections between the real islands they just read about and the fantastical islands from the book. Here are some things they'll need to take into consideration as they're writing:

  • Since you picked three real islands, your answers will be in the form of three short (about 150 word) essays.
  • Make a connection between a real island and a fictional one from the book. Include the names of the islands in your answer. Some things to think about:
    • What did you read in the article that made you think of Voyage?
    • How are the islands similar?
    • How are they different?

The short essays should cite at least one example from the text each.

Step 4: Sound off. If time permits, have the students get in small groups of four or so to share their answers with each other.

Anyone else in the mood for a vacation?

Instructions for Your Students

Hip, hip.

The main characters in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader visit lots of islands in the story, some of which have pretty obvious similarities to real islands. Today, you'll choose three real-life islands to read about and then make connections to the book by comparing the real islands to the fictional ones.

Step 1: If you haven't thought about the islands from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader too much recently (though we find that hard to believe, right, guys?), you'll refresh your memory by discussing them now with your teacher:

  • Lone Islands
  • Dragon Island
  • Burnt Island
  • Deathwater Island
  • Island of the Voices
  • Dark Island
  • Island at the World's End

Step 2: Next up, you'll read the following articles and then choose three of these interesting islands to write about:

Step 3: Ready? You're going to make connections between the real islands you just read about and the fantastical islands from the book. Here are some things you'll need to take into consideration as you're writing:

  • Since you picked three real islands, your answers will be in the form of three short (about 150 word) essays.
  • Make a connection between a real island and a fictional one from the book. Include the names of the islands in your answer. Some things to think about:
    • What did you read in the article that made you think of Voyage?
    • How are the islands similar?
    • How are they different?

The short essays should cite at least one example from the text each.

Step 4: Sound off. If time permits, get in small groups of four or so to share your answers.

Now, who's ready for vacation?