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The Selfish Giant 1 EDUCATION PACK
The Selfish Giant
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EDUCATION PACK
The Selfish Giant
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Contents Page
About Riding Lights 3
Activity - Make me a… 5 Reception/KS1/KS2
Activity - The Garden Games! 6
Medal Worksheet Reception/KS1/KS2
Activity - The North Wind 8 Reception/KS1/KS2
Activity - Giant’s Footsteps 9 Reception
Activity - Imagine It Actions 10 KS1/KS2
Activity - Garden Debate 12 KS1/KS2
Activity - Write a Letter to Smog 13 KS1/KS2
Activity - Creating Characters 14
Creating Characters Worksheet KS1/KS2
Activity - Empathise with a Character 18
Cartoon Worksheet Reception/KS1/KS2
Activity - Dear Diary 20
Dear Diary Worksheet KS1/2
Activity - Design a Garden 23
Flower Worksheet Reception/KS1/KS2
Talking Point – Morals 25 KS2
Talking Point – Kindness 26
Promise Worksheet KS1/2
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About Riding Lights
Riding Lights Theatre Company is one of the UK’s most productive
and long-established independent theatre companies. Founded in
York over 40 years ago, partly through the initiative of a city-centre
church, the company continues to take innovative, accessible theatre
into all kinds of communities far and wide.
Our aim is to create unforgettable, entertaining theatre in response
to current issues and the hopes and fears of the world we share.
While the company’s roots are in a Christian ethos, our work is open
to everyone, using faith as a springboard to explore all aspects of life.
Riding Lights in Schools
Riding Lights has been working with schools producing Christmas
shows, theatre workshops and weekly drama lessons for over 40
years.
Alongside our Christmas productions we usually offer various
workshops and sessions including Shakespeare for Primaries, drama
residencies and bespoke learning for purpose activities.
If you are interested in discussing how Riding Lights might work
alongside your school in the future to deliver workshops or drama
sessions please contact Bethan Gibb-Reid at [email protected] or
01904 655317.
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The Selfish Giant Adapted from Oscar Wilde by Jon Boustead
The Giant is angry. He's been away visiting friends for seven years
and returns to find children - children! - playing happily in his
beautiful garden!
Every day after school, they come and run about, laughing and
playing games under the blossom on his peach trees, listening to the
delightful songs of the birds. So he puts up a big wall and an even
bigger KEEP OUT notice to put a stop to all that. Then winter seizes
the garden in its icy fingers...
Will this grip ever be broken?
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Make me a... Reception: Communication and Language, Physical development, Expressive Arts and Design, Drama.
KS1&2: Physical Education, English [Spoken Language and Listening], Drama.
Have the students each stand in their own space.
Call out “Make me a…” followed by something you might find
in the giant’s garden. For example: “Make me a flower!” or
“Make me a giant!”
All the children must then stop where they are, and using only
their body, create the shape of the object or person called
out.
Select a few good examples and have the other children look
at them. Perhaps the student who made the best physical
picture could suggest the next image from the garden for
everyone to become.
Extension: This is a good opportunity to incorporate teamwork into the
exercise. After the students are used to making shapes on
their own, you could ask them to get into 2s or 3s to make a
shape together.
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The Garden Games! KS2: Physical Education, Art and Design, Drama.
KS1: Art and Design
Reception: Art and Design
KS2:
Ask the students to create a new game for the Garden Games.
• How would it work?
• How do you win?
• Do the games require garden equipment?
If restrictions allow, it might be possible to stage some of these games.
KS1 or KS2 Extension: Art and Design
Design a medal for the Garden Games.
• Are there any other prizes they could give out to competitors?
• What prizes might they give to people who are not the best at physical activities?
Reception: Art and Design
Teaching point: We want to celebrate when people have done something to deserve praise.
It might not be a great physical feat, it might be for being kind.
Use the picture on the worksheet of a medal to colour or cover, and choose a person to
award it to.
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This medal is for ______________________________
Awarded for_________________________________
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The North Wind KS1&2: Physical Education, English [Spoken Language and Listening], Drama.
Reception: Communication and Language, Physical Development, Drama.
Have the class stand in a large circle with one child in the middle.
The child in the middle of the circle announces ‘The North Wind blows for
anyone who…’ followed by a fact about them that others in the class might
share. For example if the child has a pet, they might announce: ‘The North
Wind blows for anyone who has a pet’.
Everyone who also has a pet then runs into the circle, looking for a new place
in the circle that is empty. The child who called ‘The North Wind…’ must also
find a place in the circle. Whoever is left without a space stands in the middle
of the circle and announces ‘The North Wind blows for anyone who…’
Extension: It can be easy for the facts in this game to become mundane or repetitive.
Encourage students to think creatively about traits they might share with
others in their class.
Covid-19 Adaption: If it is not possible for the students to stand in a large circle or run around
inside, consider playing this game outside.
If the children must be seated, when a statement applies to a child, instead of
running into the circle, have them put their hand up. The last one to put their
hand up makes the next statement.
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Giant’s Footsteps Reception: Communication and Language, Physical Development, Drama.
A student is nominated to be ‘The Giant’. They stand at the far end of
the space with their back to the rest of the class who are pretending
to be the children playing in the garden.
After a while the giant turns around and the children freeze. If no-
one moves, the giant turns back around and the children start
playing again.
However, if the giant sees someone move, they shout ‘get out of my
garden!’ – the cue for all the children run to the nearest wall. The
giant tries to tap someone in the shoulder before they reach the
wall. If caught, that person becomes the giant.
Adaption: This game might be adapted to encourage teamwork and instead of
replacing the giant, the child who is caught, might join the giant.
They must now decide when to turn around, when to speak and who
to catch together. This gets trickier as the giants increase in number!
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Imagine It Actions KS1&2: Physical Education, Music, English [Composition], Drama.
Ask the students to create actions for the song Imagine It song from
the film. (Lyrics found on the next page).
At the very end of Chapter Three, Jack teaches everyone an action
(based on British Sign Language) for the phrase “imagine it”. What
other actions can be added? Once your class have created their
actions, play the section of Chapter One with the song and perform
them with the song.
Extension for upper KS2:
Have the students write their own new verses for Imagine It.
You can use the film clip in Chapter 1 at 5:30 to remind the children
of the song.
For upper primary, perhaps encourage students to write lyrics that fit
exactly the same beats of the previous verses.
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Imagine It Song Lyrics
Imagine it. Imagine it. Imagine it.
Welcome aboard, it’s time for a story
Where will it start and how will it twist?
Will it be fearsome, or maybe just fun?
This one’s for you, it’s not to be missed…
Imagine it. Imagine it. Imagine it.
Our train’s pulling in to imagination station
Grab your seat for a magical ride
Anything can happen, it’s a crazy creation
But hang on tight, there’s a lesson inside!
Imagine it. Imagine it. Imagine it.
Paint all the pictures inside your head
Castles, and creatures, fantastical friends!
Feel the excitement of ‘what happens next?’
Keeping us guessing right to the end.
Keeping us guessing to the end.
Imagine it. Imagine it. Imagine it.
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Garden Debate KS1&2: English [Spoken Language], Drama.
This can be done in pairs or in two large groups taking turns to speak.
Debate whether the garden should be closed or not.
- One side should argue that the garden should be closed and
that the children shouldn’t be allowed to play there.
- The other side should argue that it should remain open.
Remind the students to be kind and respectful of the opposing
side – just as the Giant learned to be kind towards others.
Extension: Have the debate in character as some of the garden residents from
the film. The North Wind might try and close the garden, while the
daffodils might want to keep it open.
KS2 Extension: Ask the students to write a piece of persuasive writing based on their
argument within the debate.
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Write a Letter to Smog KS2: English [Composition], Drama.
KS1: English [Spoken Language], Drama.
KS2
At the end of Chapter One of The Selfish Giant, Smog and Miff leave the garden
because Smog feels very sad. Ask the students to write a letter to Smog to help
cheer him up.
Suggested questions:
• What could you remind Smog of to help him feel better?
• What makes you feel better when you are sad?
Extension:
Have the students read their letters to one another. Have the other student
respond as if they are Smog, does the letter make him feel better?
KS1
Ask the students to get into pairs. Encourage them to imagine the person next
to them is Smog and is very sad and lonely.
Ask:
• What would you say to Smog to cheer him up?
• What makes you feel happy when you are sad?
Encourage them to talk to Smog in a way to cheer him up and feel less lonely.
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Creating Characters KS1&2: Physical Education, English [Spoken Language and Listening; Composition], Drama.
Read aloud the following extract by Oscar Wilde to the class:
“The Spring came, and all over the country there were little
blossoms and little birds. Only in the garden of the Selfish Giant
it was still Winter. The birds did not care to sing in it as there
were no children, and the trees forgot to blossom. Once a
beautiful flower put its head out from the grass, but when it saw
the notice-board it was so sorry for the children that it slipped
back into the ground again, and went off to sleep. The only
people who were pleased were the Snow and the Frost. ‘Spring
has forgotten this garden’ they cried, ‘so we will live here all the
year round.’ The Snow covered up the grass with her great white
cloak, and the Frost painted all the tress silver. Then they invited
the North Wind to stay with them, and he came. He was
wrapped in furs, and he roared all day about the garden, and
blew the chimney pots down. ‘This is a delightful spot,’ he said,
‘we must ask the Hail on a visit.’ So the Hail came. Every day for
three hours he rattled on the roof of the castle till he broke most
of the slates, and then he ran round and round the garden as
fast as he could go. He was dressed in grey, and his breath was
like ice.
‘I cannot understand why the Spring is so late in coming,’ said
the Selfish Giant, as he sat at the window and looked out at his
cold white garden; ‘I hope there will be a change in the weather.’
But the Spring never came, nor the Summer. The Autumn gave
golden fruit to every garden, but to the Giant’s garden she gave
none. ‘He is too selfish,’ she said. So it was always Winter there,
and the North Wind, and the Hail, and the Frost, and the Snow
danced about through the trees.”
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Ask the students to choose one of the following characters:
• The Snow
• The Frost
• The Hail
• The Autumn
• The North Wind
The children should close their eyes and listen to the story again. This time
listening for clues about their character. Ask them to imagine:
• What their character looks like
• How their character moves
• What their character sounds like
Once you have finished reading, tell the students that you are going to count
down from five, and when you get down to one, they will open their eyes and
wake up as their character. They will then walk around the room in character
but not be allowed to speak. They must demonstrate who they are through
their movement and facial expressions.
After a couple of minutes ask them to find a spot in the room to stop and go
back to sleep as their character. As you count down from five, they will begin
to wake up as themselves.
Back in the classroom, ask the students to remember as much as they can
about being their character. Ask them to complete the character sheet below
by drawing a picture of their character writing about them. You may wish to
read the extract again to refresh their memories.
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Creating Characters – Worksheet KS1
My character is called __________________________________
My character is good at _________________________________
My character likes _____________________________________
Draw your character here:
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Creating Characters – Worksheet KS2
Draw your character here:
Write about your character here:
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Empathise with a Character KS2: English [Composition].
KS1 & Reception: Expressive Arts and Design, PSHE
KS2:
Choose a character from The Selfish Giant.
Write a paragraph/page from their perspective about what
happened at the end of The Selfish Giant.
Are they pleased that the garden is open again? For example, the
North Wind might be disappointed that she can no longer out-stay
her welcome, but the small boy might be thrilled that he can come
and play with his friends all year round!
Reception and KS1:
Ask the students to colour in these drawings of characters in the
Selfish Giant. You will notice, they do not yet have faces drawn in.
This is to allow the children to put appropriate expressions on their
faces to represent the emotions they might each feel now the
Garden is open all year round.
There is also a space for them to draw themselves.
Then ask the children to explain why they have chosen certain
emotions and discuss together.
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PUT PICTURES OF CHARACTERS HERE
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Dear Diary KS1&2: English [Spoken Language and Listening; Composition], Drama.
KS1&2 After watching the performance, ask students to write a diary entry as the giant or the
boy. (Suggested worksheets for KS1 & 2 below) This entry should explain what happened in the
story from the perspective of the character and how it made them feel. Encourage them to think
about what might happen next in the story.
Once the students have completed their diary entry, ask some to read their entry aloud to the class.
Before the students read, prompt them to get in character by thinking about how the character
might speak and stand.
Extension: Ask the students to get into small groups and act out what might happen next in the story.
Reception exercise or KS1&2 Adaption: Before the students complete their diary entry, have them lie down (or place their heads on their
desks) and close their eyes. Ask them to choose whether they want to be the giant or the boy.
Explain that you are going to count to five, after which they will open their eyes and pretend to wake
up as their character.
Encourage the students to walk around the space as their character (without making noise) and ask
them to pay attention to the following:
• Are the footsteps heavy or light?
• Is their character friendly or scary?
• How does their character feel?
• How does their character show this feeling in their face?
• How does their character show this feeling in their body?
If this is not possible to do physically, perhaps ask the students to imagine how their character moves
and behaves.
Next, ask students to acknowledge each other. This might be through a gesture such as a nod, a
smile, a ‘hello’, or they might choose to ignore the others.
As this activity comes to an end, ask the students to find a space where their character will go to
sleep.
Once they are lying down, you should count to five to signal the students to wake up as themselves
again.
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Dear Diary Worksheet
Dear Diary, today I
This made me feel
Tomorrow I will
My Diary
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Dear Diary Worksheet Fill out this worksheet as your chosen character.
• What has just happened to you?
• How did that make you feel?
• What will you do tomorrow?
Build up the Wall Reception, KS1&2: Art and Design, PSHE
As a class, transform a wall of negativity into a beautiful, positive garden.
On one side of a piece of paper, draw three or four bricks in a wall. On each
one write a word which represents negative behaviour or something that
might make a person sad eg bullying, greed, jealousy.
On the other side of the paper, ask the students to draw a colourful flower. On
its petals write positive words, good behaviours and things that might make
someone feel happier.
Stand in a circle with your wall/garden sections. Everyone should hold up their
wall side so that you create a big circular brick wall, just like the wall Smog put
up to keep the children out. Question: How do our negative behaviours keep
others from being able to have fun?
Next, invite the students to turn their paper over to the garden side creating
one big, positive garden, similar to when Summer and fun returned to Smog's
garden at the end.
Suggested questions:
• Who should we invite to our garden?
• What should our garden be used for?
• How can we make sure that our garden is never shut again?
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Design a Garden KS1&2: Art and Design, English [Composition], Citizenship
Reception: Art and Design
KS2: Draw a garden which contains all 4 seasons within it.
What distinguishes Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter from each other?
KS1: Have the students draw a garden in a season of the year.
Suggested Prompts:
• Is the garden in Spring with lots of new colourful flowers?
• Is the garden in Winter with bare trees?
• Are there any people in your garden?
Extension: Write a short story about walking through the garden.
What do you find?
How does it make you feel?
Is this the kind of garden you’d like to spend a lot of time in?
Extension: In order to encourage the students to think beyond themselves, ask them to design a garden for
someone important to them. Think about what they would like to have in their garden. Make it a
place that they would like to spend time in.
Reception: Create a big garden together as a class.
Using craft materials, invite each child to either colour or cover the flower below, or to make their
own.
Bring all the flowers together to create one big garden.
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Talking Point - Morals KS2: Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development
What is a moral?
A lesson that can be learned from a story or experience.
A standard of behaviour; right and wrong.
What is the moral of The Selfish Giant?
What other rules do you think it’s important for us to follow?
If you were to tell a story like The Selfish Giant, what moral would
you tell? What do you think it is important for people to learn?
Extension:
Ask the students to write their own giant story based on the moral
they would like to tell. For example:
• The Greedy Giant
• The Cruel Giant
• The Giant Who Liked to Lie
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Talking Point - Kindness KS1&2: Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development, Citizenship.
Why did things change for Smog?
What role did the little boy have in changing Smog’s attitude?
Can you think of an example of a time when someone has helped you?
How did that make you feel?
What could you do to help others?
Extension: Create promise letters by cutting up the worksheet below.
Ask the children to use the ‘promise slips’ to make promises about ‘acts of
kindness’ that they can perform this week.
Have them put their written promises in envelopes and write their names on
these. Then collect these in all together.
A week later, hand their envelopes round so they can see if they completed
their ‘kindness challenge’.
The following week, once they’ve opened their promise envelopes, have a
discussion about what they achieved.
Questions:
• Was it easy to be kind?
• How did being kind make you feel?
• If you didn’t manage your act, why not?
• How can you continue your acts of kindness?
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Kindness Worksheet
