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A teAcher’s guide And lesson plAns

Mieke Bijsterbosch. Maike drost and carolien willemsen

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Content

Lesson one: Introduction ……..p. 2-6

Lesson two: Book of the People ……..p. 7-10

Lesson three: The rescue ……..p. 11-14

Lesson four: Do I need this word? ..……p. 15-20

Lesson five: That’s all, folks! ……..p. 21-23

Homework:

Note: please add the dates under the ‘homework for’ tab.

Homework for: To read: To do:

Lesson 2 chapters 1-4 (pages 1-77) Finish exercises 1-3, do exercise 4

Lesson 3 chapters 5-6 (pages 78-160) Finish exercise 2

Lesson 4 chapter 7 (pages 161-170) Finish exercise 3

Lesson 5 Chapters 8 – epilogue (pages

202-208)

Finish exercises 1-3

Post-reading X Choose and make a post-reading

assignment.

Information:

Try not to use a dictionary while you are reading, but use the context to see if you can

figure out the meaning of a word. If you can’t, then write down the word and look it up in

a dictionary after you finish reading the chapter. This will help you to read more

efficiently and quickly. First and foremost, enjoy reading!

Note: It is helpful for the teacher to know if any of the students have read this book

before.

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Lesson one - introduction

Exercise 1: Judging a book by its cover

Sit in the groups that have been written down on the board.

Have your copies of “Artemis Fowl” ready.

Now, looking at and reading ONLY the front and back cover of the book, brainstorm in your groups what you think this book is about and make notes.

Write down at least two things you believe this book is about. Give arguments for your choice.

Some key points to think about: Criminality Line in codes Age of main character Appearance of person on the cover Artemis (think Greek gods) Fowl < -- > foul Misadventure

There is a saying in English, that you should never judge a book by its cover. Check

with students if they know this saying and its meaning. Then briefly explain.

“Don't judge a book by its cover" is an expression which means you should not judge

the worth or value of something by the way it looks on the outside.

Instruct students not to open the book yet. Only looking at the cover of the book and

reading the back page of the cover, ask students to brainstorm in their groups for 10

minutes what students think this book is about. Tell students to make notes.

Elicit feedback from each group and make notes on the board.

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Exercise 2: Genres

Note: time 10 minutes

“Artemis Fowl” is a combination of a fairy tale, science fiction and a detective story.

These are called “genres” in writing.

In your groups discuss what you know about these genres. What are some of the

specific trademarks of these genres?

Specific trademarks of the genre fairy tale

Example: a fairy tale is fiction, not fact.

Possible answer: a traditional story written for children that usually involves imaginary

creatures and magic. Think about princesses, magical creatures, evil stepmothers and

brave princes.

Specific trademarks of the genre science fiction

Example: science fiction deals with science in the future, science as it not yet exists.

Possible answer: books, films or cartoons about an imagined future, especially about

space travel or other planets. Think about stories with weird inventions and strange

futures.

Specific trademarks of the genre detective story

Example: a detective story deals with a crime.

Possible answer: a story about someone whose job it is to discover information about

crimes and find out who is responsible for them. Think about stories with weird murders

and unsolved mysteries.

Write down three examples of:

a fairy story Possible answer: Rapunzel, Cinderella, the little mermaid, princess and the frog.

science fiction Possible answer: Star Trek, Doctor Who, The Matrix, Ender’s game, Dune

a detective story Possible answer: CSI, NCIS, Bones, True Detective, Jessica Jones

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Exercise 3: Cyberhunt

In the book “Artemis Fowl” there are a few important characters.To find out more about

each of these characters, you will do a cyberhunt. A cyberhunt is an online activity

where you use the internet to find information about someone or something.

Work together with your neighbour.

Write down at least two things about each character.

Use ONLY the following websites to find the information: www.artemisfowl.co.uk www.artemisfowl.com www.artemis-fowl.com www.eoincolfer.com artemisfowl.tripod.com artemisfowl.wikia.com/wiki

WARNING: BE CAREFUL, BEWARE OF SPOILERS!

Artemis Fowl

Possible answers: young genius, twelve years old, arrogant, only child

The Fowl family

Possible answers: criminal family, father is missing, very rich

Domovoi Butler

Possible answers: serves Artemis, from a famous bodyguard family, has a sister

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Holly Short

Example: female fairy, first female leprecon officer, loyal, courageous.

Julius Root

Example: commander, stubborn, smokes a lot, often angry.

Foaly

Example: technical consultant, centaur, paranoia, very smart.

Mulch Diggums

Example: dwarf, eats dirt, criminal, wears pants with a bumflab.

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Exercise 4: Interview and record

In pairs and based on what you have learnt today about “Artemis Fowl” interview each

other.

Record your interviews using your mobile phones or laptops.

Talk about the genre of “Artemis Fowl” and your expectations of reading the book.

What do you think you will like about the book? What will you not like? What will be your

challenges when you read it?

Email your recordings to me, your teacher, no later than a week from today’s date.

Email: teacher@outlook.com.

Note:

Students will most likely comment (negatively) on the amount of reading. Give

encouragement and tell students to use a dictionary as little as possible during reading,

but rather underline/highlight words and phrases they do not understand. These words

and phrases can be looked up when students have finished reading a chapter.

Alternatively, contextual clues may make meaning clearer.

In pairs, students will interview each other about what they have learnt today regarding

“Artemis Fowl”. Students should record their interviews using their mobile phones or

laptops. Topics to talk about are in the genre of “Artemis Fowl”, and its main

characters. Also to be included in the Q&A are their expectations of reading the book.

What do students think they will like about the book? What will they not like? What will

be their challenges when reading the book?

Students should email their recordings to the teacher. Email: teacherM@outlook.com.

No later than a week from today’s date!

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Lesson 2 - Book of the People

Exercise 1: I know what will happen next!

Note: this exercise will take up 15 minutes. The teacher will walk around and listen to

conversations, making sure everyone is talking in English. Afterwards; ask two or

three students what they believe will happen next.

Write down the three most important things that have happened in the story so

far. Please write your answer in English

Possible answers: Holly getting kidnapped, Holly defeating the troll, Artemis

getting the Book of the People, Artemis translating the Book of the People.

There are no ‘wrong’ answers.

Now discuss with your neighbour. What is the most important thing that has

happened until now? Explain your answer.

Make sure students elaborate on their opinion.

Talk to your neighbour and discuss in English. What do you believe will

happen next?

Write down your answer.

Make sure students are involved in a discussion, and ask them to elaborate on

their view.

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Exercise 2: the Book of the People

You are going to make a page for the Book of the People, the ancient fairy book that

contains all the People’s secrets, traditions and powers.

Work in pairs.

You may use a computer or phone to do further research, but make sure you

are working on the assignment.

Write a page about one of the following creatures:

Sprite, Gnome, Troll, Elf, Fairy, Leprechaun, Dwarf, Centaur or Pixie.

Your entry has to include:

Appearance: what does your creature look like?

Origin: where is your creature from?

Manners: What are the things this creature typically does or doesn’t do?

Story: find and write down, in your own words, at least one story about your

chosen creature.

Your entry has to be at least 300 words.

Note: exercise will take 30 minutes, if any student did not finish in time, this exercise

becomes homework. Have them hand in the page they have created.

Carry me always, carry me well.

I am thy teacher of thy herb and spell.

I am thy link to power arcane.

Forget me and thy magick shall wane.

Ten times ten commandments there be.

They will answer every mystery.

Curses, cures, and alchemy;

These secrets shall be thine through me.

But, Fairy, remember this above all:

I am not for those in mud that crawl,

And forever doomed shall be the one

Who betrays my secrets one by one.

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Extra

Should students finish early, or you want to recap the story before starting the lesson,

here is a kahoot that covers the first four chapters of the book.

https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/bfd55a92-1cf3-4ac5-84ce-c5632d3cb010

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Lesson 3 - The Rescue

Exercise 1: Once upon a time

Once upon a time, there was a young boy names Artemis Fowl.

Most fairy tales start with ‘once upon a time’. So why not this one?

Write a summary of everything that has happened so far.

Your summary has to be at least ten sentences long.

Note: this exercise will take 10 minutes. The teacher will walk around and answer

questions. Afterwards; ask two or three students to read their summary out loud to

their peers..

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Exercise 2: Fairy tale folk

Every fairy tale has a couple of ‘set’ roles. You might have a princess that needs to

be rescued, a prince that comes to save her and of course the antagonist, the bad

guy, who needs to be defeated. But which is which in this story?

Match the characters with a fairy tale role. There are more roles than characters, so

think before you pick one!

Angeline fowl

Artemis Fowl

Domovoi Butler

Holly Short

Julius Root

Foaly

The evil mastermind

The damsel in distress

The knight or prince

The fairy godmother

The evil henchman

(helper)

The hero or heroine

The trickster (tricks

others)

The crazy witch

Note: multiple answers are possible.

Exercise takes 10 minutes, then

spend 10 minutes asking pupils to

explain their choices. Write the

suggested roles on the board.

Encourage student discussion.

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Exercise 3: the rescue mission

‘This Fowl person seems to know all the rules. So it’s time to break a few.’

- Julius Root

That rescue mission didn’t go too well! Think you can do better?

Work with your neighbour.

Look at the floor plan of Fowl Manor on the next page.

Describe how you would rescue Holly Short. Make sure Artemis, Juliet and

Butler don’t spot you.

Write down at least one plan and one back-up plan. You may also illustrate

your plan on the floor plan of Fowl Manor.

Every rescue mission needs a tune! Look up a ‘rescue’ mission worthy song

on YouTube. Explain your choice.

Note: students may formulate their own answer. Encourage the pupils to discuss in

English and come up with creative answers.

Time: 20 minutes.

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Lesson 4: Do I need this word?

Remember the introduction? Reading a book without using a dictionary is a lot more

fun. But, you will come across some words you don’t know! The question is; do you

really need them?

Exercise 1: Guess that word

Note: This is an individual exercise and takes 10 minutes. When the students have

finished, ask them to share their findings. Ask several students to tell you and the

class about their guesses and the strategies they used.

There are several descriptions of Mulch throughout the chapter, read them carefully:

A dubious individual, even by Artemis Fowl’s standards.

Mulch had decided early that mining was not for him and resolved to put his

talents to another use, namely digging and entering, generally entering Mud

People’s property. Of course this meant forfeiting his magic.

Mulch had a prodigious appetite for tunnelling, and that, unfortunately, is a

literal translation.

Like some members of the reptile family, dwarf males can unhinge their jaws,

allowing them to ingest several kilos of earth a second.

We (dwarfs) have been known to be a bit treacherous.

Mulch resisted the impulse to bite down. It is the strongest of dwarf urges, a

genetic memory born from millennia spent tunnelling.

I’m not a murderer, you know, just a petty criminal.

(Foaly:) Hazel, I think. Or perhaps tawny. You really do have stunning eyes,

Mister Mulch.

Foaly twisted a tiny cylinder into the thick tufts of hair growing from Mulch’s

ear.

Mulch’s beard and head hair were actually a matrix of antennae that helped

him to navigate and avoid danger below ground. Once removed from its pore,

the hair immediately stiffened in rapid rigor mortis.

He flattened a conch-like ear to the red brickwork.

Dwarf digestion, due to its accelerated rate, can be quite explosive.

Dwarf etiquette dictated that gas be passed while still in the tunnel, but Mulch

didn’t have time for manners.

He blew on his hairy fingers and twisted the combination dial.

The constrained wind had built itself up to mini-cyclone intensity and could not

be constrained. And so it exited. Rather abrasively. Blowing open Mulch’s

bum-flap and slamming into the rather large gentleman who had been

sneaking up behind him.

Now give your “best guess” translation for each of the underlined words in the first

column. Then mark which strategy you used. You do not have to fill in all the boxes,

just the ones you used. Try to give a short clarification; see below for an example.

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best guess translation

context similar to other language

known (parts) in English

+/- other strategy

dubious dubieus, twijfelachtig

NL dubieus

forfeiting

prodigious

unhinge

treacherous

millennia

tawny

tufts

rigor mortis

conch-like

digestion

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manners

dial

abrasively

Exercise 2: True meaning

Note: After exercise 1, ask students to do exercise 3 (in pairs). Walk around to help

out with any questions the students might have.

Look up all the words on http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/ and write

the appropriate meaning on the lines below. Extra: you could click on the

pronunciation of the word if you like

dubious thought not to be completely true or able to be trusted

forfeiting to lose the right to do or have something because you have

broken a rule

prodigious extremely great in ability, amount, or strength

unhinge mentally ill

hinge a piece of metal that fastens the edge of a door, window, lid, etc.

to something else and allows it to open or close

treacherous #first meaning given is: dangerous, for ground or sea. this is not

the best meaning to use in this case!#

the meaning here is: not loyal (given further down below on the

web page!)

A person who is treacherous deceives someone who trusts them,

or has no loyalty

millennia plural of millennium: a period of 1,000 years, or the time when a

period of 1,000 years ends

tawny of a light yellowish-brown colour, like that of a lion.

tufts tuft: a number of short pieces of hair, grass, etc. that grow closely

together or are held together near the base

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rigor mortis the stiffness of the joints (= places where two bones are

connected) and muscles of a dead body

conch-like conch: a large spiral shell, or the tropical snail-like sea creature

that lives in it

digestion the process by which your body digests food, or your ability to

digest food

digest: to change food in your stomach into substances that your body

can use

manners ways of behaving toward people, esp. ways that are socially

correct and show respect for their comfort and their feelings

dial most appropriate meaning: a device on an instrument that you

move in order to control it or make changes to it

abrasively

abrasive most appropriate meaning: rude and unfriendly

Exercise 3: Do I need that word?

Compare your dictionary findings to your own “best guess” translation.

Did you guess correctly? And, if you didn’t, was that really all that important?

Word Guess it right? Do I need it to understand

the story?

Forfeiting YES / NO YES / NO

Prodigious YES / NO YES / NO

Unhinge YES / NO YES / NO

Treacherous YES / NO YES / NO

Millennia YES / NO YES / NO

Tawny YES / NO YES / NO

Tufts YES / NO YES / NO

Rigor mortis YES / NO YES / NO

Conch-like YES / NO YES / NO

Digestion YES / NO YES / NO

Manners YES / NO YES / NO

Dial YES / NO YES / NO

Abrasively YES / NO YES / NO

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Extra

Should you have time left at the end of the lesson, you can play the game: So you

think you are Mulch?!

Form groups of three. Give each group an empty sheet of paper (A4). Have the

sheets folded into three equal parts with the folds parallel to the short sides. The first

person draws Mulch’s head in the top box, then makes sure to pass the paper on to

the second person in a way that person 2 can’t see what person 1 has drawn. The

second person then draws Mulch’s upper body in the middle box and passes on the

paper to number 3, so that he can’t see what numbers 1 and 2 have drawn. This last

person finishes the drawing by making Mulch’s lower body.

Have each group show their drawing in class.

You could also play So you think you are Mulch?! in a different way that takes less

time: show some images of Mulch (google) and have the students vote on which one

fits their imagination best.

If students do really well without a dictionary, you can give them the following lesson

instead:

Exercise 1: Poetic Chaos

Read the following poem. It’s an extract from the poem “The Chaos” by Gerard Nolst

Trenité.

Dearest creature in creation,

Study English pronunciation.

I will teach you in my verse

Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.

I will keep you, Suzy, busy,

Make your head with heat grow dizzy.

Tear in eye, your dress will tear.

So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.

Just compare heart, beard, and heard,

Dies and diet, lord and word,

Sword and sward, retain and Britain.

(Mind the latter, how it’s written.)

Now I surely will not plague you

With such words as plaque and ague.

But be careful how you speak:

Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;

Cloven, oven, how and low,

Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.

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What do you think this poem is about?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Are there any words that you don’t know the pronunciation of? YES / NO

Exercise 2: Pronunciation

Now listen to the poem read aloud in class.

Were any words pronounced differently to what you expected? YES / NO

Were you surprised by the pronunciation of some of the words? YES / NO

Would you say the English language has difficult spelling? YES / NO

Exercise 3: Read aloud

Form pairs. Take turns in reading a page of your copy of Artemis Fowl. The other

person reads along in their book. You can try to coach each other on pronunciation.

Make sure to be positive and respectful!

If both of you are unsure of how to pronounce a word correctly you can look it up on

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english to get it right.

*if you like, you could use your smart phone to record your own pronunciation and

play it back to listen to yourself!

Exercise 4: Weird words

Write down at least 3 words from the pages you have read and discussed with your

partner that you want to remember the pronunciation for.

Behind the word, try to write down the pronunciation.

ex. conch kontsj (or konk!)

1.………………………………………………………………………………………………..

2.……………………………………………………………………………………………..…

3.…………………………………………………………………………………………...……

4.………………………………………………………………………………………...………

5…………………………………………………………………………………………………

6……………………………………………………………………………………….………...

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Lesson 5: That’s all, folks!

Opinion tree

We are going to make an opinion tree.

At the bottom of the page, you see a little card.

Write down your name, class and the title of the book.

Did you like the book? Colour the stars.

One star: I did not like it. Two stars: It was ok. Three stars: liked it. Four stars: really liked it. Five stars: it was amazing.

How difficult did you find the book? Circle your answer.

Write down your opinion of the book. Give at least one reason.

NOTE: make sure you have some branches or something else to hang the opinion

cards on. This exercise will take around 10-15 minutes.

Name: Class:

Book:

Rating:

Difficulty: easy/normal/a bit difficult/very difficult

Opinion: _________________________________________________________

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Post-reading assignment

Choose one of the following assignments.

You will make this assignment on your own and will hand it in at the start of next

lesson.

Note: have students start in class and note which student is going to make what. The

students will hand in their work at the start of next lesson, or any date the teacher

deems appropriate. As the assignments do take some time, it is advised to give the

syudents at least a week to finish it. The post-reading assignment can also be done

as a graded assignment.

Make a Facebook profile for one of the characters in the book. Describe the

way they look, their interests and make a timeline using the book’s events.

You can make a real page on Facebook, or you can draw a Facebook page and fill it in. Be creative!

Write a new entry for the Book of the People. Who is Artemis Fowl and why is

he a threat to the People?

Use at least 400 words.

What would it look like?

Make a show-box (a shoebox you can look into) of one of the scenes in the

book.

Extra

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Instead of letting the pupils start on their post-reading assignment, you can also do a

‘guess who’ with the characters from the book.

Divide the students into groups. This also works as a whole-class activity, as long as your class isn’t too big.

Hand out the cards. One student puts a card on his head and has to ask questions in English until they guess which character they are.

Then, the next person grabs a card.

Examples of cards can be found on the next page.

Note: this exercise usually causes some commotion and tends to last between 20

and 30 minutes.

Another possibility is the Artemis Fowl pubquiz, which has 4 rounds of 8 questions

each.

Have the students form groups of 3-4.

Give them the answer sheets.

Ask the questions, give the students some time to think.

After each round, shuffle the answer sheets, so that each group has another

group’s answer sheet.

Read out the answers and have them check the answers.

Gather the cards and read out the point, do this for 4 rounds. Then announce

the winning team.

Question and answer sheets can be found on pages 25-26.

Holly Short

Artemis Fowl II

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Artemis Fowl Pub Quiz.

Questions round 1:

1. What is Holly’s surname? Short

2. From which creature does Artemis get the Book of the People? Sprite or Fairy

3. What kind of animal is Foaly? Centaur

4. What does Foaly wear on his head? Aluminium hat

Commander Julius Root

Foaly

Butler

Juliet Butler

Angeline Fowl

Mulch Diggums

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5. Where does Holly work? LEPrecon

6. Artemis finds the book in Ho Chi Minh City. What is this city also called?

Saigon

7. What is Commander Root’s first name? Julius

8. What creatures does Holly have to capture in Italy? Troll

Questions round 2:

1. What does Mesmer do? Hypnotize folks and make them obey.

2. What kind of creature is Mulch? Dwarf

3. Where does Artemis Fowl live? Ireland

4. What is the name of Artemis’s mother? Angeline

5. The fairy police is called the LEP. What does LEP stand for? Lower Elements

Police

6. Why does Mulch have no magic? Because he breaks into houses.

7. Which language does Artemis use to decipher gnomish? Egyptian.

8. What do fairies call humans? Mud people

Questions round 3:

1. How old is Artemis? 12

2. What is the name of Butler’s sister? Juliet.

3. What animal does Cudgeon send into Fowl Manor? Troll

4. How does Holly get her magic back? She buries an acorn.

5. How do Artemis and Butler counter the Mesmer? Reflective

glasses/sunglasses

6. What is a bio-bomb? A bomb that only destroys living tissue

7. What is Mulch’s surname? Diggums

8. What does Artemis wish for? His mother’s health.

Questions round 4:

1. What happens to the LEP squad that try to enter Artemis’s house after they

bombed it? They vomit and can’t enter.

2. How much gold does Artemis give Holly? Half of all

3. The police’s gold is stolen. By whom? Mulch

4. What is Artemis’s Christmas present? His mother’s health

5. What is Artemis’s nickname? Arty

6. What title does Holly have in LEPrecon? Captain

7. What did Artemis, Juliet and Butler do to escape the time freeze? Swallow

sleeping pills.

8. Who saved Butler after a troll almost killed him? Holly

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Artemis Fowl pubquiz

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Artemis Fowl pubquiz

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