Rules

In this book club you will discuss Loki and the Giants by Roger Lancelyn Green in a small group of 4-6 readers. You will start a conversation by responding to discussion questions about the text. The book club opens with a brief introduction that one of you reads out loud. The book club then continues in four rounds:

  1. Round 1 consists of 5 quiz questions about the text. One of the group members acts as the quiz master who reads each question out loud, after which everyone (including the quiz master) writes down their answer. The correct answers will appear on the screen after you have turned over the final question card. You may then check your answers and calculate your scores.
  2. Round 2 consists of genuine questions that you have. Each group member consults the group about a part of the text that they thought was unclear. Together, you try to find answers to the questions that are raised. After everything has been cleared up, your group is ready to proceed to the next round.
  3. Round 3 consists of questions for discussion. There are two categories to choose from. The person with the most correct answers to the quiz questions gets to be the first to turn over a card and respond to the question. The other members of the group may then add to the discussion by responding and sharing their ideas. Take turns until all cards are flipped.
  4. Round 4 is when you get to review the text. How many stars would you give the text and why? Discuss this together until you have reached a shared verdict. Use the text box to explain your choice.

Introduction

‘But Loki is from Jotunheim. Is he our friend or our enemy? We don’t know.’ (p. 30)

In the time of the Vikings, a man tells stories. About gods, people, and giants, who live in three different worlds. He also tells stories about Loki, who is the child of a giant and a goddess. When things go wrong, who will he help? 

Round 1: Quiz



Quiz question

1. How many worlds are there in the stories?

2. Which world is Loki from?

3. The giant Skrymli wants to eat the boy Rogner. In which three places does the boy hide from the giant?

4. The man says he can build the wall in one winter. What does Loki say he will give the man if he does that? 

5. What colour is Loki’s horse?

Dit was het laatste kaartje!

  1. 3
  2. Jotunheim, the world of the giants
  3. In wheat, a swan, and a fish egg
  4. The sun, the moon, and Freya as his wife
  5. White

Round 2: Initial questions

Take turns selecting one of the excerpts (fragmenten/stukjes) from the book listed below. Think of a question you would like to ask one of the characters, and work together to find an answer to that question.

  1. Loki is both a giant and a god. Who will he help? ‘It’s Loki … don’t know.’ (p. 30)
  2. Loki makes a promise to the man who says he can build the wall: ‘Can you … enemy, Loki!’ (p. 42-45)
  3. The gods start to think differently about Loki: ‘One day, … with us.’ (p. 50-51)

Round 3: Discussion



Personal connections?

Card 1/6 - Personal connections?

Have you heard about the gods Odin and Thor before? If you have, what do you know about them?

Card 2/6 - Personal connections?

Loki is both a god and a giant. Imagine you are him, what would you think about the gods and giants being enemies?

Card 3/6 - Personal connections?

If you were a person in one of the stories, who would you rather meet – a giant or a god?

Card 4/6 - Personal connections?

If you were a giant, how would you feel about the things Loki does in the stories?

Card 5/6 - Personal connections?

Loki says that if the man can build the wall in one winter, he can marry Freya. How would you feel if you were Freya?

Card 6/6 - Personal connections?

At the end of the story, the gods ask Loki to live with them. What do you think he will do? What would you do if you were him?

Personal connections?

That was the last card!



Food for thought?

Card 1/6 - Food for thought?

Do you think there is a reason the world of the gods is at the top of the tree, and the world of the giants at the bottom? What do you think this says about the way people thought about the gods and the giants?

Card 2/6 - Food for thought?

Why do you think people find stories about Loki so interesting? How is he different to Odin or Thor, for example?

Card 3/6 - Food for thought?

How many examples can you find of people, gods, or giants turning into other things? Who has the power to do this in the stories?

Card 4/6 - Food for thought?

Thor, Odin, and Freya are family. Do you know any other families of gods from other parts of the world? If you do, which ones?

Card 5/6 - Food for thought?

There are three worlds, the boy Rogner is hidden three times, and the man asks for three things if he can build the wall. Why do you think the number three comes back so often?

Card 6/6 - Food for thought?

Do you think the people who listen to the storyteller believe the gods and giants are real? Why or why not?

Food for thought?

That was the last card!

Round 4: Review

Review  Loki and the Giants by rating the graphic novel on a scale of one to five stars, and then provide an explanation for your choice. Discuss what aspects you enjoyed and what aspects you didn’t, and provide reasons for your opinions. Reflect on whether the discussion influenced your individual perspective, and if so, how. Incorporate examples and arguments from your responses to the discussion questions to support your review.

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