The Time Machine lends itself to a variety of approaches. It could be assigned and reviewed chapter by chapter or in larger chunks. In the past I have broken the book into five main lessons:

Day I - Introduction to Wells and the ideas of the book
Day II - Chapters I-III, quizzes, vocabulary, discussion and writing projects
Day III - Chapters IV-VI, quizzes, vocabulary, discussion and writing projects
Day IV- Chapters VII-XII, quizzes, vocabulary, discussion and writing projects
Day V - Final project
- Optional: viewing the movie

How the elements are taught is flexible. Background material can come from lecture, the A&E biography of Wells, and/or student reports about individual topics (Who was H.G. Wells? What is science fiction? What was the world like in 1895 What were the political philosophies of 1895? Who was Jules Verne? Etc.)

The chapter units can also be taught in a variety of ways. Lecture, large group discussion, small group discussion or small group presentations.

The Time Machine unit can generate a variety of grades, from the simple recall of the check quizzes and vocabulary, to participation grades in discussion, to the final projects.

A Note About Using the Movie:

The Time Machine was turned into a movie in 1960 starring Rod Taylor. Several important differences exist between the two. First, the Time Traveller makes several stops before reaching the Eloi. He sees the effects of World War I, World War II and an atomic bomb attack on London in 1960. This changes the explanation for the existence of two races in the future, where the Eloi became the descendants of people who remained on the surface during the nuclear attacks, and the Morlocks became the descendents of people who fled to the bomb shelters. The cannibalistic relationship between the two races remains. In a creepy alternative vision, the Morlocks turn on air raid sirens which the Eloi blindly respond to by filing to the underground entrances. The movie also creates a love interest between The Time Traveller (now named George) and Weena, who may act child-like but looks much more adult than descriptions from the book indicate. The Time Traveller's visit to the far future is cut out, and the Time Traveller ends the movie by setting out on a rescue attempt of Weena. Filby, who is much more the friend in the movie, wonders at the end what three books the Time Traveller would take with him to rebuild a civilization from scratch (see the writing assignment from the movie).

Showing the movie presents numerous possibilities for comparison/contrast. One of the most interesting is a discussion of how the book reflects 1895 concerns (social/economic fears) while the 1960 movie reflects concerns of its time (nuclear war).

Have fun with the book!

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