Teaching A Game of Thrones

Instructions for You

Objective: Part of what makes A Game of Thrones (AGOT) so engaging is the fact that you're transported into an entirely new world. AGOT even supersedes Harry Potter's world of wizardry, which is stuck half in the real "Muggle" world and half in the mystical Hogwarts. Instead, in this novel readers are immersed in an entirely new universe with geography, lineages, religion, and magic all unto itself.

In order for your students to (a) understand what the heck's going on, and (b) care about the characters, they first need to learn about this world. Since studying geography is a surefire way to make your students revolt or pass out, let's turn to the houses of Westeros instead.

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to…

• explain the purpose of sigils and words for the major houses of Westeros
• explain how the sigils and words of AGOT are connected to heraldic crests and mottoes
• create house sigils and words for their own families or a fictional family

Materials Needed: Royal Crest Handout, a copy of the text, and/or our summary page

Step 1: It's important that students have read through the first few chapters before starting this activity, so that their curiosity will have been piqued. We recommend one of two places they should read up to. The first is after Chapter 6 (Jon 1) because Jon and Tyrion discuss their respective places in their families. The second is after Chapter 9 (Bran 2) because your students will probably be intrigued by how deeply the Lannisters love their family (wink, wink). Of course, this lesson could work at any time, and these are just our friendly suggestions.

You'll start off with an overview of the four major families of Westeros: the Starks, the Baratheons, the Lannisters, and the Targaryens. We've provided a simple two-page no-nonsense handout that provides a picture of the house sigil along with a family tree for each of these houses. (What's that? Oh, you're welcome.)

However, there's more. We've compiled a quick list of other sources that could really liven things up. You can use one of these giant family trees (no spoilers) as a nice reference:

• HBO family tree (soooooo much easier to visualize)
• Stick figure family tree (complete with characters not attached to families: servants, lesser lords, and eunuchs)

You could also show any number of these wonderful HBO vignettes. (The extended clips do a better job explaining the house words and sigil.)

House Stark Features (HBO)

• Extended version
• Short version

House Lannister Features (HBO)

• Extended version
• Short version

House Baratheon Features (HBO)

• Short version

House Targaryen Features (HBO)

• Short Version

Step 2: Pass out our Royal Crest Handout that provides a brief overview of crests and mottoes in medieval times and their counterparts in the world of Westeros. Ask students to work in pairs to review the sigil, reflect upon the questions, and write some answers that a Grand Maester would appreciate. Sounds magical already.

Some discussion questions to follow up might include:

• What role did crests and mottoes (or sigils and words) play in the medieval era?
• Most families don't have crests and mottoes these days. However, how do crests and mottoes live on in modern society and where do you see them in your everyday life?

Step 3: Ask students to craft their own sigil and words that represent them, their family, or a fictional family.

On a separate sheet of paper, display proud family honor with the following:

• a symbolic sigil (and maybe some cool details to accompany it)
• meaningful family words
• a field of symbolic colors

If students are too modest to make a sigil for themselves, then they can select one of the following options:

• create a sigil for a classmate (the sigil should be positive and the friend shouldn't be someone who's already doing this assignment)
• trade with a friend (you make their family's sigil; they make yours)
• make a sigil for a fictional character/family (if you plagiarize, you'll be thrown into the dungeon)
  
  • Check out the Batman sigil.
  • Check out the Mario sigil.
• craft a sigil for a famous person, family, or organization (think politicians, historical figures, heroes, celebrities, etc.)
  
  • Check out the Netflix sigil.

For more examples, visit Top 5 Fake Game of Thrones Pop Culture House Posters. They can finish these in class or at home; when everyone's done, you can hang them all up to give the classroom a little bit more of a medieval vibe. (And who doesn't like that?)

Instructions for Your Students

The world of Westeros is a big, big place, and the families? The families seem even more expansive than the lands. We often wish that George R. R. Martin (or his publishers) had spent a little more money on illustrators to help us understand the landscape (literal and metaphorical) of A Game of Thrones. They didn't, though, so we have you covered.

Today's lesson will introduce you to the major houses of Westeros along with their sigils and words. By the end, you'll no longer be asking "Who's that again?" You'll know the purpose of house sigils and words, and you'll even have your own nifty sigil and words of your own (new bumper sticker anyone?).

Step 1: It's important that you have read through the first few chapters to get your footing. Trying to learn about the characters without knowing the plot first just won't work…sorry. We recommend starting this lesson once you've reached one of two places in the book. The first is after Chapter 6 (Jon 1) because Jon and Tyrion discuss their respective places in their families. The second is after Chapter 9 (Bran 2) because of the intrigue surrounding how deeply the Lannisters love their family (wink, wink).

The four major families of Westeros are the Starks, the Baratheons, the Lannisters, and the Targaryens. We've provided a simple two-page no-nonsense handout that provides a picture of the house sigil along with a family tree for each of these houses. (What's that? Oh, you're welcome.)

You can use one of these giant family trees (that contain NO SPOILERS) as a nice layout to help you understand the various families and lands.

• HBO family tree (soooooo much easier to visualize)
• Stick figure family tree (complete with characters not attached to families: servants, lesser lords, and eunuchs)

You could also watch any number of these wonderful HBO vignettes.

House Stark Features (HBO)

• Extended version
• Short version

House Lannister Features (HBO)

• Extended version
• Short version

House Baratheon Features (HBO)

• Short version

House Targaryen Features (HBO)

• Short Version

Step 2: Read over our Royal Crest Handout to get a brief overview of crests and mottoes in medieval times and their counterparts in the world of Westeros.

Here are two questions to deepen your understanding of the topic:

• What role did crests and mottoes (or sigils and words) play in medieval times?
• Most families don't have crests and mottoes these days. However, how do crests and mottoes live on in modern society, and where do you see them in your everyday life?

Step 3: Now you're going to use our handout to craft your own sigil and words that represent you, your family, a friend, a famous person/family, an organization, or a fictional family.

Whatever you decide, make it colorful, and make it awesome. Imagine that you're involved with a rich and powerful family in Westoros. Maybe you've impressed the king or are just so good-looking that the queen wants you to marry the prince or princess. You can't show up to a tournament, wedding, or war without your very own family sigil.

On a separate sheet of paper, display your proud family honor with the following:

• a symbolic sigil (and maybe some cool details to accompany it)
• meaningful family words
• a field of symbolic colors

You're expected to make something you'd be proud of. It should be in color, it can be digitized, and it must be awesome.

If you're too modest to make a sigil for yourself, then you can select one of the following options:

• create a sigil for a classmate (the sigil should be positive and the friend shouldn't be someone who's already doing this assignment)
• trade with a friend (you make their family's sigil; they make yours)
• make a sigil for a fictional character/family (if you plagiarize, you'll be thrown into the dungeon)
  
  • Check out the Batman sigil.
  • Check out the Mario sigil.
• craft a sigil for a famous person, family, or organization (think politicians, historical figures, heroes, celebrities, etc.)
  
  • Check out the Netflix sigil.

For more examples, visit Top 5 Fake Game of Thrones Pop Culture House Posters.