Resources for teachers and information about how to incorporate His Dark Materials into classroom curriculum.
Bridge to the Stars: In the Classroom
http://www.bridgetothestars.net/index.php?p=class
Bridge to the Stars includes a section for educators called "In the Classroom," which includes biographic information on Philip Pullman, a list of reviews and awards, basic background information on the trilogy, a list of main characters, and, mostly importantly, reading activities and discussion questions.
The Golden Compass: Teacher’s Guide
http://www.randomhouse.com/features/pullman/books/gc_tguide.html
This teacher’s guide includes vocabulary, a suggested pre-reading activity (to familiarize students with the Genesis story of the Fall), themes to discuss and interdisciplinary connections:
"Themes of good vs. evil, betrayal, courage, fear, trust, and love raise important questions, offering students a wonderful opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue. This guide offers questions for discussion and includes activities that connect the language arts, social studies, science, music, and art curriculum."
The teacher’s guides for The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass are essentially the same, and can be accessed through the Random House website for The Golden Compass. (Teaching ideas prepared by Pat Scales, Director of Library Services, the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, Greenville, South Carolina.)
Lane, Harriet. "Pullman’s progress." The Observer 10 October 2004.
http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/childrenandteens/story/0,6000,1323626,00.html
In this article Pullman talks about his experiences as a middle school English teacher for twelve years, where he "became passionate about transmitting information and enthusiasm, and telling stories." His work as a teacher directly affected his writing style in the creation of HDM, he says:
"It came from having children in the audience, which forces you to remember that you’re telling a story. You’re not there to demonstrate how clever you are or your literary style. Children are only interested in what you’re telling them. That was a very valuable lesson."
Glanzer, Perry. "Moving Beyond Censorship: What Will Educators Do if a Controversy over His Dark Materials Erupts?" Phi Delta Kappan October 2005. 166-8. Project Muse.
Glanzer explains why the HDM books (and Pullman) are controversial and why Christian parents might complain about the books being assigned in class or made available in a school library. He advises that teachers and administrators read the book and educate themselves about the Christian faith Pullman seeks to undermine. Glanzer notes that no literature classes are neutral because no literature is neutral; teachers must do their best to give their students a balanced presentation (one specific example he gives is teaching some of Paradise Lost or Pilgrim’s Progress in addition to HDM). Notes a few related articles at the end.