Judy and Peter are left alone for the evening while their parents are out. Mother and Father warned the two that they would be bringing guests by the house, and that the house was to be kept neat while they were gone. Once alone, the siblings realize they have nothing to do. They decide to play outside. Peter finds a game in a long, thin box behind a tree labeled “Jumanji.” The instructions read, “Free game, fun for some but not for all…read instructions carefully.” They take the game home to try it out. There is one very important instruction: Once a game of Jumanji is started it will not be over until one player reaches the Golden City. They suddenly realize that this game was becoming more than they bargained for. Judy and Peter began to find that the things happening in the game were appearing inside their house. A lion emerges on the piano, monkeys eat the food in the kitchen, a monsoon drenches the living room, rhinoceros’ stampede through the house, snakes slither around the mantel, and a volcano erupts from the fireplace. Judy and Peter realize that the only way to make all of this disappear is by finishing the game. Judy wins the game and yells, “JUMANJI!” A cool breeze ran through the house, and unexpectedly the house looked just as it had before the game was started. Judy and Peter puts the pieces back in the box and dumped the game outside behind a tree. When Mother and Father return home, the siblings get ready for bed. But not before they see two other children running outside, one with the long, thin box under his arm.
Jumanji is a classic children’s book that emphasizes the importance of reading and understanding directions and instructions. I think that being able to comprehend instructions should be included as a small reading unit in the classroom. This suggestion for use in the classroom is ironic, because I tried to create the Prezi for this book without reading the instructions beforehand; however, I soon found that the instructions were extremely helpful. Students should also be able to write directions/instructions as well. As an activity, you could do a scavenger hunt. Divide the classroom in two groups, and give one group specific instructions and the other vague, unhelpful instructions to a prize. Once the first group finds the prize, compare the sets of instructions and have the students create a set on their own. For example, you could have students write directions to a specific room in the school and trade with another student and find the room using their peers instructions.
