Spirited Away

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

ACTIVITY 1: “Design a Shrine”

In this activity, students will construct or illustrate a Shinto shrine that represents one of the novel’s three main themes.

Considering the novel’s themes (Modern Humanity’s Abandonment of Spirituality and Nature; The Dangers of Decadence and Greed; How Love Propels One Toward Bravery and Maturity), you will create a representation of a shrine using either three-dimensional materials or by illustrating/painting it. Your project will include a brief 3-5 sentence description of your shrine and how it relates to the novel’s themes.

• Decide whether you want to create a three-dimensional or two-dimensional piece.
• Consider facts on Shintoism using the paired resources, reviewing your notes, conducting research, and talking with classmates.
• Think about the novel’s themes and how they relate to Shinto shrines, as well as how these shrines are depicted in the story.

Share your project with classmates and offer a brief presentation on the ways in which it connects to the chosen theme. Your projects will be on display in the classroom for others to view and admire!

Teaching Suggestion: This activity is designed to help bridge the themes to the story’s elements, reinforce paired resources, and add a way to relate personally to the ideas presented in the novel and through Shintoism as a philosophy. Students can either imitate a shrine they have seen an image of or create something entirely unique.

You might offer the option to simply represent one of the three main themes visually, incorporating images from the text.

ACTIVITY 2: “Spiritual Spaces and Other Voices”

In this activity, students will choose one of the spirit world characters introduced in Spirited Away and write a one-page short story from their perspective.

Considering what has happened so far, write a one-page narrative from the point of view of a spirit-world character, detailing their perspective and motivations on the arrival of Chihiro and her parents.

• Plan out your narrative before writing it using a web, outline, or map.
• Keep the novel’s themes in mind as you draft your narrative.
• Feel free to discuss your character’s observations of the humans with a classmate but be careful to ensure that your stories are different.

Share a few lines of your story with the class and discuss your rationale for choosing the character you did.

Teaching Suggestion: Some students may already be familiar with these characters and know what happens next in the story due to having read or watched it before. They can still complete this assignment by writing the narrative in their own words and from the perspective of a secondary or tertiary character. Students who do not know what happens next will base their stories on what they have read so far. Through this activity, students have the opportunity to write from a character’s perspective.