PENGUIN READERS

Teacher’s notes LEVEL 4 Teacher Support Programme

The Time Machine

H G Wells occupied by the Eloi and their enemies, the Morlocks.
He becomes friends with one of the Eloi, Weena, when
he saves her from drowning. After she dies in a fire, the
Time Traveller is forced to escape from the Morlocks
on his own. He does, and then takes his time machine
even farther into the future to see the end of the world.
He leaves again the next day, and though he says he will
return, the Time Traveller is never seen again.
Chapters 1 and 2: We meet four men at dinner discussing
time travelling. A man called The Time Traveller is
showing them a model of a time machine he has designed.
He makes it disappear. Another evening The Time
Traveller arrives late for dinner, dusty and tired with a
About the author strange tale to tell.
Herbert George Wells (1866–1946) was born in Chapters 3 and 4: The Time Traveller describes his first
Bromley, Kent, in the United Kingdom. His father was frightening attempts at time travelling, how he has seen
a shopkeeper and professional cricketer. Wells studied the moon and sun rush across the sky. Then he decides
biology and, leaving science college without a degree, to stop, and lands in a strange world of sweet, gentle but
taught for four years. He settled in London and from weak people who only eat fruit.
1893 became a full-time writer. The Time Machine (1895)
Chapters 4 and 5: The Time Traveller reflects on the
was his first novel, and this was followed by other science
differences he has seen between the new world of the
fiction classics, such as The Island of Dr Moreau (1896),
future and his world. There are no diseases, no unpleasant
The Invisible Man (1897), The War of the Worlds (1898)
insects, no useless plants, and no work.
and The First Men in the Moon (1901).
Chapters 6 and 7: Suddenly the Time Traveller realises
He went on to publish critical pamphlets attacking the
his time machine is missing. He thinks it may be inside
Victorian class system, and joined the famous socialist
the strange metal pedestal he finds on the hill and tries to
Fabian Society in London. After the First World War,
open it. He also discovers a type of well that sucks air into
Wells wrote mainly non-fiction books, including several
the ground. Then a woman, Weena, one of the Eloi, is
about the League of Nations.
swept away in the river and The Time Traveller rescues her.
After ten years living in France, Wells returned to London They become friends. One morning, however, he wakes
and wrote The Holy Terror (1939), in which he studied early and sees strange white figures carrying a body.
the psychological development of modern dictators based
Chapters 8 and 9: While trying to get out of the sun, the
on the careers of Stalin, Mussolini and Hitler. He lived in
Time Traveller finds a narrow room in some rocks where
London throughout the Second World War. His last book,
he meets a strange white creature with angry eyes. Later
Mind At the End of its Tether (1945), had a very bleak view
he goes down one of the wells and discovers these are the
of the future of mankind. It is for his earlier science fiction
Morlocks who are aggressive towards him. He escapes but
stories that he is chiefly remembered today.
thinks the Morlocks probably eat the Eloi as food.
Summary Chapters 10 and 11: The Time Traveller decides to go
A group of men, including the narrator, are listening to with Weena to the Green Palace for safety. This seems to
the Time Traveller discuss his theories on time. The Time be an old museum and he takes a metal bar to protect
Traveller produces a miniature time machine and makes themselves with. He also takes matches and candles.
it disappear into thin air. He then shows his disbelieving Chapters 12 and 13: Later, in the forest, the Morlocks
guests a full-scale time machine, which he has made in his attack them. Weena is killed and a fire lit by the Time
laboratory. The Time Traveller proceeds to tell the story of Traveller spreads throughout the forest, killing some of the
how he travelled to the year 802,701, and found the world Morlocks. Later, the Time Traveller finds his time machine

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 PENGUIN READERS
Teacher’s notes LEVEL 4 Teacher Support Programme

The Time Machine

inside the pedestal but it is a trap set up for him by the Discussion activities
Morlocks and he has to fight his way out. He escapes in
Before reading
the machine.
1 Discuss: Put students into small groups and ask them
Chapters 14 and 15: The Time Traveller decides to go to discuss the book cover and title. What does the cover
forward in time. The Earth has stopped moving and he make you think of? What do you think the book could be
about? What does the title make you think of? Write
is on a beach and giant crabs start to attack him, so he
down your ideas.
goes forward again. The sky is black and there is snow. He 2 Discuss: In pairs have students discuss any books they
manages to get back home where the Editor, and Medical have read, films or TV programmes they have seen
man don’t believe him. The Time Traveller promises the where people travel in time. What is your favourite
narrator that he will bring evidence back with him next film/TV programme or book where people travel in time?
What happens in it? Where do the people travel to? Do
time. He leaves in the time machine but after three years,
they go forwards or backwards in time? If you had the
he still has not returned. chance to travel in time where would you go? Would you
go forwards or backwards in time?
Background and themes 3 Guess: Put the following words on the board and ask
Science: Before Wells, other people had written fantasies the students to guess their meanings. They can refer
to the Word List at the back of the book: dimension,
about time travel. Wells, however, was the first to
geometry, lines, lever, psychologist, dial, editor,
introduce authentic scientific speculation to the genre. experiment, and laboratory.
The Time Traveller describes in great detail his theories on
the fourth dimension and his observations on astronomy
Chapter 1
and evolution while on his journey. Many of these ideas
After reading
4 Check: Check the students have understood the
were inspired by Thomas Huxley, Wells’s teacher at his beginning of the book. As them to discuss in pairs the
London science college. following questions: What are the men discussing? Who
is at the dinner? What is the Time Traveller working on?
Society: As with all good science fiction, the background
What do you understand by the expression ‘the fourth
of a fantasy set in the future can be an effective way of dimension’?
illuminating deficiencies in present day society. The land
of the Eloi and the Morlocks is a mirror of the Victorian Chapter 2
class system and is a vision of the troubled future such After reading
5 Write: Have students to do a piece of writing entitled
a system could lead to. Too much comfort and the ‘My travels in time’. If you could travel in time, where
absence of suffering have turned the manager class into would you go? Would you go forwards or backwards
a race of pretty, but useless, pleasure-seekers. They have in time? Would you experience a historical event or
become too weak and stupid to help themselves, and have something that has not happened yet? What would the
even lost the basic human instinct of helping others in world look like? What would people be like? Write about
what you see and experience.
trouble. The Time Traveller is initially beguiled by their
child-like simplicity, but ends up being contemptuous. Chapter 3
The Morlocks, on the other hand, represent the Before reading
dehumanisation of the working classes. Unlike the Eloi, 6 Research: Have the students find pictures of the
Sphinx. Where is the Sphinx? What is it? What does it
they still know how to make things but have become
look like? Do you like it? How might this relate to the
brutal predators of the night. In Wells’s view, this is story, do you think?
a warning of things to come if society does not do
something to rectify its inequalities and absurdities while While reading
7 Write: Ask the students to make a list like the one
there is still time. below, and note down what the Time Traveller sees
Adventure: This has, of course, all the ingredients of a and feels during his travels.
traditional adventure story: a hero trapped by an unseen Sees Feels
The sun moves crazy excitement
enemy overcomes overwhelming odds and escapes from an
impossible situation. After reading
8 Discuss: Put students into small groups and ask them
to discuss what they have read. What has happened
to the Time Traveller? Where did he go? Why did he

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 PENGUIN READERS
Teacher’s notes LEVEL 4 Teacher Support Programme

The Time Machine

suddenly become frightened? Who was the first person he ghosts? Have you or anyone you know ever seen a ghost?
saw? What were his first impressions? What would you do if you ever saw a ghost?
Chapter 4 After reading
After reading 17 Discuss: Put students into small groups again and
9 Artwork: Have the students do a piece of artwork discuss these questions. What did the Time Traveller see
entitled ‘The people of the future’. Have students in the early morning, do you think? Were these ghosts? If
draw what they think the people of the future will not, what were they? Were you correct in your predictions
look like. Ask students to include a small paragraph in about the ghosts in Activity 17?
their work using comparatives: e.g., the people of the
Chapter 8
future will be more intelligent than us and they will use
less fuel than us. Before reading
18 Guess: Ask students to guess what the word
Chapter 5 ‘Morlocks’ means. Is this a place, a person or a thing?
After reading Ask students to write down their ideas.
10 Discuss: Put students into small groups and ask them
While reading
to try and remember everything about the strange
19 Discuss: Put the students into small groups and have
people. What do they look like? Are they happy or sad?
them discuss the Time Traveller’s questions: ‘What
What do they do all day? Are they strong or weak? How
was this creature of the dark doing in my idea of a
does the Time Traveller feel about these people, do you
perfectly organised society? What was its relationship
think? What type of society does he encounter?
with the calm laziness of the beautiful Upper-World
11 Role play: Student A: Imagine you are the Time
people?’ Why do you think there are two types of
Traveller. You land in a new world and meet a
creatures, one living above ground, one below? Do they
stranger. Tell the stranger about your world and ask
work together? Do they like each other? Why do you
lots of questions about his/hers. Student B: You are
think one species live below ground?
not human. You are from a different world. You meet
a time traveller who wants to know about your world. After reading
Tell him/her and also ask him/her where he/she comes 20 Discuss: Put students into small groups and ask them
from. to discuss the following question: What conclusion
12 Write: You are a writer for the local newspaper. You does the Time Traveller come to about the
have met someone who claims to be a Time Traveller relationship between the above ground and the below-
and has visited the world of the future. Write the ground people? Do you agree with him?
Time Traveller’s story but also include what you think
about it at the end. Chapter 11
Before reading
Chapter 6 21 Research: Using maps or the Internet, have students
Before reading look at a map of London and find the following
13 Predict: Ask students to write down their predictions places: The Thames, Wandsworth and Battersea.
for this chapter. What happens to the Time Traveller?
How does he get lost in Time? Where does he get lost? Chapter 12
Will he ever get back and, if so, how? After reading
22 Pair work: Have students work together and discuss
After reading what happened in the forest. What happens to Weena?
14 Pair work: Have the students work in pairs and What mistakes does the Time Traveller make, in your
compare their predictions. Were your predictions opinion? How did you feel after you read this chapter?
correct? How were they different from the story? Which of Find adjectives to describe your feelings.
you most correctly predicted what happened?
15 Write: The Time Traveller panics because he can’t find Chapter 14
his time machine. Ask the students to imagine they Before reading
have to give him some advice. Write a list of what he 23 Write: Ask students to predict the end of the book
should do and why. Put the most important things and to write the ending. Do you think the world dies?
first. Does the Time Traveller escape? If so, does he go forward
or backward in time? What happens to him? Write what
Chapter 7
you would like to happen.
Before reading
16 Discuss: Put students into small groups and ask them Vocabulary activities
to discuss the title of this chapter, Ghosts. What do you For the Word List and vocabulary activities, go to
think ghosts are doing in this story? Do you believe in www.penguinreaders.com.

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