roald dahl biography activities

Roald Dahl in the Classroom

Bring the magic of Roald Dahl stories to life in your classroom with our YPO-sponsored lesson plans, spanning the full curriculum!

Created to align with Key Stage 1 and 2 learning objectives, our free lesson plans are designed to add a touch of Roald Dahl magic to the curriculum, from English, Maths and STEM to Art, PSHE and Geography.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Step into Willy Wonka's factory with your class and discover a world of imagination and invention. With Literacy and PSHE objectives, these lesson plans explore themes including identity and understanding others' experiences.

• Build creative characters with descriptive language
• Debate the pros and cons of television
• Explore PSHE inspired by events in the chocolate factory

Inspire your class with our favourite brave and brilliant heroine. These lesson plans span several subjects; try moving things with your mind in STEM, or overcoming Matilda's challenges in PSHE.

• Take on a newt-based Geography challenge
• Explore forces and motion in Matilda's Science class
• Discover a Maths lesson for brilliant bookworms

Discover buckets of whoppsy-whiffling words to gobblefunk around with. These Literacy and PSHE plans explore themes including friendship, dreams and believing.

• Experiment with creative language and gobblefunk
• Devise an exciting plot
• Understand human rights by studying the Giants

Introduce your class to the most disgusterous duo we know and discover nasty tricks and sticky situations in these Literacy and PSHE lesson plans.

• Create your own mischievous trick
• Write Roly-Poly rhymes
• Learn how to use dialogue in creative writing

James and the Giant Peach

Take your class around the world with the help of some rather peculiar insects. With Literacy and Science objectives, these lesson plan explore themes incluidng invention and being champions for good.

• Learn about gathering data by holding a fruit Olympics
• Join James on a Geography adventure
• Become a minibeast detective and create fact files

Early Years Lesson Plans

Who said primary school pupils get to have all the fun? We've created an extra-special set of six lesson plans perfect for titchy toddlers, with a little help from the Enormous Crocodile!

• Get crafty with Croc
• Practise numeracy by counting Croc's teeth
• Rescue the alphabet from getting gobbled up

Fantastic Mr Fox

These lessons might just be fantastic. Join our foxy hero on an exploration through English, Drama, Design, Technology, Art and more.

• Plan and write your own playscript
• Create original animal characters
• Design and make your very own digging machine

The Witches

The Witches is a splendidly spooky way to bring some adventure into your lessons. Use the story of the Grand High Witch to explore Maths, English, PSHE, Computing, Art and Design.

• Create your own Witch awareness videos
• Collage the fearsome face of the Grand High Witch
• Explore maths challenges with the recipe of Formula 86

George's Marvellous Medicine

George's mischievous adventures are perfect to explore themes of invention, feelings and the power of words. Lead creative writing challenges and PSHE conversations guided by George's story.

• Write poetry inspired by George's spells
• Use dramatic techniques to bring the story to life
• Understand and evaluate George's mixed feelings

Danny the Champion of the World

Danny's dad teaches him many things about the world; let his wisdom inspire in your class with these inventive lesson plans exploring Computing, Design, Literacy, PSHE and more.

• Design and make your very own kites
• Learn debate skills inspired by Danny
• Create atmosphere in a creative writing workshop

Billy and the Minpins

The Minpins may be small, but they have some big lessons to teach. Join Billy and his crew for a series of lessons on Literacy and Art. 

• Learn how to listen to others with different opinions to yours
• Design your own Minpin party poster
• Use colour, shape and space in your writing

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Fan site for author Roald Dahl (1916-1990)

Teacher Ideas

This page features all the lesson plans and classroom ideas I’ve collected. They’re organized by topic, with general education and Dahl resources first, books next, and shortstories last. If you’d like to contribute, please contact me . Thanks!

Billy and the Minpins

Boy – tales of childhood, charlie and the chocolate factory, charlie and the great glass elevator, danny the champion of the world, dirty beasts, fantastic mr. fox, george’s marvelous medicine, james and the giant peach, the enormous crocodile, the giraffe and the pelly and me, the magic finger, the minpins, the vicar of nibbleswicke, the witches, “dip in the pool”, “galloping foxley”, “lamb to the slaughter”, “mrs. bixby and the colonel’s coat”, “my lady love, my dove”, “parson’s pleasure”, “pig”, “poison”, “taste”, “the boy who talked with animals”, “the butler”, “the hitchhiker”, “the landlady”, “the way up to heaven”, “the wish”.

• Teach students how to use the Internet for research, and then send email for comments/questions
• Non-commercial site created to assist teachers in finding and using resources online
• Lots of activity ideas for your classroom!
• Designed to get students interested in reading and have a good time learning about an author
• Great site with free information for teachers, parents, and students
• Series of lessons is aimed at developing literacy skills using Minecraft to create Dahl's most memorable settings
• A set of activities comparing the lives of Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake
• PDF file with lessons and activity ideas exploring Roald Dahl’s process as a writer, particularly how he drew inspiration from the world around him
• Includes a brief biography of Dahl as well as questions and a timeline to fill in
• An on-line community of teachers that provides resources and lesson plans specifically designed for teachers, by teachers
• Holiday literary festival with many different activities for different age levels (6–16)
• PDF from Penguin.com with ideas and activities for learning about Roald Dahl all through September
• Get your class to think of ways to help Billy escape the Gruncher with the YPO lesson plans which include Art and Literacy Objectives on spoken language, imagining worlds and celebrating achievements.
• Includes a number of story analysis exercises pertaining to the “Goat’s Tobacco” incident
• Fun activity to help improve students’ ability to write with descriptive details that allow the reader to visualize in their head.
• Six brand new lesson plans for teaching Roald Dahl's Boy: Tales of Childhood create by YPO to explore Literacy and PSHE objectives, whilst exploring themes such as descriptions, colourful characters and information gathering.
• Includes unit of instruction for 20 lessons, 5 lesson plans, condensed first lesson, autobiographical scaffold, and comparative question
• Students read and analyze a mentor text (an excerpt from the book), write their own narrative vignette, and analyze their use of pronouns in their vignette.
• Designed to get students thinking critically about the text they read and provide a guided study format to facilitate in improved learning and retention
• A variety of activities all around the book
• Includes activities devised to introduce the story to children who will perform the play
• Activies, quizzes, worksheets and extension ideas for studying the book (note: Archive.org)
• Includes recipe for chocolate balls
• Scroll down to find “Design a New Room for the Chocolate Factory”
• PDF file including extracts, Literacy and PSHE learning objectives, lesson plans and fun activity sheets
• Bring Willy Wonka’s world into your classroom with these splendiferous PSHE and Literacy YPO lesson plans.
• PDF preview of Novel Study including everything you need to teach the novel (full version available for purchase on novelstudies.org)
• PDF file with plan and activities for a summer reading club. In addition to reading and discussing, students make a candy machine and construction-paper candy bars with a Golden Ticket. (note: Archive.org)
• PDF with questions related to first part of story (note: Archive.org)
• PDF with questions related to second part of story (note: Archive.org)
• Includes several enrichment activities and projects, a list of Internet resources, and a short Dahl bibliography.
• Designed for a special education class of 11-13 year olds, but would be great for kids of any age
• PDF with activities related to exploring Dahl's use of descriptive language including drawing an alien
• PDF with activities to explore and develop strategies to write a script
• PDF with activities to analyse, design and evaluate a new pheasant-catching trick
• PDF with activities to make a word-picture describing a story entitled: "The first time I..."
• Vocabulary words and questions for each chapter of the book, along with a suggested final project (note: Archive.org)
• PDF including Initiating Activity, Mini Lessons, Critical Thinking Questions, Related Activites, and more
• PDF with activities related to creating a poem, using rhyming couplets, about a new dirty beast
• PDF with activities related to exploring parent and child relationships in The Tummy-Beast and The Porcupine
• Includes ideas for studying backwards writing
• PDF with activities related to identifying patterns and relationships involving numbers or shapes
• PDF with activities related to alliterative character traits and names
• Mostly language and reading type activities
• Includes various social studies, math, writing, and creative activities
• Using Fantastic Mr Fox to explore Roald Dahl’s use of alliteration
• Online matching, concentration, and flash card games with concepts from the book
• Comprehensive unit plan, including lesson plans, vocabulary words, worksheets, and more!
• Get your class to create recipes for their own perilous potions in these marvellous YPO lesson plans which include PSHE and Literacy Objectives on the power of words, exciting writing and mixed feelings.
• Classroom activities such as making punch, writing stories, and learning about first aid
• Scroll down to find “George’s Marvelous Medicine”
• PDF with activities exploring suspense writing
• PDF with activities exploring metaphors and similes
• Classroom activities related to the book
• Excellent guide with vocabulary words, questions, and lots of activities
• Comprehensive lesson plan with unit plan, diagrams, and vocabulary tests
• Bring a world of giant peaches and talking insects to life in your classroom with these brilliant beyond belief YPO lesson plans.
• Includes some peach-related ideas for teaching the book
• Includes summary, discussion questions, activities, and recipe
• Includes several good ideas for enrichment activities, a list of Internet links, and a Dahl bibliography
• Activity where students write their own large-object-rolling-through-something paragraph.
• PDF guide for educators to using Matilda in the Classroom, including chapter-by-chapter lessons plans and tie-in to Broadway musical
• Several lesson plans for various chapters in the book, which develop various skills through wordplay, drama and many other methods
• Includes excerpt from the text and interactive worksheet
• Lesson plan where students learn how to identify homophones in a reading passage and how to best use the Visual Thesaurus to help them decide on the appropriate homophones to complete quotations from the book
• Several activities for various sections of the book
• Creative prompt for writing and drawing
• Designed to teach about the election process
• Designed to teach concepts of scale and multiplication in a hands on way
• Designed to teach creativity and teamwork
• Scroll down to find “Recipes for Dreams”
• PDF guide for educators to using The BFG in the Classroom
• Includes ideas for teaching language devices and a fun recipe for Frobscottle!
• Includes ideas for studying dreams and depicting giants
• These officially phizz-whizzing lesson plans include PSHE and Literacy Objectives for lessons on Friendship, Dreams and Believing.
• PDF with activities to produce a piece of drama showing a new ending for the story
• PDF with activities to create a design for a new crocodile trap
• PDF with activities to make a wanted or warning poster for children, warning them about The Enormous Crocodile
• PDF with activities related to teamwork and cooperation, including designing a business with roles for all the team members
• PDF with activities related to developing imaginative and empathetic skills
• PDF with activities related to debating the killing of wildlife for food or resources
• PDF with activity using imaginative skills to create a transformation tale based on the story
• Designed to teach creativity, writing, proofreading, literary analysis, teamwork, and more
• Several lesson plans for exploring themes within various chapters in the book
• Builds on ideas provided in "English Lesson Plan"
• A writing activity where that asks writers to make use of both showing and telling as they create a well-organized paragraph of description.
• PDF with activities related to dyslexia and empathy
• Includes a few activities based on the story
• PDF with activities related to researching and preparing presentations
• Letter-writing activity involving population statistics
• Suggested additional question for "Classroom Activities"
• Includes a number of questions and exercises pertaining to the story
• Includes a reading jigsaw, ranking features of the perfect murder, and vocabulary matching task
• A R.A.F.T. Writing Prompt involving identification of important quotes from the story and then writing a persuasive essay in the form of a closing argument from a defense attorney
• Activities and discussion prompts involving a comparison of Edward Hopper's paintings and Dahl's writing (from The New York Times)
• Includes a range of reading tasks, divided into story sections
• Includes some ideas for teaching grammar
• Includes a crossword, questions, who said what, vocabulary, summary, and writing a letter
• Includes a chart for comparing two characters
• Excellent study kit that includes materials around Pre-reading, Context, and Word Work. Also includes the text of the story and mp3 files for listening to it.
• Includes a making your own story exercise (using extracts from Dahl’s story) and questions
• A letter writing activity exploring foreshadowing based on the story
• Online puzzle focusing on word definitions, synonyms, and antonyms

Roald Dahl Biography – With Comprehension Questions

Learn about the life of popular author Roald Dahl with our differentiated biographies.

This resource also includes three sets of related comprehension questions and answers.

Roald Dahl Biography – with Comprehension Questions

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The Proudest Blue

Title pages, you may also like, grandma’s footsteps, bookmark slogans, lined paper templates, fill in the punctuation, the explanation writing pack, leave a comment cancel reply.

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