More than 30 years after Roald Dahl’s book was published, and more than 10 years since the musical first took to the stage, Matilda the Musical has been released in cinemas. This resources pack includes an article from The Week Junior magazine, along with a sheet of activities designed to get children thinking, talking and writing about what the story means to them.
Oracy
Roald Dahl’s books have brought joy to generations of young readers but is it time to move on from them? Aren’t you fed up with the way film and TV producers always seem to reach for the same few authors when there are so many other great children’s books out there? Or are you delighted whenever another Roald Dahl film is made? Surely, if other books were thought to be good enough or popular enough, they too would have been adapted? What do you think?
Writing skills
Write an imagined letter between two main characters from different books – perhaps one from a Roald Dahl story and one from the Harry Potter series – in which they try to claim that their stories are better.
OR
Write instructions for creating a Roald-Dahl-style book. What are the typical main ingredients? How are they usually put together? Remember to use the conventions of instructional writing, including a set of numbered points linked by sequencing adverbials such as first, next and after that.
Investigate
Write a four-to-five-paragraph biography of Roald Dahl. Include key dates and locations (such as where and when he was born) as well as details about any jobs he had apart from being a children’s author. Remember to write mainly in the past tense and third person.
Find the entire series of Topical Tuesday resources to download in our Topical Tuesdays collection.
What is The Week Junior?
The Week Junior magazine looks at current affairs and helps children make sense of the world, provides context and clarity to complex issues, improves general knowledge and encourages discussion and debate.
To find out more about The Week Junior and to download its free resources, please go to The Week Junior website.