Teacher’s notes
LEVEL 3
B1225
PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
Matilda
Roald Dahl
Summary
Matilda is a gloriously funny children’s book written by
Roald Dahl, arguably the most successful children’s writer
in the English language. In 1996, the book was made into
a highly successful film starring Danny DeVito (also the
director), Mara Wilson and Rhea Perlman.
About the author
Roald Dahl was born in 1916 in South Wales, Britain.
His parents were Norwegian immigrants. He trained as
a fighter pilot, and during the Second World War, he
flew bomber planes in Libya, Greece and Spain. In 1940,
Dahl’s plane crashed in a Libyan desert, and Dahl suffered
serious injuries.
In 1942, Dahl began working at the British Embassy in
Washington, DC. While working at the embassy, he met
the writer C.S. Forester, who advised him to write about
being shot down in a Libyan desert. Dahl immediately
wrote his first short story, and ten days later, it was
accepted for publication. It was the beginning of what
was to become an extraordinary literary career. Dahl soon
became a highly successful short story writer. His most
famous short story collection is entitled Kiss Kiss, which
was published in 1959.
In 1953, Dahl married the actress Patricia Neal, and the
couple moved to England the following year. They had
four children, the oldest of whom died at the age of seven,
sending Dahl into a deep depression. Failing to overcome
their problems, the couple divorced in 1983, and Dahl
remarried several years later.
In 1960, Dahl started writing stories to amuse his
children. Many of his children’s books went on to become
international bestsellers, and children from all over the
world began writing to him. In addition, Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory, The Witches, James and the Giant
Peach, Danny the Champion of the World and The BFG all
became successful films, making Dahl one of the most
accomplished children’s writers in the history of the genre.
Dahl died in 1990 at the age of seventy-four.
c Pearson Education Limited 2008
Matilda is about a very clever little girl named Matilda.
She can speak perfectly at the age of one and a half, and
by the age of four, she can read complicated adult books.
However, Matilda has one problem – her parents are nasty!
Her father is a dishonest car dealer, and neither he nor his
wife takes an interest in their daughter. In fact, all they
want to do is watch TV. Matilda decides to teach her nasty
parents a lesson. She glues her father’s hat to his head, and
then tricks her parents into believing that there is a ghost
in the sitting room.
When Matilda is five years old, her parents send her to the
local village school, where she finds a friend in her kind
– but extremely poor – class teacher, Miss Honey. Miss
Honey immediately realises that Matilda is a genius and
tries to help her. However, it is difficult for her because
the headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, is a terrible bully
and doesn’t like Matilda. Everyone is terrified of Miss
Trunchbull – that is, everyone except Matilda! One day,
Matilda realises that she has some very special powers, and
she uses these powers to defeat Miss Trunchbull and help
Miss Honey.
Background and themes
Roald Dahl often said that the key to his success as a
children’s writer was simple – to conspire with children
against adults. ‘It’s the path to their affections,’ he said in
an interview with a British newspaper in 1990. ‘It may be
simplistic, but it is the way. Parents and schoolteachers are
the enemy. The adult is the enemy of the child because
of the awful process of civilising this thing that when it is
born is an animal with no manners – no moral sense at
all.’
Matilda is an excellent example of Dahl’s philosophy.
In the story, Matilda’s parents and her headmistress are
conveyed as monsters holding positions of power. They
want to hurt the children in their care. Like Dahl’s other
children’s books, Matilda depicts the battle between
good and evil – between bad adults and innocent, clever
children, who always win in the end.
Matilda - Teacher’s notes
of 3
Teacher’s notes
LEVEL 3
B1225
PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
Matilda
Dahl’s stories are very funny, which makes children love
them even more. The evil adults are outrageously bad,
and Dahl satirises real life in a way that children recognise
and find highly amusing. Normal behaviour is turned
upside down. For instance, in the real world, parents
often complain that their children spend too much time
watching TV. However, Matilda’s father insists that she
spend more time watching TV. In addition, elements of
Dahl’s stories are exaggerated. For example, Miss Honey
is so poor that her tiny sitting room contains no real
furniture – only three wooden boxes. Miss Trunchbull
has stolen Miss Honey’s house and forced her to work
for one pound a week. Children recognise the humour,
absurdity and injustice of the situation, and because they
live constantly under the authority of other people, they
tend to respond deeply to any kind of injustice. It is this
injustice that Dahl plays on in his stories.
Dahl’s stories also echo children’s deepest fantasies.
Impossible things happen in ordinary situations. For
example, Miss Trunchbull picks a child up by her hair
in the playground, whirls her above her head and throws
her into a field. Then the five-year-old Matilda suddenly
acquires magical powers that enable her to defeat the
terrifying headmistress and rescue Miss Honey from her
poverty. The child has become a powerful hero.
A child’s world is a magical place – it has yet to be limited
by reality. In Dahl’s stories, children overcome the limits of
their world, defeat wicked monsters and rescue innocent
victims. Dahl originally wrote his stories for his own
children, and they certainly made an impression on them.
‘The most important quality about my father was his
ability to make everything seem like an adventure,’ writes
his daughter Ophelia.
Discussion activities
Chapters 1–3
Before reading
1 Discuss: Ask students if they have ever seen the film
version of Matilda. Did you like the film? Why or why
not? Do you remember any of the characters in the story?
List the characters the students mention on the board,
and then ask them to find pictures of the characters in
the book.
2 Pair work: Photocopy the pictures throughout the
book – make enough copies so that each pair of
students has a copy of every picture in the book. Cut
off the captions at the bottom of the pages and then
give the pictures and the captions to the pairs. Get
them to match the pictures with the captions.
c Pearson Education Limited 2008
3 Discuss: Divide the class into two groups – one made
up of students who have seen the film Matilda and
one made up of students who haven’t seen the film.
Then get them to look at the picture on the cover of
the book and discuss the following questions:
Which person do you think is Matilda? Why do you
think this?
Who do you think the other people are? Why do you
think this?
What does each person look like?
What kind of clothes is each person wearing?
Which people do you think are good? Why do you think
this?
Which people do you think are bad? Why do you think
this?
After reading
4 Pair work: Put students into pairs and get them to
rename Chapters 1 to 3. They should choose a
suitable word, phrase or sentence from each chapter.
When they have finished, they should stand up in
front of the class and explain why they chose each of
the words, phrases or sentences.
5 Write: Would you like to have the Wormwoods for
parents? Why or why not? Get students to write a
sentence to answer these questions.
6 Pair work: Put students into pairs and get them to
describe Matilda from the point of view of a) Mr
Wormwood and b) Mrs Phelps. Then get them to
describe Mr Wormwood from the point of view of
a) Matilda and b) Mrs Wormwood. When they have
finished, some of the pairs should describe the
characters in front of the class.
Chapters 4–6
Before reading
7 Pair work: Would you like to have Matilda for a sister?
Why or why not? Get students to work in pairs and
discuss these questions.
8 Guess: Ask students to predict what will happen to
Matilda in Chapters 4, 5 and 6. Will her parents be
nice or nasty to her? Will she play more tricks on them?
Will she be happy or sad?
After reading
9 Check: Review students’ predictions about what
would happen to Matilda in Chapters 4, 5 and 6.
Check if their predictions were right or wrong.
10 Pair work: Who do you think is worse – Mr Wormwood
or Miss Trunchbull? Why do you think this? Get
students to work in pairs and discuss these questions.
11 Discuss: Have you ever had a teacher like Miss Honey?
What was she like? Do you think there really are teachers
like Miss Trunchbull in the world? Do you think there
really are parents like the Wormwoods in the world? Get
students to work in small groups and discuss these
questions.
Matilda - Teacher’s notes of 3
Teacher’s notes
LEVEL 3
B1225
PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
Matilda
12 Role play: Put students into pairs and get them to
role play the scene in which Miss Honey goes to Miss
Trunchbull’s office to talk to her about Matilda (from
the middle of page 15 to the middle of page 16).
When they have finished, some of the pairs should
role play the scene in front of the class.
13 Role play: Put students into groups of three. Student
A is Matilda, Student B is Lavender and Student C is
Hortensia. Lavender and Hortensia should describe
Miss Trunchbull to Matilda and tell her stories to
support their descriptions of the head teacher.
14 Write: Write the following heading on the board:
‘The Best Teacher in the World’. Then put students
into pairs and get them to write a paragraph to
describe the qualities of ‘the best teacher in the world’.
When they have finished, some of the pairs should
read their paragraphs to the rest of the class.
After reading
19 Check: Review students’ predictions about why
Chapter 7 is called ‘Matilda’s Eyes’, why Chapter 9 is
called ‘An Unpleasant Surprise for Miss Trunchbull’
and why Miss Trunchbull is lying on the floor with
her eyes shut in the picture on page 34. Check if their
predictions were right or wrong.
20 Write: Put students into pairs and get them to write
down a different adjective to describe a) Matilda; b)
Mr Wormwood; c) Mrs Wormwood; d) Mrs Phelps;
e) Miss Honey and f ) Miss Trunchbull. When they
have finished, some of the pairs should read their list
of adjectives to the rest of the class.
Vocabulary activities
For the Word List and vocabulary activities, go to
www.penguinreaders.com.
Chapters 7–9
Before reading
15 Pair work: Put students into pairs. Get them to look
at the picture on page 29 and discuss the following
questions:
What is the house like? Is it big or small? Is it new or
old? Is it nice or not nice?
Where is the house located?
Who do you think lives in the house? Why do you think
this?
Would you like to live in the house? Why or why not?
16 Discuss: Ask students to think about why Chapter 7
is called ‘Matilda’s Eyes’. What do you think happens to
Matilda’s eyes in this chapter?
17 Discuss: Ask students to think about why Chapter 9
is called ‘An Unpleasant Surprise for Miss Trunchbull’.
What do you think the unpleasant surprise is? Why do
you think it is unpleasant?
18 Discuss: Get students to look at the picture on
page 34. What do you think has happened to Miss
Trunchbull? Why do you think she is lying on the floor
with her eyes shut? Why do you think this?
c Pearson Education Limited 2008
Matilda - Teacher’s notes of 3
Activity worksheets LEVEL 3
B1225
Matilda
While reading
Chapters 1–3
1 Write the right names in the sentences.
a ………… is a small, ratty-looking man.
b ………… is a clever little girl.
c ………… is an ordinary little boy.
d ………… is a librarian.
2 Answer these questions.
a What can Matilda do at the age of one and a
half ?
………………………………………………
b What can Matilda do at the age of three?
………………………………………………
c What can Matilda do at the age of four?
………………………………………………
d Why does Mrs Phelps watch Matilda with
surprise and excitement?
………………………………………………
e Why doesn’t Mr Wormwood want Matilda to
read books?
………………………………………………
3 Discuss these questions with another student.
What do you think?
Do you think Mr Wormwood is a good father?
Why or why not?
4 Discuss these questions with another student.
What do you think?
Which do you prefer – watching TV or reading?
Why do you feel this way?
5 Are these sentences right (3) or wrong (7)?
a Matilda’s parents are busy doing things that aren’t important.
c
b Matilda doesn’t look at the pictures in the books.
c
c Matilda’s father buys and sells cars.
c
d Matilda’s father is an honest man.
c
e Matilda’s father drives cars backwards for
thousands of miles.
c
f Matilda wants to watch TV with her family.
c
g Matilda puts glue around the inside of her father’s hat.
c
h Matilda cuts the hat off her father’s head. c
i Fred lives very close to Matilda.
c
j Matilda borrows a parrot from Fred.
c
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PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
Photocopiable
6 Discuss these questions with another student.
What do you think?
Do you think it is right for children to watch TV
all the time? Why or why not?
7 Draw a picture to illustrate what happens in
Chapter 3.
Chapters 4–6
8 Answer these questions.
a How old is Matilda when she goes to school
for the first time? …………
b How many children does Crunchem Hall
have? …………
c How many other children are in Matilda’s
group? …………
d How old is Miss Honey? …………
e What is fourteen multiplied by nineteen?
…………
f How many children in the group can spell the
word cat? …………
g How many miles are on the clock of Miss
Trunchbull’s car? …………
h How old is Hortensia? …………
i How many times was Hortensia in The
Chokey in her first year? …………
j How old is Bruce Bogtrotter? …………
9 Match the questions with the answers.
a Why does Matilda start going to school later
than other children? …
b Why does Miss Honey try to stay calm when
Matilda multiplies twelve sevens? …
c Why does Miss Honey go to see Miss
Trunchbull? …
d Why does Miss Trunchbull like Mr
Wormwood? …
e Why does Miss Trunchbull think Matilda is a
bad girl? …
f Why does Miss Honey go to see Matilda’s
parents? …
g Why doesn’t Mr Wormwood want to see Miss
Honey? …
h Why does Miss Trunchbull put children in
The Chokey? …
i Why doesn’t Miss Trunchbull like Amanda’s
hair? …
j Why does Miss Trunchbull make Bruce
Bogtrotter eat a cake? …
Matilda - Activity worksheets
of 2
Activity worksheets LEVEL 3
B1225
Matilda
k Why isn’t Bruce Bogtrotter hurt when Miss
Trunchbull hits him with a plate? …
l Why does Lavender put a newt in Miss
Trunchbull’s glass of water? …
1 Because she wants to be as brave as
Matilda.
2 Because she doesn’t want to show that she
is very surprised.
3 Because she wants to make them
understand that Matilda is very special.
4 Because she thinks he ate her cake.
5 Because she wants to punish them.
6 Because she wants to tell her about
Matilda.
7 Because he is too full of cake.
8 Because he is watching TV.
9 Because her parents forgot to send her.
10 Because she believes that he sold her a
good car.
11 Because it is very long.
12 Because Mr Wormwood told her this.
10 Work in groups of three.
Role play the scene in which Miss Honey goes to
see Mr and Mrs Wormwood and tries to make
them understand that Matilda is very special.
11 Make lists.
Write down five things that good parents do and
five things that bad parents do.
Chapters 7–9
12 Answer these questions.
a What question does Miss Trunchbull ask
Rupert?
………………………………………………
b What word does Miss Trunchbull ask Eric to
spell?
………………………………………………
c What does Miss Trunchbull call Matilda’s
father?
………………………………………………
d How old was Miss Honey when her father
died?
………………………………………………
e How much does Miss Honey pay to live in
the little house?
………………………………………………
f Who is Miss Honey’s aunt?
………………………………………………
c Pearson Education Limited 2008
PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
Photocopiable
g What does Matilda do with the piece of
chalk?
………………………………………………
h Why does Miss Trunchbull leave the village?
………………………………………………
i What arrives at the office?
………………………………………………
j What happens to Matilda at the end of the
story?
………………………………………………
13 Work in groups of five.
Role play the scene in Chapter 7.
14 Write down how you feel when …
a Miss Trunchbull catches Wilfred’s feet in her
hands.
………………………………………………
b the piece of chalk starts moving across the
blackboard.
………………………………………………
c Miss Trunchbull falls to the floor.
………………………………………………
d Nigel pours water over Miss Trunchbull.
………………………………………………
e Miss Honey gets her house back.
………………………………………………
f Mr and Mrs Wormwood let Matilda live with
Miss Honey.
………………………………………………
15 Work in pairs.
Look at the names Wormwood, Trunchbull and
Honey. Look up worm, bull and honey in a
dictionary. Why do you think Roald Dahl chose
these names? Choose new names for these
characters. When you have finished, compare
your new names with those of your classmates.
After reading
16 Look up the word impossible in your dictionary.
Lots of impossible things happen in Matilda.
Write the things down. When you have finished,
compare your list with those of your classmates.
17 What do Matilda and Miss Honey say to each
other when they return to Miss Honey’s house?
Write the conversation.
Matilda - Activity worksheets of 2
Progress test
LEVEL 3
B1225
PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
Matilda
Chapters 1–3
1 Who are the people in italics?
a ‘We’re too good to you already, my girl!’
………………
b ‘Shall I find you a nice one with lots of pictures in
it?’ ………………
c ‘You mean you’ve looked at the pictures.’
………………
d ‘I get it from the wood shop.’ ………………
e ‘She was too angry.’ ………………
f ‘You’ll pull the skin off my head!’ ………………
g ‘Don’t you ever stop reading?’ ………………
h ‘My father gave it to me.’ ………………
i ‘He’s always saying that.’ ………………
j ‘I want to see if you’re clever.’ ………………
2 Underline the right words.
a Matilda is older / younger than Michael.
b Matilda reads fourteen famous books in six / sixteen
months.
c Matilda’s father sells cars / houses.
d Mr Wormwood has a thick / thin moustache.
e Matilda and her family always eat dinner in the
dining-room / living-room.
f Matilda asks her father if his feet / head got bigger.
g Mr Wormwood’s first name is Harry / Michael.
h The parrot is always saying, ‘Dead man’s dinner /
supper!’
Chapters 4 – 6
3 What are the things in italics?
a Nigel spelled it. ………………
b ‘Mrs Phelps at the library helps me to choose them.’
………………
c ‘I was in there yesterday.’ ………………
d ‘It’s only got ten thousand miles on the clock.’
………………
e ‘We don’t keep them in the house.’ ………………
f ‘It’s a very tall, narrow cupboard in Trunchbull’s
room.’ ………………
g ‘M-my m-m-mummy likes it long.’ ………………
h ‘And this selfish little snake ate it !’ ………………
i But Miss Trunchbull picked up the empty plate and
crashed it down on his head. ………………
j ‘She never gives a lesson without one.’
………………
c Pearson Education Limited 2008
Photocopiable
4 Write the right words in the sentences.
angry car dark eggs happen
orange school shaking
a Most children begin ………… when they are five
years old.
b Matilda has ………… hair.
c Miss Honey’s voice is ………… when she asks
Matilda about the books she is reading.
d Miss Trunchbull sounds like an ………… dog.
e Miss Trunchbull buys a ………… from Matilda’s
father.
f Someone puts bad ………… under Miss
Trunchbull’s desk.
g Lavender thinks that bad people need to have
something bad ………… to them.
h Newts have ………… stomachs.
Chapters 7–9
5 What happens first? What happens next? Write the
numbers, 1–5.
a Matilda moves the piece of chalk across the
blackboard.
c
c
b Mr and Mrs Wormwood drive away.
c Miss Trunchbull leaves the school.
c
c
d Matilda pushes the glass over with her eyes.
e Matilda asks her parents if she can live with Miss Honey.
c
6 Finish these sentences.
a ………… says, ‘What are two sevens?’
b ………… says, ‘I didn’t do it!’
c ………… says, ‘I want to talk to you.’
d ………… says, ‘It can’t be Magnus!’
e ………… says, ‘We’re leaving.’
Matilda - Progress test
of 1
Answer keys
LEVEL 3
B1225
PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
Matilda
Book key
1
2
3
4
a gearbox b parrot c ghost d multiply
e newt f sawdust g chalk, blackboard
h will i drill
a Matilda b Miss Honey c Norway
d children and adults
Open answers
a 7 – they aren’t interested in Matilda and they leave
her alone in the house.
b 3
c 7 – there aren’t any.
d 7 – Mrs Phelps is surprised to see Matilda.
e 3
f 3
5 Possible answers:
Mr Wormwood is wearing a jacket, a yellow shirt
and a red tie. Mrs Wormwood is wearing a short
pink skirt, high pink shoes and a pink top. Michael is
wearing short trousers and a big T-shirt. He has a cap
and black shoes. Matilda is wearing short jeans, a blue
top and blue shoes.
6 a Mr and Mrs Wormwood b Michael
c Matilda d Mrs Phelps, the librarian
e Charles Dickens
7 Open answers
8 b, c, d and f are right
9 Sample answers:
a She says his business isn’t honest.
b He says she can’t read her book at supper time.
10 –11 Open answers
12 a 7 b 7 c 3 d 3 e 7 f 3 g 7
13 Sample answer:
The ghost, because her family was nice to her for
about a week.
14 Open answers
15 a Mrs Wormwood b Miss Honey c Matilda
d Nigel e Matilda f Mr Wormwood
g Miss Honey h the other teachers
i Mrs Wormwood j Mr or Mrs Wormwood
16 a Miss Honey – calm, kind, never shouts
Miss Trunchbull – frightening, strong, rude, angry,
dangerous, always right
b Open answers
17 Open answers
18 a six b hair c steals d sick e piece f plan
g newt h brings i water
c Pearson Education Limited 2008
19 a You mustn’t have long hair.
b You mustn’t eat her chocolate cake.
c You mustn’t speak until she speaks to you.
d You must stand up when you answer her questions.
e You must put a glass of water on her table.
20 Open answers
21 a toes > hair b nose > ears c nice man > robber
d laughs > screams e Lavender > Matilda
f hands > eyes g desk > glass
22 a Rupert b Rupert c Eric d Eric
e Mr Wormwood f Matilda g Matilda
23 Open answers
24 a, b, d, g and i are true (e may also be true).
25 –26 Open answers
27 a blackboard b drops / on c Agatha
d cold water e old house f can’t
g running away to h happy
28 –38 Open answers
Discussion activities key
1– 4 Open answers
5 Possible answer:
No, I wouldn’t like to have the Wormwoods for
parents because they aren’t nice, and because they
aren’t interested in their children.
6 –13 Open answers
14 Possible answer:
The best teacher in the world is friendly, clever and
interested in students. He or she always tries to help
students.
15 –19 Open answers
20 Possible answer:
Matilda – clever
Mr Wormwood – dishonest
Mrs Wormwood – nasty
Mrs Phelps – sensible
Miss Honey – nice
Miss Trunchbull – evil
Activity worksheets key
1 a Mr Wormwood b Matilda c Michael
d Mrs Phelps
2 a At the age of one and a half, she can speak perfectly
and knows as many words as most grown-up
people.
b At the age of three, she can read newspapers.
c At the age of four, she can read fast and well.
Matilda - Answer keys
of 2
Answer keys
LEVEL 3
B1225
PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
Matilda
d Because during the next six months, Matilda reads
fourteen ‘famous books’ by different writers.
e Because he wants her to watch TV instead.
3 – 4 Open answers
5 a 3 b 7 c 3 d 7 e 7 f 7 g 3
h 7 i 3 j 3
6 –7 Open answers
8 a Five and a half. b Two hundred and fifty.
c Eighteen. d About twenty-three.
e Two hundred and sixty-six. f Three.
g Ten thousand. h Ten. i Six. j Eleven.
9 a 9 b 2 c 6 d 10 e 12 f 3 g 8 h 5
i 11 j 4 k 7 l 1
10 –11 Open answers
12 a ‘What are two sevens?’
b What.
c A robber.
d Five.
e Ten pence a week.
f Miss Trunchbull.
g She uses it to write words on the blackboard.
h Because she is very frightened.
i Miss Honey’s father’s will.
j She stays in England and lives with Miss Honey.
13 Open answers
14 Possible answers:
a frightened b amazed c excited d amused
e relieved f happy
15 –17 Open answers
c Pearson Education Limited 2008
Progress test key
1 a Mr and Mrs Wormwood / Matilda’s parents
b Mrs Phelps
c Matilda
d Mr Wormwood / Matilda’s father
e Matilda
f Mrs Wormwood / Matilda’s mother
g Matilda
h Fred
i Fred’s parrot
j Michael / Matilda’s brother
2 a younger b six c cars d thin e living-room
f head g Harry h dinner
3 a the word cat
b books
c Wormwood Cars / Mr Wormwood’s business
d Miss Trunchbull’s new car / the car
e books
f The Chokey
g Amanda’s hair
h Miss Trunchbull’s cake
i the empty plate
j a large glass of water
4 a school b dark c shaking d angry e car
f eggs g happen h orange
5 a 2 b 5 c 3 d 1 e 4
6 a Miss Trunchbull b Matilda
c Miss Honey d Miss Trunchbull
e Mr Wormwood / Matilda’s father
Matilda - Answer keys of 2