A Guide for Using
Matilda
in the Classroom
Based on the novel written by Roald Dahl
This guide written by Grace Jasmine
Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
6421 Industry Way
Westminster, CA 92683
www.teachercreated.com
ISBN: 978-1-55734-819-7
©1996 Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
Reprinted, 2010
Made in U.S.A.
Edited by
Mary Kaye Taggart
Illustrated by
Agi Palinay
Cover Art by
Wendy Chang
The classroom teacher may reproduce copies of materials in this book for classroom use only. The reproduction of any part for an entire school
or school system is strictly prohibited. No part of this publication may be transmitted, stored, or recorded in any form without written permission
from the publisher.
Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Sample Lesson Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Before the Book (Pre-reading Activities) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Writer’s Workbook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Book Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Vocabulary Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Vocabulary Activity Ideas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Section One (Chapters 1 through 4). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
❖ Quiz Time!
❖ Hands-On Project—Whole Class Picture Storyboard
❖ Cooperative Learning Activity—How Can You Tell If Someone Is Honest?
❖ Curriculum Connection—Book Report: Using Your Library
❖ Into Your Life—Personal Library List
Section Two (Chapters 5 through 8). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
❖ Quiz Time!
❖ Hands-On Project—TV Shoe Box Diorama
❖ Cooperative Learning Activity—What Makes a Good Teacher?
❖ Curriculum Connection—Feature Teacher
❖ Into Your Life—Personal Report Card
Section Three (Chapters 9 through 12) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
❖ Quiz Time!
❖ Hands-On Project—Bruce Bogtrotter’s Bake Sale
❖ Cooperative Learning Activity—Students’ Bill of Rights
❖ Curriculum Connection—U.S. Bill of Rights
❖ Into Your Life—What Are Personal Freedoms?
Section Four (Chapters 13 through 16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
❖ Quiz Time!
❖ Hands-On Project—Trunchbull’s Throwing Contest
❖ Cooperative Learning Activity—Learning Olympics
❖ Curriculum Connection—Olympic History
❖ Into Your Life—Reaching a Goal
Section Five (Chapters 17 through 21). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
❖ Quiz Time!
❖ Hands-On Project—Miss Honey’s Helpers: Canned Food Drive
❖ Cooperative Learning Activity—How We Can Help the Underprivileged?
❖ Curriculum Connection—Finding Out About a Charity
❖ Into Your Life—Helping Others Journal
After the Book (Post-reading Activities) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Culminating Activity—Kindness Book and Party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Unit Test Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Bibliography of Related Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Answer Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
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© Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
Matilda
About the Author
Roald Dahl was born September 13, 1916, in
Llandaff, South Wales, England. As a young
boy of eight, he was sent off to boarding
school where fierce discipline was maintained
by blows from a cane. Rather than going on to
college, Dahl joined an expedition which
explored Newfoundland. He was 16 years old
at the time. Later he worked for the Shell Oil
Company of East Africa in Tanzania. When
World War II began, Dahl volunteered for the
Royal Air Force and became a fighter pilot.
He was seriously wounded and spent many
months in a hospital. After he was sent home,
he became an assistant air attaché to the
British Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Dahl began his writing career when novelist
C.S. Forester asked him to write about his
most exciting war experience. His story was sold to a magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, for
$1,000. Since Dahl’s first story was a success, he soon began writing other stories for different
magazines. From this beginning, when he wrote factual stories, Dahl tells of the change that occurred
in his writing. “As I went on, the stories became less and less realistic and more fantastic. But
becoming a writer was a pure fluke. Without being asked to, I doubt if I’d ever have thought of it.” It
was during this time that Dahl developed his unusual style known for its great humor.
When he was later asked about writing books for children, he answered, “Had I not had children of my
own, I would have never written books for children, nor would I have been capable of doing so.” Dahl
also said, “To me, the most important and difficult thing about writing fiction is to find the plot. Good
original plots are hard to come by. You never know when a lovely idea is going to flit suddenly into
your mind, but by golly, when it does come along, you grab it with both hands and hang on to it tight.
The trick is to write it down at once, otherwise you’ll forget it . . . .” Dahl told about a notebook he
carried so that he could record these ideas as they came to him: “I have had this book ever since I
started to write seriously. There are 98 pages in the book . . . . When an idea for a story comes
popping into my mind, I rush for a pencil, a crayon, a lipstick, anything that will write, and scribble a
few words that will later remind me of the idea . . . . And just about every one of those pages is filled
up on both sides with these so-called story ideas. Many are no good. But just about every story and
every children’s book I have ever written has started out as a three- or four-line note in this little, muchworn, red-covered volume . . . . ” Sometimes it took Dahl five or even ten years to use one of his
ideas. But use them he did, and well, to the delight of children all over the world.
Dahl felt he knew what children loved to read and wrote his stories accordingly. Some of the things he
knew children liked were being spooked, suspense, action, ghosts, finding treasure, chocolates, toys,
money, magic, giggling, the hero overcoming a villain, and a first-class plot. His concerns for his
readers’ enjoyment have made many fans of all ages. His stories captivate the reader from beginning to
end. When he died November 23, 1990, he left behind many stories which will be treasured for years
to come.
© Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
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#819 Literature Unit
Book Summary
Matilda
Matilda
by Roald Dahl
(Puffin 1988)
(Available in Canada, Doubleday Dell Seal; UK, Bantam Doubleday Dell; AUS, Transworld
Publishers)
Matilda is a very unusual child. She is brilliant. Although she comes from a very ordinary and quite
unconcerned family, she excels in everything she does. At the age of three, Matilda can read classics!
Matilda begins to realize she is different by noticing that she and her family do not see eye to eye on
many issues. Her father and mother are concerned with watching the “tellie” and other things that
Matilda really has no interest in at all. She almost seems to have been born into the wrong family.
As Matilda’s thirst for knowledge grows, so does her need for information. She walks to the local
library and befriends a kind librarian who helps her select books. Mrs. Phelps, the librarian, is the first
person to realize Matilda’s genius.
Soon Matilda enters school and is put in the class of a wonderful and caring teacher, Miss Honey. She
quickly sees Matilda is a genius, but, unfortunately, no one but she herself seems to care. The
headmistress of the school, a mean and terrible woman—Miss Trunchbull—hates children and despises
everyone. Miss Honey’s attempts to tell Matilda’s parents and the headmistress about Matilda fail.
Matilda’s school is an odd place. Miss Trunchbull runs it like a dictator, frightening and abusing
children. Some of the children get back at Trunchbull by playing tricks on the mean headmistress,
ones she truly deserves. Hortensia talks to Matilda and another little girl about the terrible secrets of
Miss Trunchbull’s closet and the way the mean headmistress treats the children. Lavender plays a trick
that almost ends in punishment for Matilda—but not quite.
As the story progresses, Matilda forms a caring bond with her favorite teacher and learns about the
great tragedies in her friend’s life. Matilda, with her great mental powers, decides to help. She can use
her mind to move objects, and using this power, she decides to help Miss Honey, for Miss Honey is
Miss Trunchbull’s niece and has suffered since childhood at this terrible person’s hands.
Matilda uses her mind to write a message to Miss Trunchbull on the chalkboard, moving the chalk
without her hands. A frightened Miss Trunchbull runs away forever, and Miss Honey gets her house
back and begins to live a happy life.
Matilda’s uncaring family decide to run away too because Matilda’s father is in trouble with the law.
Matilda runs to Miss Honey and asks to live with her. Luckily, Matilda’s parents do not care, so
Matilda and Miss Honey live happily in Miss Honey’s house and have a wonderful life!
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© Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
Matilda
Vocabulary Lists
On this page are the vocabulary lists which correspond to each sectional grouping of chapters as
outlined in the Table of Contents (page 2). Activities that reinforce the vocabulary words can be found
on page 10 of this book.
Section One (Chapters 1–4)
twaddle
absorbed
skulking
infuriated
enormously
unfortunate
permanent
ghastly
unaccompanied
resented
comparative
including
devouring
ignorant
crummy
temporarily
wash-out
rakish
irritable
glared
Section Two (Chapters 5–8)
honourable
foulness
anxiously
argue
obliged
Shakespeare
twit
solemn
appalling
accompanied
overwhelms
sensible
rubbish
incapable
tangible
composing
emotionally
splendid
ploughed
Mozart
Section Three (Chapters 9–12)
underestimated
delinquents
blemish
comfort
instinct
adventurous
casualties
implacable
blaring
welts
pivoting
disapproving
astonishing
enthralled
outrageous
murmured
intrigue
rely
unpredictable
horrid
Section Four (Chapters 13–16)
embarrassing
marvelously
practicing
arguing
tension
hesitated
impertinent
permission
tragedy
confident
sensational
consent
dominated
invisible
scorching
distance
personality
summon
amazing
disappearing
Section Five (Chapters 17–21)
margarine
demon
forgery
extreme
exception
awkwardness
snippet
impertinent
© Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
rigid
conveniences
essential
stagnant
9
atmosphere
paraffin
vital
cesspool
tension
occupy
obvious
hysterical
#819 Literature Unit
Matilda
Vocabulary Activity Ideas
1. Make a “Word Soup Bowl” in your classroom. Have
every student pick a word out of a large bowl each
morning and define it for his/her classmates by the
end of each day.
2. Copy the word list on page 9 of this book and have
the children hunt for the words in Matilda. You can
even play team relay races or group race games with
this idea to see who can find a particular word in the
book first.
3. Have your students make their own class dictionary.
Create a three-ring binder full of pages; on each page
write a word from the vocabulary list. Have the
children be responsible for entering word definitions
in the word dictionary.
4. Play “Word Charades.” Divide your students into teams; have the students choose a word from
the word list to “act out” until someone guesses the word.
5. Make a vocabulary story. Have individual students write on any subject and include at least ten
words from any of the vocabulary list words on page 9 of this book.
6. Make an “Extra Credit Jar.” Allow the children who would like extra credit to pick several words
to define. These can also be added to the classroom dictionary. (See idea number three.)
7. Have a spelling bee. Use the word list provided on page 9. Give students copies of the page to
study and learn the words. Give a copy of the book Matilda as a prize.
8. Choose a “Word of the Week.” Ask students to be aware of everywhere they see this word. Have
a contest to see who can find the word of the week the most times and in the most sources.
9. Have your students write “word letters.” Ask each child to pick a partner and write a letter to that
student. Then, have the student write a response. Give the children one point for every
vocabulary word they can use in their letters and replies.
10. Have students create their own “Mixed-up Words Game.” Have student teams scramble and
rewrite words for other student teams to unscramble. Make sure to have student teams create
answer keys to go with their mixed-up words.
trfoh
tyanid
digdy
suohdie
#819 Literature Unit
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© Teacher Created Resources, Inc.