Roald Dahl Teacher Resources

The dark whimsy of Roald Dahl has entranced readers for generations. Who can forget the fast friendship formed on top of a peach in James and the Giant Peach (1961), or the fantastic revenge exacted upon Mrs. Trunchbull in Matilda (1988)? Can you remember where you were when Dahl’s prose brought you through the gates of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) for the first time, or introduced you to the Big Friendly Giant in BFG (1983)?

Roald Dahl’s modern-day fairy tales present readers with precocious protagonists up against the oddness of their worlds—and often, of adulthood—amidst zany backdrops and magical adventures. An expert at engaging readers, Dahl often resolves the eccentricity in his stories with what children really want most: a calm, happy life.

Bring the fanciful universe of Roald Dahl to your classroom with high-quality resources, reviewed by teachers like you. If you’d like to cross the curriculum, check out a science lesson that tests the buoyancy of a floating peach, or a math resource that calculates exactly how much money Mr. Wormwood could make with his corrupt car-salesman schemes.

For additional ideas and background information, read a Lesson Planet article that discusses critical thinking and multimedia integration during a Roald Dahl-themed literature unit.

Showing 183 resources
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Activity
Chase Young, PhD

Dr. Chase Young, Ph D: Reader's Theater Script: The Bfg [Pdf]

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
A reader's theater script for Roald Dahl's children's book, BFG, is provided on these pages. Six character roles are needed in this activity.
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Website
Ducksters

Ducksters: Kids Books Authors: Roald Dahl

For Students 3rd - 8th
On this site, students learn about Roald Dahl's biography. Read all about the author of children's books such as James and the Giant Peach.
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Graphic
TES Global

Tes: Film Review Chart for Matilda

For Students 4th - 7th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This resource is a graphic organizer that can be used to closely analyze the film adaptation of Roald Dahl's book, Matilda. This chart should be completed after viewing the film.
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Unit Plan
Other

Appalachian State University: Literature Circles: Dahl, Rowling, and Snicket

For Teachers 4th - 6th
If you've wondered about using literature circles in your classroom, materials are provided here for units on Harry Potter, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and two Roald Dahl novels. The units can be downloaded as Word documents. They...
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Georgia Department of Education

Ga Virtual Learning: "Lamb to the Slaughter" Study Guide [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a two-page study guide for "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl. It focuses on characters. point of view, exposition, theme, tone, and comprehension.
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Unknown Type
Georgia Department of Education

Ga Virtual Learning: Lamb to the Slaughter Persuasive Writing [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a PDF of a persuasive writing assignment for the short story "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl. It asks the students to watch a linked video clip of the closing argument by Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird and apply...
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Website
Other

Roald Dahl Life and Stories

For Students 9th - 10th
An enlightening biography of this children's writer whose books "are always a little cruel, but never without humor." We learn that some of that cruelty can be traced to Dahl's school years and the severe beatings boys were given there....
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Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: You Know the Movie Is Coming? Now What?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Contains plans for three lessons that ask students to adapt texts that they are reading to cinematic, screenplay format. These plans use "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl as an example, but the lesson can be adapted to...
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Graphic
Curated OER

Roald Dahl

For Students Pre-K - 1st
An image of Roald Dahl.
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Graphic
Curated OER

Roald Dahl

For Students Pre-K - 1st
An image of Roald Dahl.
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Graphic
Curated OER

Roald Dahl

For Students Pre-K - 1st
An image of Roald Dahl.
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Graphic
Curated OER

Roald Dahl

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Roald Dahl
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Graphic
Curated OER

Roald Dahl

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Roald Dahl
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Graphic
Curated OER

Roald Dahl

For Students Pre-K - 1st
An image of Roald Dahl.
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Lesson Plan
Writing Fix

Writing Fix: You're on a Gigantic Roll

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
In this lesson the writer will imagine and compose a descriptive paragraph that focuses on a gigantic object moving through a specific setting and leaving destruction in its wake, modeled after the book James and the Giant Peach by Roald...
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PPT
TES Global

Tes: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Power Point

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This Power Point lesson will introduce students to biographical information about the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl. At the end of the lesson, students will engage in...
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Lesson Plan
Writing Fix

Writing Fix: Memoirs About Pictures & Photographs

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
This site includes a book review of Roald Dahl's memoir, Boy: Tale of Childhood. A related lesson plan to stimulate the writing of memoir of the students' lives is also included, along with teacher's description of her own piece.
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eBook
Just Books Read Aloud

Just Books Read Aloud: Robert Dahl and Quentin Blake: Bfg

For Students Pre-K - 1st
A video of the book "BFG", written by Robert Dahl and Quentin Blake. Just Books Read Aloud is a site that includes children's books read aloud by normal (but enthusiastic) readers.
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Graphic
Curated OER

The Official Roald Dahl Website

For Students 3rd - 8th
Select a tour guide to show you through the Official Roald Dahl Website. Miss Honey or Mr. Willy Wonka can lead you through Roald Dahl's books, biography and the Roald Dahl Club.
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Graphic
Curated OER

The Official Roald Dahl Website

For Students 3rd - 8th
Select a tour guide to show you through the Official Roald Dahl Website. Miss Honey or Mr. Willy Wonka can lead you through Roald Dahl's books, biography and the Roald Dahl Club.
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Graphic
Curated OER

The Official Roald Dahl Website

For Students 3rd - 8th
Select a tour guide to show you through the Official Roald Dahl Website. Miss Honey or Mr. Willy Wonka can lead you through Roald Dahl's books, biography and the Roald Dahl Club.
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Graphic
Curated OER

The Official Roald Dahl Website

For Students 3rd - 8th
Select a tour guide to show you through the Official Roald Dahl Website. Miss Honey or Mr. Willy Wonka can lead you through Roald Dahl's books, biography and the Roald Dahl Club.
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Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Laura Matilda Towne

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Laura Matilda Towne, an American educator known for founding one of the earliest and most successful of the freedmen's schools for former slaves after the American Civil War.
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Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Matilda Sissieretta Jones

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Matilda Sissieretta Jones, an opera singer who was considered the greatest black American in her field in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.