After reading the 11th chapter in Matilda, class members take on the role of Bruce Bogtrotter and re-enact the cake eating scene. Here's the catch: they must come-up with an impromptu re-enactment of the scene from the story, and use fraction and percentage vocabulary in the dialogue to demonstrate an understanding of the amount of their cake that has been eaten.

Concepts

roald dahl, role playing, fractions, percents

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Have the class broken into pairs before they arrive to class 
• Conduct a mini-lesson on script writing and dialogue if the class does not have experience in script writing
• Hold a competition or have the class vote to see which pair of students has the most creative re-enactment

Classroom Considerations

• Requires a class set of Roald Dahl's Matilda
• Gather enough round cakes for the class, but take caution and be aware of any food allergies
• Assumes pupils have studied fractions or percents; tailor the starter portion of the activity to meet the needs of learners in the class
• To keep the element of improv, set a time limit for crafting the role-play

Pros

• Brings math skills into a literature study
• Taps into learners' improvisation skills

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.3.1.a SL.4.1.a SL.5.1.a SL.6.1.a SL.7.1.a 3.NF.A.1 6.RP.A.3.c