Matilda

For my school's after-school program I will be teaching the book Matilda by Roald Dahl. I developed a unit to go with the book because I wanted to focus my teaching. I can be lazy when it comes to reading. I love to read, don't care so much about giving worksheets. My focus was to create a unit that allowed my students to really get into the novel, and allow me to have them learn some important skills.

I plan to put my unit online using Google docs and will be posting it for you to use if you see fit. You will also be able to modify it fit your needs.

To begin with, I create a booklet that is bound with a comb binder. I use card stock for the front and back cover to give the book more protection. I also like to use colored paper in the booklet. Usually I use a different color for each separate smaller unit. This makes it much easier for my students to find the page we are working on.

The first page of my unit is a settings page. I have my students identify the setting for each chapter. It may be overkill for them to identify the time and place of each chapter, but I really want them to learn the skill.

The second page of my unit is a page devoted to describing character traits of some of the main characters. I believe that great stories have characters that the author makes you care about. I will have my students continually update the character traits throughout the novel. This can lead to great discussions on how some characters like Miss Honey change through the story, while others like the Trunchbull don't.