Roald Dahl’s "Matilda" is one of my favorite books. I used to read it to my third graders when I taught Reading Language Arts and they loved it! I also find this book appropriate for fourth grade, due to the rich vocabulary it contains and the delightful story that can be used and adapted in so many different activities and teach numerous skills to get those readers and writers eager to learn and think critically! In "Matilda", we see how the main character pursues her passion for reading and learning, despite being completely neglected by her parents, who are also involved in illegal businesses that Matilda disapproves of. "Matilda" is a perfect example of determination, perseverance and righteousness. It is easy to fall in love with this book and its creative, out of the box, main character, whose wittiness and charisma are captivating.
"Matilda" is a very rich piece of literature, which can be used for a plethora of learning activities. Some topics that go with the book are: people’s rights (the right to grow up in a safe environment, the right to education, etc.), character analysis, character traits, vocabulary, duties and responsibilities, literary elements and genres, etc. To foster student discussion, the students can be asked to put themselves in Matilda’s shoes and write about how they would react to certain situations such as: their parents not cooking for them, them being alone at home (stranger danger), feeling neglected by their parents. They could also have a discussion about Ms. Honey, Matilda’s teacher, and all the other characters in the story. For extension activities, the students could write a summary of the book and illustrate it, write the next chapter of the book and do Reader’s Theatre and write the script themselves or get it from the book.
-E. Karam
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