Next Friday, 13th September, is Roald Dahl Day! This is a day that brings a wave of nostalgia for my sister and me, as we devoured all his books as children. There was something truly magical about his storytelling, his larger-than-life characters, and the way he put together humour and heart. These stories not only sparked our imaginations but left a lasting love for reading that has followed us into adulthood.
But the magic of Roald Dahl doesn’t stop at childhood memories. We’ve found that his books work wonders in the ESL classroom, too! The richness of his language, the quirky dialogue, and the universal themes make his stories incredibly engaging for learners of all ages. Yes, they can be a bit tricky language-wise, but… good news! Penguin books has a collection of graded readers Roald Dahl books! That means that they are simplified and adapted to ESL students. You can check them out here.
We’ve had tremendous success using his books in our academy. One of our favourite lessons revolves around Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which has captivated our students time and time again. It’s amazing to watch them make connections, get curious about vocabulary, and even start thinking critically about the themes (who knew a chocolate factory could teach so many life lessons?).
Work on adjectives, past simple, vocabulary and create your own chocolate bar!
Using Roald Dahl in the ESL Classroom: More Ideas
Here are a few tried and tested ideas to incorporate Roald Dahl into your lessons :
- Character Studies: Roald Dahl’s characters are often exaggerated and full of personality, which makes them perfect for vocabulary and comprehension activities. Have students describe characters like Willy Wonka, Veruca Salt, or the BFG, focusing on adjectives and personality traits.
- Dialogue Practice: The dialogue in Dahl’s books is packed with emotion and humour, making it ideal for speaking exercises. Choose a funny or dramatic scene for students to act out. You can even split the class into pairs or groups to practice conversational skills.
- Creative Writing Prompts: Encourage your students to step into Roald Dahl’s shoes. After reading a passage, ask them to continue the story or imagine a new ending. This promotes imagination, while also reinforcing sentence structure and vocabulary.
- Thematic Discussions: Roald Dahl often touches on important themes like kindness, greed, and bravery. These can spark deep discussions in an ESL classroom. For example, after reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you could explore the concept of fairness and reward, getting students to share their opinions in English.
- Vocabulary Expansion: Roald Dahl had a fantastic way of playing with words. Introduce students to the ‘gobblefunk’ language (the made-up words from The BFG) or explore new vocabulary from his more traditional texts. It’s a fun way to build students’ lexicons and help them feel more confident with challenging words.
There’s more! Here is a link to the official Roald Dahl website where they have amazing resources for teachers. However, these are designed for native English speakers, but they can still be useful to get ideas and inspiration!
Roald Dahl Day (13th September) is the perfect excuse to introduce your students to the magic of his stories. His books are a brilliant way to make language learning fun, meaningful, and downright entertaining.
What’s your favourite Roald Dahl book to use in class? Let us know in the comments!