The Amazing Worlds of Roald Dahl

Have you ever visited the amazing worlds of Roald Dahl? Have you ever even heard of him? I bet you have seen movies based on his books. Roald Dahl is the imaginative author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda. This Web Quest explores Roald Dahl the author and the amazing worlds he created.

The Tasks:

This Web Quest is for students reading the works of Roald Dahl. You will:

learn about the life of Roald Dahl,
discover how many books were written by Roald Dahl,
discuss the movies based on books by Roald Dahl,
play games in Willy Wonka's World,
play games about some of Roald Dahl's works, and
see how some of the movies were made.

The Resources:

1. The Official Roald Dahl Web Page: Greetings! Tremendous things are in store for you. Your friends Matilda, James, and Charlie are waiting with surprises and games for you. Roald Dahl's life story is found here with stories from his family. 2. Great fun and games galore! Willy Wonka has a nonstop fun page with Oompah Loompa's, tours of the factory and Willy's office, visits in imagination land, and great insights into coming candy attractions.

3. James and the Giant Peach is an exciting adventure about a boy on an amazing journey. This allows you to watch scenes from the movie and learn about how the book was brought to life.

4. The movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was based on the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but there are some differences. This site contains a comprehensive list about mistakes made in the movie, who the characters were, and where the actors are now.
5. Big fan of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? This site provides an outstanding Crossword puzzle that will demonstrate just how smart you are. There are 30 questions guaranteed to let your brain see Wonka Vision!
6. The movie Matilda brought to life the book by Roald Dahl. This web site lets you watch clips from the movie and read interviews with the cast. There is also a fun game on this site testing your trivia knowledge.
7. Did you love the movie Matilda? This site has an excerpt from the book Matilda and has a great quiz to help you test your knowledge.

8. This fan web site is dedicated to Roald Dahl, one of the world's most beloved children's authors. Not only did he create such memorable characters as Willy Wonka, Matilda and James; but he also had a very successful career writing short stories for adults. This web site is devoted to both types of his writing and features resources for everyone from young readers to school teachers to older devotees.

The Process:

1. Visit the The Official Roald Dahl Web Page: and read about the author's life. Answer the following questions in your reading journal: Where is he from? How many children did he have? How many books did he write? Is he still alive? Play some games with your new knowledge.
2. Visit the Willy Wonka web site and play Invention Trivia. Invent your own candy bar for Willy Wonka candy. Draw a picture and describe the flavors. Use your imagination! It does not have to be chocolate!
3. Go to the James and the Giant Peach web site and read about how the movie was made. Answer the following questions in your reading journal: What process was used to create the movie? Who was the producer? What other movies has he made? 4. Go to the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Facts link. Answer these questions on a sheet of paper to turn in. What happened to the actor who played Charlie? Violet? Mr. Salt? Veruca? Willy Wonka? Mike? What are these actors doing now? Have they starred in any other movies? List 3 mistakes in the movie. On a separate sheet, create a quiz of 10 questions for your partner to answer. Swap quiz questions with your partner. 5. Big fan of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? This site provides an outstanding crossword puzzle that will demonstrate just how smart you are. Print the crossword puzzle and finish. Create a crossword puzzle yourself for your partner to finish. You may use questions from the movie, the book, or other Roald Dahl works.
6. The movie Matilda brought to life the book by Roald Dahl. Read the biographies of the major characters. On a separate sheet of paper list at least two other movies that each character is in. Take the quiz testing your trivia knowledge. Write your answers down and turn them in.
7. Did you see the movie Matilda? This site has an excerpt from the book Matilda. In your reading journal write a short story about what you would write on our chalkboard if you had powers like Matilda and how the class would react. 8. This fan web site is dedicated to Roald Dahl, one of the world's most beloved children's authors. Go to this web site and take the fun quiz about James and the Giant Peach. Tell me how many you got correct on the first try. Take the quiz about Matilda. Tell me how many you got right on the first try. Print the crossword about Roald Dahl's works. See how many you can correctly answer. Check your answers!

Learning Advice

Roald Dahl is no longer with us, but his works still captivate our attention and imagination. Now that you have completed the activities provided on this web site you should have a better understanding of Roald Dahl's works and life. Create a timeline of his works and add it to your journal. This reference will give you suggestions for future reading adventures.

Conclusion:

Congratulations! You have expanded your knowledge and hopefully had some fun learning about Roald Dahl and his works. There is a power point presentation here if you would like to further your exploration of the subject.

This page originally written by Tina Simmons for Dr. Bruce Lewis in EDU 506.02. Last updated on March 3, 2001.