April 2011: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The month of April, we will be exploring the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.



Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl is a favorite children's fantasy book. In this classic chapter book, Charlie Bucket is one of five children who win golden tickets to visit Willy Wonka's magic chocolate factory.

For Charlie, life will be changed forever. Author Roald Dahl produces a few very memorable characters, such as Willy Wonka, Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, and Grandpa Joe. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is a humorous story that has delighted children for decades.

To begin a unit, invite your homeschooler to PREDICT what will happen in the book just by looking at the cover and by reading the short description above.

There are no wrong answers and answers can be long or as short, but make sure you don't skip this step!! It's important in your journey through the book.

Discussion topics for before reading:
• Have you seen the movie made from this book? Sometimes the book can have more details or a different version of events than the movie.
• What is something that you only get once a year, but would like to have more often? What would you want a lifetime supply of?
• How many of you love chocolate?
• How many people live in your house?

Discussion topics for during/after reading:
• Chapter one: Why did Charlie only get chocolate once a year? What did Charlie and his family eat? Why was Sunday special to them? What do you think the factory is like?
• Chapter two: How old is Grandpa Joe? What effect did Charlie?s presence have on his grandparents? What kind of inventions did Willy Wonka come up with?
• Chapter three: Why do you think no workers have entered or left Willy Wonka?s factory? How can it operate?
• Chapter four: Why did Willy Wonka close his factory? Authors are very careful in choosing names for their characters. What are the names of the ?bad characters? in this chapter? What exciting event happened at the end of the book?
• Chapter five: What happens when a kid finds a golden ticket? Do you think Charlie has a chance to find the ticket? Why?
• What do you think is going to happen next?
• Who do you think will find the tickets? Who do you want to find a ticket?

Craft ideas:
• Draw what you think the Wonka Chocolate factory looks like on the inside. Make a pamphlet about the factory describing it and what it makes.
• Come up with a new kind of candy (as Willy Wonka would) and design the wrapper.
• Draw an ad for one of Willy Wonka?s inventions (or for one of your own).