Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Written by Roald Dahl
Illustrated by Joseph Schindelman
Published in 1964
Grade Level:5th-6th grade
Grade Level:5th-6th grade
Synopsis: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a well known and loved children's fantasy novel about a young boy named Charlie Bucket. Charlie lives with his parents and both sets of grandparents in a small, run down shack that they call home. In the town that they live in there is a chocolate factory that has not produced products for quite some time. One day, people in the town and around the world are buzzing about the reopening of the factory. Mr. Willy Wonka, owner of the famous factory, has decided to reopen his doors to five lucky children. In order to gain entry into the wonderful factory, five golden tickets need to be found. The tickets are located in chocolate bars, available to anyone who has the money to buy chocolate. The search does not last long, as people are buying and unwrapping bars as fast as they can.
Augustus Gloop, a rather large child whose favorite thing to do is eat, unwraps the first ticket, for which his town throws him a parade. Veruca Salt, a spoiled brat, receives the next ticket from her father, who had employed his entire factory of peanut shellers to unwrap chocolate bars until they found a ticket. Violet Beauregarde, a champion gum chewer, discovers the third ticket while giving her jaw a break. The fourth ticket goes to Mike Teavee, a young boy who cares only about television. Charlie Bucket, the poor, yet infinitely good boy, defies all odds when he claims the fifth and final ticket, almost by accident.
Each child is allowed to bring a parent with them on the tour of the factory given by the one and only Willy Wonka himself. When inside the factory, Charlie and his grandpa Joe marvel at the wonders that it holds; the sights, the smells. On the other hand, Augustus, Veruca, Violet, and Mike, do not appreciate the wonders that Mr. Wonka has created. Each child's flaw, whether it be gluttony, selfishness, or arrogance, is removed from the factory by Mr. Wonka's workers, the Oompa-Loompas. After each child’s trial, Mr. Wonka nonchalantly points out the child's character flaws, which further alienates the parents who then leave to retrieve their children.
In the end, Charlie and grandpa Joe are the only two left. Willy Wonka informs them that Charlie has one the contest. The tour through the factory was the actual contest. For being such a good kid, Charlie is awarded the entire chocolate factory.
Theme/Skill: The theme of the story is simply goodness. Charlie is kind and good on the inside even though he is poor. People pity Charlie when in reality he should be recognized for his generosity, strength, and warm spirit. Perhaps this could be the basis for a lesson on inner versus outer appearances or judging a book by its cover.
Pre-reading activity: Teacher could lead the students through a book walk in which they could examine the title, cover page, and table of contents in order to predict what the story might be about.
Post-reading activity: After watching one of the two films based on Roald Dahl's book, students could complete a compare and contrast essay. Students could also complete an I-search paper based on some element from the book such as the author, creative writing, the connection between film and literature, etc.
Assessment: Activities done in class such as discussions, literature circles, and worksheet would be informally assessed. I believe that informal assessments will be an helpful indicator of what students do and do not understand. They will also provide the data I need to adapt and change my lessons. Larger assignments, done both in and out of class would be assessed using rubrics. Students will be shown models and sample projects throughout the unit.
Reflection: I remember reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when I was in fourth grade. To this day I remember the enticing words that Dahl used to describe the chocolate factory. "The waterfall is most important! It mixes the chocolate! It churns it up! It pounds it and beats it! It makes it light and frothy! No other factory in the world mixes its chocolate by waterfall! But it's the only was to do it properly! The only way!" (CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory). No chocolate lover could deny that this sounds amazing! Having a sweet tooth of my own made his descriptions almost irresistible to my taste buds. Great book with humor and marvelous imagination!
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