The BFG

The BFG, is one of Roald Dahl's most popular stories. In The BFG, the dream-hunting giant takes orphan Sophie - named after Roald's first grandchild - back to his cave in Giant Country, where he lives surrounded by nine other fearsome giants who spend every night guzzling down humans. Or, as the giants call them, human beans. The BFG speaks in quite a turned-around way, but we always understand him.

The BFG

 

The Big Friendly Giant is unlike other giants. For a start, he doesn't like to eat people and it's not long before he becomes orphan Sophie's very best friend.

The BFG was written in 1982. The idea for the story had begun several years before, with a sentence scribbled in one of Roald Dahl's Ideas Books - exercise books he used to write down some of the thoughts that came to him and were sometimes later turned into stories. Just like The BFG.

Source: https://www.roalddahl.com
Extra: (Documentary about Roald Dahl)

WORD LIST for the BFG. Translated words from the whole book. Have it open whilst you read to quickly look up words you don't know.

LISTEN TO THE BOOK from home using this youtube-link if you miss a lesson or two. Look below to see how far we have gotten.

 

Week plan

Week  9

Practise these words on Quizlet (connected to article below) - homework for next Wednesday 6/3.
We read an article about the author Roald Dahl 

We start reading the book (Chapters 1-7; The Witching hour, Who?, The Snatch, The Cave, The BFG, The Giants and the Marvellous Ears)

 

In the moonlight, Sophie caught a glimpse of an enormous long pale wrinkly face with the most enormous ears. The nose was as sharp as a knife, and above the nose there were two bright flashing eyes, and the eyes were staring straight at Sophie. There was a fierce and devilish look about them. (Page 4)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Close your eyes as you listen and to imagine you are Sophie, peering out of the window into the dark night at this strange giant figure. Try as hard as you can to picture the character as the author is describing him. How do you feel when you realize that the Giant is staring at them?

 

 

Write down on one sheet of paper all the feelings you experienced when the Giant stared at you (e.g. fear, terror, hairs standing up on the back of your neck). Compare with other groups in the class. 

 

Which feelings were the most common?

Why do you think this is? 

 

Discussion

• Which adjectives create a feeling of fear about the figure? 
• The ‘enormous’ size of the figure: people often feel scared by others who are bigger than them. Why is this? 
• The simile (liknelse) ‘as sharp as a knife’ is used to describe the figure’s nose: why is this a frightening image?
• Can you think of another simile for 'sharp' that would not carry the same scary associations as a knife?

 

 

Week  10

Homework - these words on Quizlet 

We continue reading the book. (Chapters 3-7: he Snatch, The Cave, The BFG, The Giants and the Marvellous Ears)

Read extracts from The BFG

• What does Sophie think the Giant is going to do? 

• Why does she think this? 

• How do her feelings towards the Giant change? 

Practice these words on Quizlet for the following exercise.

Match the personality descriptions with the appearance descriptions

Compare and discuss:

 

• Did all the groups make the same matches? 

• What assumptions have we made about the characters’ personalities, based , on their appearances?

•  'You cannot tell what a person is like inside from the way they look on the outside.' Is this true?

• Can someone look nice and be nasty at the same time?

• Why do you think we judge people by their looks and not by their personality?
  
  

Week  11
We continue reading the book. (Chapters 8-11: Snozzcumbers, The Bloodbottler, Frobscottle and Whizzpoppers & Journey to Dream country.)

We read aloud the two ‘SNOZZCUMBERS’ extracts.

Listen very carefully to the vocabulary that is being used. 

• What do you notice? 

• What is different about the BFG’s language? 

• Even though he wasn’t speaking ‘proper’ English, do you generally understand what he means? 

        ‘disgusterous’ ‘wondercrump’ 

 

• Could you find these words in an English dictionary? 

• What do the words mean?

• Do you think it is something GOOD, or something BAD?

• Can you understand the meanings of even more of the BFG’s vocabulary?

 

Read through and identify words that have positive and negative meanings.  Add the words to WONDERCRUMP WORDSPOTTER worksheet

If you want more of a challenge arrange them according to word classes on this worksheet

Discuss:

• How did you know which words meant something good, and which ones meant something bad? 

Wigglish Wordsmith

• Can you come up with words of your own mixing two words that normally are not combined?

• Add them to the list in this work sheet

Discuss and write in pairs:

• When the BFG speaks and his words come out muddled up, how does that make him feel inside do you think? Write down as many feelings as you can on a piece of paper.

• When Sophie tells the BFG that she thinks he speaks beautifully, how do his feelings change? Write down these feelings on the other side of the paper.

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Week  12

We continue reading the book. (Chapters 12-14: Dream-Catching, A Trogglehumper for the Fleshlumpeater & Dreams.) 

 

 

We read extracts from Chapter 11 - Journey to Dream Country

 

Discuss:

• How would you describe the relationship between the BFG and the other giants. Are they friends? Work together to underline or highlight all the parts of the extract where the BFG is being bullied.

• Imagine that you are Sophie. Can you come up with suggestions for the BFG as to what he could have done to avoid this bullying situation? 

• Can you think of anything he could do to avoid being bullied in the future?

• How can you respond to bullying?

Roald Dahl’s description of the bullying Bloodbottler is truly terrifying! Make notes of any images that really stick out to you in the extract below.

His foul face was round and squashy-looking. The eyes were tiny black holes. The nose was small. But the mouth was huge. It spread right across the face almost ear to ear, and it had lips that were like two gigantic purple frankfurters lying one on top of the other. Craggy yellow teeth stuck out between the two purple frankfurter lips, and rivers of spit ran down over the chin. It was not in the least difficult to believe that this ghastly brute ate men, women and children every night.

Discuss Roald Dahl’s use of language in this passage. For example:

Why does he describe the Bloodbottler’s drool as ‘rivers of spit’?

Why does he use the adjective ‘craggy’ for the teeth?
Do you spot the simile (when you describe something as being like something else) in the description?

 

Invent a really nasty bully using the MY FROTHBUNGLINGBULLY worksheet 

• What would they look like? (remember – just because someone is a nasty person doesn’t mean that they will look nasty on the outside!)
•  How does your bully behave? 
• Who are their bully’s victims? 

Use the worksheets provided to  write a character description of your bully, thinking carefully about the effect of the vocabulary that they choose.

 

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Week  13

We continue reading the book. (Chapters 15-20: The Great Plan, Mixing the dream, Journey to London, The Palace & The Queen) 

Discussions about dreams

Starter discussion: 

• How do our dreams make us feel?
• What is the weirdest or funniest dream you can remember?

 

 Read extracts from Chapter 15-16  

What does Sophie find out that the BFG can do with the dreams?

Imagine that the BFG has tipped the two  of the dreams in your Work sheet - Dream Mixing, into one jar and is whizzing them up with his gigantic egg-beater. 

• What will happen to their dreams? 
• How will they combine into one new dream?

 

Come up with a short plot for their new, mixed dream. 

• How does the dream begin? 
• What happens next? 
• How does the dream end? 

Write your dream down on the DREAM MIXING worksheet. Make sure to make it as exciting – or scary! – as possible.

If you like you can combine three or more dream labels into a single plot!

 

If you like you can illustrate your dream with a drawing on the third page.

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Week  14
Easter Break

 

Week  15

We finish reading the book. (Chapters 20-24: The Royal Breakfast, The Plan, Capture!, Feeding Time & The Author) 

Next week there will be a written test and writing assignment for the book. Study these words

Finish up any reamining tasks like Frothbungling bully.

 

Discussions about dreams

Starter Discussion

• Having a personal dream is important to me, why/why not?
• I want to live my life according to my dreams
• It is important to me what I will work with as an adult
• It is unrealistic that you will achieve your dreams in the future

Read extracts from chapters 11: Journey to Dream Country 

There are two different meanings for the word ‘dream’. See if you can think of both meanings.

Sophie and the BFG have a dream that is an aspiration: their dream is to put a stop to the giants and their human-guzzling ways!

 

Think about your own personal dreams. 

You might aspire to perform in a school play, or to learn to ride a bike, or to play in a school rugby final? Or perhaps your dreams are more long-term goals, such as what you would like to do when you grow up. 

 

Write them on the label of a dream jar of the MY PERSONAL DREAM worksheet  

Draw and colour what you think your personal dream will look like inside the jar.

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Week  16

Book talks: discuss the book. You record your book talk which should take around 10-15 min. About 3 pupils per group.

Written test 

You will be given questions about the book to answer. The questions will both be about what happens in the book and questions where you will write a paragraph (stycke) about your thoughts of different parts of the book. The writing assignment will check both your reading skills and your writing skills. 

 

Finish up any remaining book talks!

 

Bedömning

 

You will be given a written test of the book where both your writing skills and reading comprehension will be tested.

You will write a text "Frothbungling Bully"

You will have a book talk

Uppgifter

Book talk - BFG

You will be divided into smaller groups and do book talks about the BFG. You will get some questions to answer together and record your talks. Upload them here when you have finished.

Put your names in the title of the recording.

Written test - BFG

You will be given a written text about the book BFG. The questions on the test will be made up by reading comprehension questions and questions where you have to explain different parts and segments in the book. There will also be a part of vocabulary. Study these words.

You will be tested on both your reading skills and your writing skills.

Word check - About Roald Dahl

There will be a word test on some of the words from the text About Roald Dahl.

Practise the words on Quizlet here