Matilda Worry Bags

Overview

This 45-minute lesson invites Year 6 students to engage deeply with character emotions from Roald Dahl's Matilda by creating “worry bags.” Through discussion, empathy-building, and creative expression, students will explore character perspectives and relate this understanding to their own lives, supporting emotional literacy and empathy.

National Curriculum Links

English - Reading: Comprehension

En3/1a: Maintain positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read by discussing and exploring the meaning of words in context.
En3/1b: Draw inferences such as inferring characters' feelings, thoughts, and motives from their actions, and justify inferences with evidence.
En3/1c: Predict what might happen from details stated and implied.

English - Spoken Language

En3/2a: Participate in discussions, presentations, and role play to develop understanding.
En3/2b: Articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions.

PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) – Relationships and Wellbeing

Recognise and respond to a range of emotions in themselves and others.
Develop strategies for managing worries or feelings of anxiety.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, pupils will:

Identify and describe worries experienced by characters in Matilda using textual evidence.
Demonstrate empathy by imagining the feelings of different characters.
Create worry bags for characters, symbolising their worries and suggested coping mechanisms.
Reflect on and articulate their own worries, and design personalised worry bags as strategies for emotional wellbeing.
Develop spoken confidence through group discussion and sharing.

Resources

Copies or extracts of Matilda highlighting key character moments (brief text or printed quotes).
Paper bags (brown paper lunch bags or small fabric bags) for each character and pupil.
Stationery: coloured paper, pens, stickers, scissors, glue, string.
Prompt cards for character emotions and worry types.
Whiteboard or flipchart and pens for note-taking.

Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

Brief recap of Matilda, focusing on key characters: Matilda, Miss Trunchbull, Miss Honey, Matilda’s parents.
Set the context: “Today we will explore what worries these characters might have, and how they might manage those worries.”
Share the learning objectives clearly with the class.

2. Character Worries Exploration (10 minutes)

In groups of 4-5, assign each group a character.
Give each group extracts or quotations illustrating moments of conflict or emotion for their character.
Groups discuss and list possible worries their character might have and reasons, citing text where possible.
Regroup and share findings with the class, noting key worries on the board.

3. Creating Character Worry Bags (15 minutes)

Each group receives a paper bag labelled with their character’s name.
Groups decorate the bags with images, words, or symbols representing their character’s worries.
Inside the bag, write or draw items that symbolise each worry (e.g., “mean teacher” - a small cut-out of a frowning face).
Additionally, groups create at least two items representing helpful coping strategies (e.g., kindness, reading a book, talking to a friend).
Display character worry bags for the class.

4. Personal Reflection and Worry Bags (10 minutes)

Individually, pupils reflect quietly and write or draw one or two personal worries.
They then decorate their own worry bags, including items and strategies they find helpful to manage those worries.
Encourage pupils to be as creative and honest as comfortable.
Option to share with a partner or small group if confident.

5. Plenary, Sharing & Assessment (5 minutes)

Invite a few volunteers to share one worry and a coping strategy from their personal worry bag.
Reflect on the skill of empathy - how understanding characters’ worries can help us understand others better.
Assess understanding through participation and contributions to discussions and worry bags.

Assessment

Observe group discussions for ability to infer emotions and justify from text.
Evaluate creativity and relevance of worry bags to character worries and strategies.
Listen for thoughtful personal reflections and oral articulations in sharing.
Use a quick exit question: “Why is it important to think about other people’s worries?”

Differentiation

Provide sentence starters for lower-ability pupils (e.g. “I think Matilda worries about... because...”).
Challenge higher-ability pupils to suggest alternative, imaginative coping strategies or how a character’s worries change.
Allow use of drawing/visuals for pupils needing support with writing.

Extension Ideas

Write diary entries from the perspective of a character reflecting on their worries and hopes.
Explore how Matilda’s actions help change others’ worries, linking to themes of resilience and kindness.
Create a whole-class “worry wall” summarising common worries and positive strategies to refer back to throughout the year.

This lesson combines National Curriculum expectations for reading comprehension and spoken language with essential PSHE skills in emotional literacy and reflection. Through creative, interactive tasks and personal engagement, pupils foster empathy and resilience in a memorable and meaningful way.

Teaching Instructions