Charlie and Chocolate

Objective

Students will engage in a close reading of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl to analyze text details, character development, and author's craft. They will summarize key ideas and use textual evidence to support their understanding, aligned with Common Core State Standards for 5th grade English Language Arts.

Standards

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.1: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2: Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters respond to challenges.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3: Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas.

Materials Needed

• Copies of the excerpt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (specifically the scene where the golden tickets are announced)
• Sticky notes
• Chart paper and markers
• Graphic organizer handouts (character traits, cause/effect, vocabulary)
• Student notebook or journal

Lesson Timeline (60 Minutes)

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

• Briefly activate background knowledge: Ask, “What do you know about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Roald Dahl?”
• Share learning objectives and connect them to the day's activities: "Today, we will dig deep into a text by Roald Dahl, focusing on important details, characters, and patterns of language."

2. Vocabulary Preview (10 minutes)

• Introduce and clarify key vocabulary from the excerpt (e.g., “announcement,” “anticipation,” “fortune,” “peculiar”).
• Use context clues from the reading to have students infer meanings.
• Students write each new word in their journals with a predicted meaning, then confirm meanings after reading.

3. Guided Close Reading – First Read (15 minutes)

• Read excerpt aloud together, pausing at key points.
• Students use sticky notes to mark parts they find interesting or confusing.
• Teacher models close reading strategies by thinking aloud: asking questions, predicting, and visualizing.
• Discuss as a class: What does this part tell us about Charlie? What clues show how he feels?

4. Character Analysis Activity (10 minutes)

• Using a graphic organizer, students identify traits of Charlie and at least one other character (e.g., Veruca Salt or Augustus Gloop).
• Prompt: How do their responses to the golden ticket announcement differ? What does this say about their personalities?
• Students use quotes from the text to support their answers.

5. Small Group Discussion (10 minutes)

• Student engages in a simulated discussion with the teacher acting as a partner.
• Focus discussion on the theme of fairness and luck in the story.
• Use sentence starters: “I think... because...” or “The part where... shows that...”
• Teacher models active listening and turning ideas into new questions or insights.

6. Conclusion and Assessment (10 minutes)

• Have the student write a brief paragraph summarizing what the golden ticket scene reveals about the mood and theme of the story.
• Prompt: “What does this scene teach us about hope and opportunity?”
• Collect work for formative assessment aligned with RL.5.1 and RL.5.2 expectations.
• Reflect on how the vocabulary words helped understand the text's meaning.

Differentiation and Extensions

• Provide sentence frames and word banks to support writing and discussion.
• Extension: Ask the student to create a “golden ticket” of their own design with a short story or character description, encouraging creativity and application of text themes.

Roald Dahl’s engaging narrative, combined with purposeful close reading and interactive discussion, encourages deep comprehension and critical thinking while meeting rigorous Common Core standards. This plan brings the text to life in a meaningful, student-centered way.