“I have a passion for teaching kids to become readers, to become comfortable with a book, not daunted. Books shouldn’t be daunting, they should be funny, exciting and wonderful; and learning to be a reader gives a terrific advantage.”  ―  Roald Dahl

It’s May!  Mid-May at that.  High gear testing season in my district, and my teacher friends are being kept busy with proctoring.  It’s often a high anxiety time for students, a time of them being rather resistive to more lessons and reading and learning.  Definitely a difficult time for teachers trying to teach for another 2-5 weeks, depending on your state and district.  

However, if possible, it’s a great time to incorporate lessons that are a little lighter and a little more fun into the classroom.  I always liked to do shorter lessons over novel units around this time, because so many students are pulled on so many days for various assessments and said students would do nothing but fall behind (because keeping up with material while not in class is a totally foreign concept!).

Some of my favorite, fun go-to units are those for Roald Dahl.  Though I have read he had a somewhat disagreeable and difficult personality, there isn’t any doubt that he penned some engaging children’s novels and short stories—just what is needed this time of year to help get students interested in reading.
Here are a few full Dahl units that students, usually, find fun and of high interest—a great combination for a high-stakes time of year.  

Need more than one?  I have them bundled for a discount, plus a Dahl web quest at this link.  

Happy Teaching!

M.D. Saints
Reading the Rapids
Liberty Dog Writing Co.