A BIOGRAPHY

1. A BIOGRAPHY Today we are going to find out about the early life of Roald Dahl. We are also going to look at words which have ph in them. The Life And Work Of Roald Dahl

2. Contents Page: CHAPTER ONE: EARLY LIFE CHAPTER TWO: THE WAR EFFORT CHAPTER THREE: THE WRITER CHAPTER FOUR: THE LATER YEARS

3. A BIOGRAPHY Roald Dahl was born in Cardiff 13 September 1916. His father was a rich ship-broker who died when Dahl was only three years old. Dahl went to school in Cardiff until he was nine, then he went to a boarding school in Weston-super-Mare in England for four years.

4. A BIOGRAPHY In September 1934, Dahl joined the Shell Oil Company. It had offices all over the world and Dahl hoped he would be sent to work in one. Every day after lunch he would eat a chocolate bar, using the silver wrappings to make a bigger and bigger ball which he kept on his desk. In autumn 1938, Dahl was finally sent abroad – to Tanzania. He wrote to his mother, “There were giraffes, elephants, zebras, lions, antelopes all over the place.”

5. ph

6. Activity One: Copy out the following sentences adding the correct spelling. 1: The (photographer/fotographer) found the camera lying on the floor. 2: (The phearless/fearless) hero leapt onto the villain’s back. 3: The disc jockey held the (microphone/microfone) and started speaking to the audience. 4: The (pheasant/feasant) ran out of the farmhouse door. 5: The (phantom/fantom) flew through the air in the haunted house. 6: Roald Dahl has had many (biographies/biografies) written about him. 7: Victoria answered the (telefone/telephone) while chewing a sticky (tophee/toffee). Think of some sentences using ph words.

7. This week’s spellings:

8. A BIOGRAPHY Today we are going to find out about Roald Dahl’s ambition to travel the world. We will use the information to make notes of his journeys. We will make use of the notes to make a map. The Life And Work Of Roald Dahl

9. A BIOGRAPHY The Outbreak Of War When World War II broke out in September 1939, Dahl joined the Royal Air Force. Since he was so tall, his fellow pilots called him ‘lofty’. He had to cram himself inside the cockpit of his fighter plane.

10. A BIOGRAPHY In September 1940, he was ordered to join 80 squadron for action, in western Egypt near the border of Libya. Dahl had been given the wrong position for 80 Squadron. His plane’s fuel ran out! He tried to land, hit a boulder, the plane caught fire, and Dahl rolled out of the cockpit. He had been terribly wounded. Luckily some British soldiers were patrolling nearby. They picked him up and rushed him to Alexandria in Egypt. After several months he recovered and returned to the war as a hero.

11. A BIOGRAPHY After the war, Dahl had many girlfriends, but in New York on 20 October 1952, he met his future wife, Patricia Neal. Dahl married Pat in July 1953. After a honeymoon tour of Europe, including France, he took her home to meet his family. For a short while they lived in America, where Pat became a famous actress. She starred in the film Hud with Paul Newman.

12. Where in the world? Why?

13. Where in the world? Why?

14. Make notes on all the different places in the world where Roald Dahl travelled. Using the information write a sentence about what happened to him in each of these countries. Use the Mapstart books to help you locate each of the countries Roald Dahl joined a squadron of fighters.

16. A BIOGRAPHY Today we are going to read and discuss information about Roald Dahl’s first published work. We will look at the format of this biography to plan one of our own. The Life And Work Of Roald Dahl

17. A BIOGRAPHY Roald Dahl -The Writer Roald Dahl turned his adventures in the war into a story for adults. He called it “Shot Down Over Libya”. He began to write many famous novels and short stories.

18. A BIOGRAPHY Dahl sometimes found it difficult to write stories for adults and began sending his publishers stories written for children. The first one was ‘James and the Giant Peach’. It was published in 1961. It received a mixture of positive and negative reviews. One reviewer compared it with Alice in Wonderland. He followed this novel with ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. Within a month, it had sold 10,000 copies.

19. A BIOGRAPHY Disaster Strikes During this time, Dahl’s seven year old daughter died of measles. He found it very hard to talk about his feelings and for a while seemed to lose the will to live. Dahl’s family home in England

20. What makes a good question? Why?

21. A BIOGRAPHY Today we are going to read and discuss information about Roald Dahl’s first published work. We are going to think of a number of questions to ask our interviewee. The Life And Work Of Roald Dahl

22. A BIOGRAPHY In later life, Dahl described in detail how he wrote his books, and also where he wrote them. He seemed fascinated by the process of writing. In his writing shed in the grounds of his home, he would sit in a faded armchair, his legs in a sleeping bag for warmth.

23. A BIOGRAPHY During the 1980’s, Dahl turned 70 and became a famous legend. One new book after another achieved success. In 1984 and 1986, Dahl decided to write two autobiographies about his early life called “Boy” and “Going Solo”. His last full length book, “Matilda” (1988) was about a girl who overcomes her bullying parents. In six months, Matilda sold half a million copies. Dahl died in 1990. Two books, The Minpins and The Vicar of Nibbleswicke were published after his death.