Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox: A look at the book through drama

This Roald Dahl classic abounds with characters and events to inspire the imagination, and provides wonderful source material for a drama scheme of work.

The scheme is arranged to align roughly with the chronology of the book, so it can be delivered alongside a classroom reading, or will work just as well if students have already finished the book. I use a range of drama techniques to explore the story, characters and themes within Fantastic Mr Fox, and as well as exercises that challenge, there are plenty of themed games to keep things fun.

The scheme will develop students’ speaking, group discussion and interaction skills, and is therefore in line with the Spoken Language requirements of the National Curriculum. Students will be encouraged to create and sustain roles within devised improvisations, and to respond thoughtfully to the work of others.

Learning objectives
By the end of this scheme the students will:

• Have used a range of dramatic techniques to explore the storyline, characters and themes of Fantastic Mr Fox
• Have experience of using body language, facial expression, words and sounds to create, sustain and explore characters and situations
• Have experience of working in small groups to devise drama work, and of presenting devised work to others
• Have experience of improvising as a whole class
• Have experience of using debate and imaginative work to see situations from alternative points of view
• Have experience of feeding back to each other and of participating in group discussions.

Number of lessons: 4