Roald Dahl’s beloved BFG story provides the perfect opportunity to tackle newspaper report writing.
This engaging activity introduces children to Roald Dahl’s book The BFG. In this lesson, children will act as journalists to investigate and write a report about Sophie’s disappearance based on evidence found at the scene.
Prior to teaching the lesson, prepare some pieces of evidence such as an empty glass jar, a piece of black material, giant footprints, a diary entry from Sophie and perhaps even some recordings of other people giving witness statements, such as a neighbour or fellow orphan.
Curriculum links
- Retrieve and record information from non-fiction texts
- Organise paragraphs in a newspaper report
- Use and punctuate direct speech
- Discuss and identify the features of a newspaper report
This download contains
- Full PDF lesson plan
Starter activity
To start the lesson, explain to pupils that they will be acting as investigative journalists. They’ll need to look for evidence, find out information and write a newspaper report.
The first activity involves working in groups to identify the key facts from another report. Provide each table with a sample newspaper report along with the following questions:
- What happened?
- Who was involved?
- When did the event happen?
- Where did it take place?
- Why did it happen?
Give children five minutes to work together to find the answers. You may want to differentiate the level of each text depending on the abilities of the children in your class.
Julianne Britton is a qualified teacher with eight years’ experience. She is an author of educational resources and a private tutor. Follow her on Twitter at @juliannebritton. Visit her website here. Take a look at more KS2 newspaper report resources or browse more Roald Dahl Day resources.
