Charlie’s life changes drastically over the course of the novel. In what ways is he rewarded for the sacrifices that he and his family have made? How does he grow and change from the beginning to the end of the story? Consider these points as you reflect on the text:

• How does Charlie compare with other kids, both in the factory and in his daily life?
• How are Charlie’s adult role models different from those of Veruca, Augustus, Violet, and Mike?
• How is Charlie characterized throughout the text? What does he say and do, and how do other characters respond to him?

Teaching Suggestion: Students should think about the lessons that Roald Dahl tries to impart through his characters. To encourage students to think about these and other messages within the novel, consider directing them to the book’s central themes of Kindness and Patience Will Be Rewarded and Greed and Gluttony Will Be Punished.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who would benefit from additional guidance could create a t-chart that lists moments before Charlie enters the factory on the left side and moments after on the right side. Students could also discuss these different moments in group, which would encourage collaboration.

Use this activity to engage all types of learners while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“A Candy Man Can”

In this activity, students will create their own candy and share their new creation with the class.

Part A

Imagine you’re Charlie Bucket, and it’s your first day in charge of the chocolate factory. What kind of candy would you make? What would it look like? Taste like? What magical qualities might it possess? After you have a new creation, make a poster advertisement for your candy. You should include a drawing of it, its name, and what effect it will have on those who eat it. Advertisements will be displayed in the classroom.

Once you and your classmates are done, vote for the candy that you most want to try out of your classmates’ creations. You may not vote for your own.

Part B

Come together as a class and discuss the following questions:

• How did you approach your candy creation?
• How did you choose what candy to vote for?
• How can candy inspire Magic and Wonder?

Teaching Suggestion: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory included wild adventures around candy, showing how kids were willing to disobey in order to try a piece. To encourage creativity, consider challenging students to think outside the box with their candy so that each creation is unique. Students might consider two or three options before finalizing their decision, or you might help students choose which of their ideas to advertise.

Differentiation Suggestion: Shy students might put their names on the back of their drawing so as to ensure that voting is anonymous. You might also go one-by-one and have students praise each piece of candy, noting what they like about each one and why.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Many of the characters in this novel—both those who enter the factory and those who don’t—are rude.

• What lesson might Roald Dahl be trying to teach about rudeness? (topic sentence)
• Provide three examples of rudeness from the text and explain how each one connects to Dahl’s lesson.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, reflect on the theme of Greed and Gluttony Will Be Punished.

2. The Chocolate Room is the first place that Charlie and the other children go into once inside of the factory.

• How does this space capture the children’s and the readers’ imaginations? (topic sentence)
• Analyze Dahl’s description of the Chocolate Room and discuss how and why it is imaginative.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how the Chocolate Room fits within the theme of Magic and Wonder.

3. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the Dark Tunnel draws critique from some of the children’s parents and is praised by Grandpa Joe and Charlie.

• What might Willy Wonka be trying to do by taking his visitors through this tunnel? (topic sentence)
• Give three examples that support your topic sentence and show how the experience in the Dark Tunnel foreshadows what happens in the rest of the novel.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, consider how your essay connects to one or more of the following themes: Magic and Wonder, Greed and Gluttony Will Be Punished, and/or Kindness and Patience Will Be Rewarded.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Willy Wonka shows no sympathy for the children who don’t listen to him. To what extent is Wonka a villain or a hero? Write an essay in which you analyze Wonka’s character and the message that his actions and choices convey. Ultimately, connect your thesis back to the theme of either Kindness and Patience Will Be Rewarded or Greed and Gluttony Will Be Punished.

2. Compare and contrast Wonka’s factory with Charlie’s home. What do these settings represent for Charlie? How might he feel differently about the factory than the other children, based on their lives outside of it? What might the factory mean to Grandpa Joe or Charlie’s parents? In your conclusion, connect your argument back to the theme of Magic and Wonder.

3. It takes Charlie several tries to even get a Golden Ticket, and each moment is built up with excitement and trepidation as Charlie tears open his chocolate bars. How does Dahl build this tension, both in the moment and in the way that he describes Charlie’s life? How is Charlie even getting into the factory a triumph for him? What does this say about the theme of Kindness and Patience Will Be Rewarded? Use three examples from the text to support your argument.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What is one example of how Roald Dahl creates mystery around the Wonka factory?

A) By having Willy Wonka invite children into it

B) By stating that it has been closed for years

C) By having it sell chocolate and candy

D) By showing how Charlie’s family can only afford one chocolate bar each year

2. Which of the following words best describes the world’s reaction to the news that the Wonka factory is opening to five Golden Ticketholders?

A) Serenity

B) Aggravation

C) Pandemonium

D) Apathy

3. How is Charlie different from his fellow Golden Ticketholders?

A) Charlie is much kinder than the rest of them.

B) Charlie is much younger than the rest of them.

C) Charlie is much taller than the rest of them.

D) Charlie is much wealthier than the rest of them.

4. How does Grandpa Joe respond whenever the Wonka factory is brought up?

A) He seems to worry about Charlie whenever he eats a Wonka bar.

B) He seems to have a lot more energy whenever the factory is mentioned.

C) He seems to wonder how one could come to spy on Wonka.

D) He seems to think that the Buckets are connected to Wonka in some way.

5. Which of the following best describes how the Wonka factory compares to everyday life for the Buckets?

A) The Wonka factory is much more chaotic than the Buckets’ simple lives.

B) The Wonka factory is much busier than the Buckets’ uneventful lives.

C) The Wonka factory is much more dangerous than the Buckets’ sheltered lives.

D) The Wonka factory is much more wondrous than the Buckets’ stressful lives.

6. How does Wonka’s appearance match his character?

A) Wonka dresses whimsically, illustrating his flamboyant personality.

B) Wonka dresses only in black and white, showing his impatience for children.

C) Wonka dresses as though he is from the past, showing his reclusive nature.

D) Wonka dresses like Charlie’s father, showing that there is a connection between them.

7. How does Grandpa Joe compare with the other parents accompanying their children to the factory?

A) Grandpa Joe is tall, while the other parents are short.

B) Grandpa Joe is not used to the wealth of the factory, while the other adults are.

C) Grandpa Joe is filled with wonder, while the other adults are grumpy.

D) Grandpa Joe is energetic, while the other adults are lethargic.

8. Which of the following is an example of foreshadowing that the Buckets’ wonder will be rewarded by Wonka?

A) In the Dark Tunnel, Grandpa Joe enjoys the boat and river, while the other parents think that Wonka is crazy.

B) In the Inventing Rom, the Buckets contribute ideas for new chocolates, while the other families plan to sell Wonka’s recipes.

C) At the entrance to the factory, the other parents complain about having to bring their children on the tour, while Charlie and Grandpa Joe wait excitedly to enter.

D) At the end of the novel, the Buckets make an impassioned plea for why they should run the factory, while the others have been eliminated for their misbehavior.

9. What do Augustus, Mike, Veruca, and Violet represent?

A) What can happen when children have candy

B) What can happen when children are spoiled

C) What can happen when children grow up wealthy

D) What can happen when children win prizes

10. What are the Oompa Loompas’ songs most explicitly an example of?

A) Dahl’s skills as a composer

B) Dahl’s empathy for the children

C) Dahl’s creativity

D) Dahl’s dark humor

11. Why is it ironic that Mike Teavee’s downfall is in the Television-Chocolate Room?

A) Because Mike told the reporters to go away

B) Because Mike has never watched television

C) Because Mike is addicted to television

D) Because Mike’s parents are television producers

12. What might we infer about Wonka’s (and perhaps even Dahl’s) view of television?

A) He thinks that it is not good for children.

B) He thinks that it is only good for transporting chocolate.

C) He thinks that it is a source of revenue.

D) He thinks that it is a chance to educate more people about chocolate.

13. Which of the following best encompasses Wonka’s true purpose in bringing children to the factory?

A) He wanted to see if the world was still as negative as it was when he closed the factory.

B) He wanted to test the children to see who a good successor might be.

C) He wanted to see if he could still make creations that captured children’s imaginations.

D) He wanted to find another adult who shared his sense of whimsy.

14. Which describes the reason that Charlie won the factory?

A) His kindness

B) His creativity

C) His greed

D) His impatience

15. How were the children other than Charlie transformed by their factory visit?

A) They each found a new passion for chocolate.

B) They each changed because they chose not to listen to Wonka and learned a lesson.

C) They each remained the same after their visit to the factory.

D) They each made plans to be better individuals after their time at the factory.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. How did the children disobey Wonka, and what led to their downfall? Choose only one child as an example in your response.

2. How will Charlie’s life presumably be different after his time in the chocolate factory? How does his life before the factory tour compare with this new reality?