The Twits - Lesson 6: The House, the Tree and the Monkey Cage - PowerPoint

In a captivating English lesson centred on Roald Dahl's "The Twits," students delve into the chapter titled "The House, the Tree and the Monkey Cage." The objective of the lesson is to enhance students' understanding of how Dahl skillfully engenders sympathy for the character Muggle-Wump and his monkey family. The lesson invites students to explore the concept of sympathy by reading up to the end of the chapter "The Great Upside Down Monkey Circus" and discussing key questions. These questions prompt students to consider the conditions in which Mr. Twit keeps the monkeys, the demeaning acts they are forced to perform, the monkeys' feelings towards their training, and the consequences they face from Mrs. Twit if they fail to comply.

Building on this understanding of the monkeys' plight, the lesson progresses to a creative writing activity where students are asked to use the key features of effective diary writing. They are encouraged to write from the first-person perspective of Muggle-Wump, employing personal pronouns and vivid descriptions to convey the emotions and daily tribulations faced by the monkey family at the hands of the Twits. Through this imaginative exercise, students express Muggle-Wump's inner thoughts, feelings, and aspirations for a better future. The lesson concludes with a plenary session where students share their diary entries with the group or, if unfinished, complete them as homework, thus deepening their empathy and narrative skills.