Roald Dahl fact file
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Help your pupils discover the fascinating life and works of one of Britain's most beloved children's authors with this comprehensive Roald Dahl fact file and biography planning template.
What's included
- Engaging fact file featuring key events from Roald Dahl's life and career
- Research planning sheet with guided questions to spark children's curiosity and develop investigative skills
- Biography planning template to help children structure their writing
Available as a free PDF download, or access the editable version with a primary subscription.
How to use this resource
Perfect for KS2 biography writing units or author studies. Children can read and discuss the fact file independently or as a class, then use the planning template to organise information before writing their own biography of Roald Dahl. Ideal for developing research and writing skills whilst learning about this influential author.
Celebrating Roald Dahl Day
This resource is perfect for helping children prepare for Roald Dahl Day celebrations on 13 September. Use the fact file to inspire classroom discussions about the author's extraordinary life and creative legacy. Encourage children to share their favourite Roald Dahl books and characters whilst developing their biographical writing skills.
Consider combining this resource with fun activities such as:
- Creating character profiles for their favourite Dahl characters
- Hosting a class reading of memorable scenes from his books
- Writing imaginative stories inspired by Dahl's unique storytelling style
- Designing book covers or illustrations for their biography writing
Looking for more like this?
Explore our full collection of Roald Dahl teaching resources, including comprehension activities, character studies and creative writing inspiration.
Super facts about Roald Dahl!
1. He was born on 13 September 1916, in Llandaff, Cardiff.
2. His parents were Norwegian.
3. He did not start writing for children until he had children of his own.
4. He was a Hurricane fighter pilot during World War II.
5. He had two steel hips and six operations on his spine.
6. He wrote the screenplays for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice.
7. He died on 23 November 1990 and is buried in the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul's Church, Great Missenden.
8. Roald Dahl wrote many of his books in a shed in his garden, sitting in an old battered armchair. He balanced a specially designed writing board on his lap and wrote with an HB pencil on yellow legal pads.
9. He wrote every day from 10am to noon and then from 4pm until 6pm.
10. Dahl’s first book for children was The Gremlins, published in 1943.
11. Roald Dahl was writing a third about Charlie Bucket (Charlie Bucket in the White House), but he died before the book could be completed.
12. It has been said that Roald Dahl created more than 250 new words.
13. He used to record all of his ideas in an old red exercise book.
14. He was friends with the American writer, Ernest Hemingway.
15. Roald Dahl wrote seventeen children’s stories.
