As part of our work on Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach, we carried out a collaborative classroom activity designed to expand our students’ knowledge of personality adjectives while reinforcing reading and writing skills.
The activity began with a visual diagram that was distributed to all students. The diagram consisted of several empty circles and a picture of James in the centre.
In the first stage, each student filled in every circle with a single personality adjective, using one specific color. These adjectives were inspired by our initial discussions about the protagonist, James, and his personality traits as presented in the story.
In the second stage of the activity, students worked collaboratively. Taking turns, they moved around the classroom and added new personality adjectives to the same circles, this time using a different color. The rule was simple: students could only write adjectives that had been suggested by their classmates and that they did not already have in their own circles. This process continued until the circles were gradually filled and the whiteboard was packed with adjectives.
Through this repeated exchange, a wide range of personality adjectives emerged. While many of these adjectives originated from our analysis of James as the main character, the activity naturally expanded to include other traits, allowing students to enrich their vocabulary and make connections beyond the text.
This dynamic and interactive task effectively linked reading and writing. Students moved from reading comprehension and character analysis to written production and peer learning, reinforcing new vocabulary in a meaningful context. At the same time, the collaborative nature of the activity encouraged active participation, careful listening, and reflection on language use, making vocabulary learning both engaging and memorable.
Take a look at the LESSON IN ACTION:
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