Lamb to the Slaughter Skills focus: Reading and comprehension Reference to the text and quotations Language and structure analysis Consider what we’ve learnt about Roald Dahl’s storytelling so far…what might we expect from another of his short stories?

A bit about the author… Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, Dahl served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence officer, rising to the rank of acting wing commander. He rose to prominence in the 1940s with works for both children and adults and he became one of the world's best selling authors. He has been referred to as "one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century". Why are you surprised at the fact that he wrote The Landlady? How does this effect your expectations for Lamb to the Slaughter?

Lamb to the Slaughter What do the key words make you think of? What do you associate with them? What can we expect from the story based on the title? Lamb to the Slaughter

Reading the first page Mary Maloney What can you infer about Mary? How would you describe her character? How does she treat her husband? Do you think that she behaves as a wife is expected to behave from a traditional point of view? The story is set in the 1950s – how do you think society may have shaped her behaviour? Is there anything strange about her behaviour or the way she responds to her husband from a modern point of view?

Reading the first page Patrick Maloney What do think about his tone of voice? What can you infer about his behaviour? What about the words that he uses and how he speaks to Mary? How do you think he feels at this point in the story? Do you think he is hiding something or do you think his behaviour is often like this? What can you infer overall about the marriage? Do you think they are both happy?

Reading page 2: How does Dahl use structure and language to build tension on this page? “Her eyes waited on him for an answer, a smile, a little nod, but he made no sign.” How does Dahl change the focus of the story from this point? Can you pick out any words that tell us something is wrong? How does the tension start to build? Can you pick out any key sentences? How do you think someone like Mary Maloney will react to this news? Think about the impact on her life this will have…

Where does the focus of the story move back to now? “So I’ve killed him.” Predictions? What do you think she will do? Reading P3 – up until just before Mary returns home NEXT LESSON: Finishing the tale!