The Mildenhall Treasure by Roald Dahl: A Short Story Unit Study

Imagine finding an ancient Roman treasure of incredible value in your back yard. What would you do? And how would you feel?

Welcome to the incredible true story of the Mildenhall Treasure, in which an unsuspecting farmer discovers a real trove of Roman silver in 1940’S England!

This unit study for The Mildenhall Treasure by Roald Dahl is suitable for students in grades 8 and up.

The story focuses on themes of discovery, honesty, history and greed, and the resources in this unit study put an emphasis on the characters, treasure and text while guiding students to assess some of the nuances involved in writing a fictional account of real events.

Please note: The Mildenhall Treasure is protected by copyright and must be procured separately. All other necessary resources are included in this unit study or available for free online (links provided).

Contents

About this Unit Study

Before You Begin & Guide to all Assignments

The People

• Questions and assignments focused on the characters’ thoughts, behaviors and feelings. Special character description assignment based on four 1940’s portraits.

The Treasure

• Questions and assignments focused on the difference between wealth and treasure, and what constitutes a real archaeological treasure. Introduce students to the popular British archaeological series, Time Team.

The Text & Language

• Questions and assignments focused on Dahl’s writing, including an exercise in polishing, inspired by the author’s own approach and the theme of polishing buried treasure. Also, a look at the power of repetition, and understanding the terms sarcasm and priorities.

Roman History & Gods

• A quick look at the Roman figures mentioned in the text, and further activities such as an ancient Roman names word search.

Art & Music

• Admire a fresco depicting an ancient Roman banquet and listen to some music played on a lyre.
• Examine a painting and a photograph of farming and explore further the theme of the difference between depicting facts and taking creative liberties.
• Listen to two pieces of music about snow (Let It Snow! by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn, and The Snow Is Dancing, by Claude Debussy), and decide which would be best suited to a certain part of the story (with a focus on the term context).

Essay Writing

• Take a look at the real Mildenhall Treasure and write an essay comparing a factual account of its discovery with Dahl’s version.

Suggested activities

• A handful of further activities are included, such as taking another look at historical Roman art or diving into professions that involve spending long hours alone.