We are three English language teachers and researchers from Greece. As part of our MA in Language, Literature, and Digital Media in Education we have created an interactive card game with a digital part based on Roald Dahl’s Matilda. The game is intended, but not limited to, EFL classrooms at A1-A2 CEFR level and is accompanied by lesson plans and supplementary activities.
The game consists of 78 cards and is played with a printed set and a device with internet connection. Most cards are numbered and divided in six color-coded decks. Each deck corresponds to one or more chapters of the book, with the exception of Deck E which is based on a film scene not included in the book. There are also instruction cards both for the teacher and the students, domino cards, which comprise a riddle, variation cards, for groups with iPads and those with other devices, a Start and an End card. The aim of the game is to help Matilda find out Miss Trunchbull’s secret by moving from one card to the other. Following the card’s text, players have to solve riddles, do online activities or answer questions, after which they discover which card they should open next. Some numbered cards are used to distract the students, or stall them and these are the cards they are directed to if the answers are not satisfactory. If the card directs players to an online activity, they have to scan the QR code with their device to access it or use the url link at the bottom of the card.
