Matt’s Million

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Matt Collins is eleven and lives with his mother at number 27, Calmore Road, Chesterfield. One morning, towards the end of the summer holidays, a letter arrives from a firm of solicitors, with a cheque made payable to him for over -1 million – so that he can buy anything he wants!

Teaching Ideas and Resources:

English

• The title of the book has alliteration. Can you come up with some other book titles that include alliteration, e.g. David’s Dragon, Zoe’s Zoo?
• Read the first sentence… ‘This is the story of a boy who became a millionaire overnight’. Can you create your own story using this opening?
• Imagine that Matt wrote a letter back to Wattis, Weaver & Wattis when he first received the cheque. What would it say?
• Write a set of instructions to teach people how to play Matt’s computer game.
• Write a diary entry for Matt at different points in the story. when he first receives the cheque? when he falls out with Claire? when he goes shopping etc.
• Matt wants to write a book of Handy Hints for boys who become millionaires overnight. What might this list include?
• When he was younger, Matt read stories about a boy called ‘Loadsa Dosh’. Could you write one of these stories? Could you make a comic strip about the character?
• Matt and Claire go to a Rolls Royce showroom to buy a car. Use the information to create a report about the cars.
• Create a property listing for Moresby Manor. Can you describe it and use persuasive features to make people want to buy it?
• Watch an episode from the TV series and write a review of it:

Maths

• Make a list of things that you would buy if you had a million pounds. How much do the items on your list cost?(see Resources below)
• Create a set of questions which all have 1,000,000 as the answer.
• Create a set of word problems which all have £1,227,309.87 as the answer.
• What do each of the digits in 1,227,309.87 mean? What is the value of the ‘3’? What’s the difference in value between the two ‘7’s?
• If you had £1,227,399.87 in cash, what notes and coins might you have?
• Use a calculator to solve calculations involving seven-digit numbers.
• The bank pays Matt for letting them look after his money. Find out about interest… How much interest do different bank accounts earn? Use your knowledge of percentages to work out the interest that you can earn on different amounts of money. Can you find out what ‘compound interest’ is?
• Matt gives Claire a cheque for 0.25% of £1,227,309.27 as a thank you for helping him with the game. How much is this?
• In Chapter Five, Matt’s total amount of money starts to grow. What is the difference between the new amounts and how much he had originally?
• Find out the prices of the items that Matt buys in Chapter Five. What is the total amount that he has spent?
• Matt wonders how the store can afford to make a profit when they give him a tent and a calculator. What does profit mean?
• When Matt goes to the Rolls Royce showroom, they give him three different options: (1) To buy one outright, (2) To pay a deposit and spread the remainder over the next three years, and (3) Hiring one. What is the difference between these three options? Which is likely to be the most / least expensive?

Computing

• Use a spreadsheet to create a shopping list showing what you would buy with a million pounds. Can you use a formula to work out the total? Can you use another formula to work out how much is left after you buy each item on the list?
• Use a spreadsheet to work out the interest that Matt might earn on his money. How would this change if the interest rate was 1%, 5% or another amount?
• Matt’s BBC B computer helped him to stop feeling bored when he had rheumatic fever. Find out about computers from the past and how they are different from today’s technology.
• Matt made up his own games on his computer. Can you create your own game using software like 2DIY or Scratch?
• Matt’s game was called ‘Virus’. Find out what a computer virus is and how people can try to protect themselves from getting one.
• Use a paint program or publishing software to design the box for Matt’s computer game.
• Think about your favourite computer game and write a review of it to tell others about it.
• Matt goes to Nottingham to buy a new games machine. Think about the different games machines that are available now. Which would you recommend that he buys and why? What are the strengths / weaknesses of each?
• Use graphical modelling software to design the layout of Matt’s ideal house. What rooms / features will it have?

Design Technology

• Design the security system at the bank which protects Matt’s millions.

Art

• Draw a picture showing the scene at the bank when Matt shows the staff his cheque. What are their facial expressions like?
• Create a new design for a bank note with a value of one million pounds.
• Draw a picture of the Rolls Royce that Matt hires. Can you draw the car from different viewpoints (front / side / rear / inside etc)?
• Look at the Rolls Royce logo and the symbol of ‘The Flying Lady’. Can you design a logo / symbol for a new brand of vehicle?

Geography

• Matt lives in Chesterfield. Can you find this on a map? Where is it in relation to where you live? How would you travel there if you had to go?
• Investigate different currencies from around the world. What is one million pounds worth in each currency?
• Draw a map of Moresby Manor and its grounds.

History

• Find out about different types of money that people have used in the past.

PSHE

• If you could share one million pounds between different charities, which charities would you donate to?(see Resources below)
• Can you organise and take part in a fundraising event to support a charity that you are interested in?
• When Matt’s mum finds out about his money, she makes him agree to a compromise. What is a compromise? Have you ever had to compromise with somebody?
• What are the good things about having lots of money? What might be the problems with being very rich like Matt?
• Matt’s mum makes up some rules to help him to control his spending. Can you make a list of them? Why was it a good idea for Matt to control his spending in these ways?
• Matt realises that ‘buying a hundred of what makes you happy does not necessarily make you a hundred times happier’. What does this mean?
• Matt asks the vicar how he should make his donation. Think of all the different ways that we can pay for things. What are the advantages / disadvantages of each?
• When you have read the whole story, think about how the money affected Matt’s life. What did he learn from his experiences?

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