A Christmas Carol

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A Christmas Carol

• Lesson 1 Introduction

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Lesson Objectives

• At the end of this lesson we know who Charles
  Dickens was, and what life was like in England
  during his lifetime.

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Who is Dickens?

• What do you know about Charles Dickens?

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A Brief History on Charles Dickens

• Please click here to watch a clip about Charles
  Dickens.

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Life in Dickensian England

• In your table groups, discuss the following
  questions
• What do you suppose life was like for the average
  child during Charles Dickens lifetime?
• How would things be different from our lives now?
• Lets share our ideas with the class, and compile
  a group answer.

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Life in Dickensian England would have been...
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Would you survive?

• Please click here to play an interactive game
  about surviving in Dickensian England.

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• Could you survive life in Dickensian England?!

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Researching

• If you were asked to do a research project, what
  steps would you take in conducting your research?
• 1)
• 2)
• 3)
• 4)
• 5)
• 6)and so on......

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Note taking

• Taking clear and efficient notes is very
  important when conducting research.
• You want to be able to know what your main points
  are, and then be able to back them up with
  details.

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Note taking

• One thing to remember while taking notes is that
  you can copy down important ideas, but you should
  not cut and paste the text directly.
• You must get into the habit of putting
  information into your own words.
• Take point form notes. Do not copy word-for-word!
• Copying and pasting is called plagiarism, and it
  is illegal. It can result in you getting a zero,
  and could get you into a lot of trouble.

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Plenary Task
Questions are due NEXT LESSON!

• On your own, you are to conduct research into
  life in England in the 1800s.
• Childhood/Family Life
• Role of Men
• Role of Women
• Food/Diet
• Health
• Living conditions
• London/City life
• Crime
• Leisure/Fun
• Work/Jobs

You will be assigned three of the following
topics to research.
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Plenary

• After compiling research notes, you are to create
  5 trivia questions, in a Who Wants to be a
  Millionaire style (which means with four
  possible answers, only one of which is correct).
• All questions, will be give to Miss Carson, who
  will then create a Who Wants to be a
  Dickensiannaire style quiz.
• We will complete the quiz, in teams, in a later
  lesson.

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A Christmas Carol

• Lesson 2 Intro to the Story

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Lesson Objectives

• At the end of this lesson we will have made
  predictions about the text, and have started
  reading the first chapter.

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• In table groups, come up with a list of things
  that you typically associate with the following
  themes at Christmas

Table 1 Food Table 2 Drink Table 3
Entertainment Table 4 People Table 5
Plants Table 6 Weather Table 7 Animals Table
8 Gifts Table 9 - Activities
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• With the list of things youve created as a
  group, come up with a haiku poem about Christmas.

What is a haiku? It is a non-rhymed verse poem,
conveying an image or feeling in two parts spread
over three lines, usually with a seasonal
reference. There are 5 syllables in the first
sentence, 7 in the second and 5 again in the
last sentence.
Waking up early, Brewing coffee for my Dad, Gifts
are taunting me!
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• share some of our Christmas Haikus with the
  class!

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A Christmas Carol

• What do you know about the story?

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Whats in a name?

• What are your expectations of the following
  characters, based on their names

Scrooge
What has the name Scrooge become associated
with, since Dickens created the character? What
does this tell us about the importance of the
story we are about to read?
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Whats in a name?

• What are your expectations of the following
  characters, based on their names

Marley
22
Whats in a name?

• What are your expectations of the following
  characters, based on their names

Cratchit
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Whats in a name?

• What are your expectations of the following
  characters, based on their names

Tiny Tim
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Chapter 1

• As a class, read and listen to the text as read
  here
• (link in to downloaded part
• http//www.audiobooks.org/Books/A_Christmas_Carol.
  html )
• As you are listening, highlight any unfamiliar
  words in your workbook.
• Using a dictionary, try to find the definition of
  the words.
• Why do you suppose you were unfamiliar with some
  of the words used by Dickens? What does this
  suggest about the English language?

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A Christmas Carol

• Lesson 3 Characterization

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Lesson Objectives

• At the end of this lesson we will have studied
  how Scrooge is described.

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Characterization

• Choose one of the following emotions, and write a
  description to embody the emotion as a person.

ANGER
If LOVE were a person, what would he/she look
like?
PEACE
If RAGE were a person, what would he/she look
like?
If GREED were a person, what would he/she look
like?
JEALOUSY
HAPPINESS
CALM
STRESS
CHARITY
HONESTY
Be sure to includeFacial expressions and
features, body shape and size, clothing, posture,
body language and gestures.
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Lets read!

• Please follow along
• Pay close attention to how Scrooge is described.

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How is Scrooge described?

• Looking back at the section of the text in which
  Scrooge is described, what sort of words are
  used? Lets compile a class list here

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Task

• Using the words used to describe Scrooge, and
  what we know of him from our reading so far,
  sketch an image of Scrooge in your workbooks.
• Label him with the features described by Dickens.

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Characterization

• Last lesson we discussed how Scrooge has now
  become linked with grumpiness and a dislike for
  Christmas. Therefore it can be said he
  personifies these type of characteristics.
• How does Dickens effectively show us that Scrooge
  is a grumpy old miser in his description alone?

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Plenary

• What is Scrooges attitude towards Christmas?
• How can his attitude be linked to Victorian
  attitudes at the time?

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A Christmas Carol

• Lesson 4 Stave 1

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Lesson Objectives

• At the end of this lesson we will have written an
  empathetic response as Scrooge.

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Create three questions that you would want to
ask Scrooge about his feelings at this point in
the novel.
The encounter with his nephew?
How he feels in general about Christmas?
Ask the questions to SCROOGE! Scrooge MUST give
realistic answers based on evidence from the book!
About his general outlook on life?
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Scrooge
Think (on your own) What three adjectives could
you use to describe Scrooge best?
Pair Find two quotes that you could use from the
book to support your points about Scrooge.
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(No Transcript)
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Lets read!

• Follow along with the next section of the text.

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Questions to consider

• We stop reading as Scrooge is locking up the
  shop, and heading home.
• Imagine what Scrooge would be thinking on his way
  home about the events of the day about
  Christmas about his life.
• Write a monologue as Scrooge, starting with

I hate Christmas.
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Plenary

• Lets have some volunteers read their monologues
  aloud.
• Which monologues did you feel were most
  effective? What qualities did the effective
  monologues have?

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A Christmas Carol

• Lesson 5 Finish Stave 1

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Lesson Objectives

• At the end of this lesson we will have learnt
  what pathetic fallacy is, and commented on how
  Dickens creates tension and suspense in the
  novel.

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Starter

• What is pathetic fallacy?

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Pathetic Fallacy

• The treatment of inanimate objects as if they had
  human feelings, thought, or sensations.
• For example

 There has fallen a splendid tear    From the
passion-flower at the gate.  She is coming, my
dove, my dear    She is coming, my life, my
fate.  The red rose cries, "She is near, she is
near"    And the white rose weeps, "She is
late"  The larkspur listens, "I hear, I
hear"    And the lily whispers, "I wait."
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Stave One

• Lets continue our reading of Stave One, up to
  the point with the knocker.
• How is the knocker an example of pathetic
  fallacy?
• Continue reading until the end of the Stave.

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Questions to consider

• How does Dickens build a sense of tension and
  suspense, prior to the appearance of Marleys
  ghost?
• What does Marleys ghost look like? Sketch an
  image of Marley.
• Why does he wear chains? What do the chains
  represent?

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Questions to consider

• Is Marley happy in death? Why or why not?
• What message does he have for Scrooge?
• What message is Dickens trying to give to
  society?

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Mankind was my business, The common welfare was
my business...
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Questions to consider

• What prediction does Marleys ghost make for
  Scrooge?
• How does Scrooge react to the visit by Marleys
  ghost?

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Re-enactment

• In your table groups, re-read the last section of
  stave one (starting with the ringing of the
  bells).
• As a group, write a script for the end of the
  stave. You should be sure to focus on sound
  effects that could be used to give dramatic
  effect to the action of the novel.

For example
The sound of bells ringing Clanking sounds,
as if chains are being dragged The ghost
emergesScrooge Its humbug still! I wont
believe it! The ghost faces Scrooge
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One or two groups Should perform their script
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What is Scrooge feeling at the end of Stave One?
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A Christmas Carol

• Lesson 6 End of Stave One Recap

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Lesson Objectives

• At the end of this lesson we will have considered
  the type of narration used by Dickens, and
  compared a film adaptation of the story to the
  text.

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First person narration

• What does it mean?

The story is told by only one character at a
time, who explicitly refers to him-or herself
using words and phrases involving "I and/or
"we.
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• What advantages does first person narration
  provide?

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Third person narration

• What does it mean?

Each and every character is referred to by the
narrator as "he", "she", "it", or "they. The
story is told from a god-like point of view.
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• What advantage does third person narration
  provide?

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What style of narration does Dickens use?
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Recap

• Whats happened so far in the novel?
• What is the purpose of Marleys visit to Scrooge?

Consider the following quote ?How could we
devise a paragraph, using P.E.E. Around this
quote?
Mankind was my business, The common welfare was
my business...
Complete handout entitled Marleys Ghost
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Question to Consider...

• How does Dickens hook the reader into the story,
  in Stave One? What makes you want to read on?

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A Close Analysis

• Turn to page 9 of your text, and find where the
  text starts with The door to Scrooges
  counting-house was open... and read to Bah!
  said Scrooge, Humbug!

• Write down in your books the impression the text
  gives you of
• Scrooges treatment of Cratchit
• How Cratchit feels about his surroundings

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A Close Analysis

• Lets recap Scrooges nephews arrival at the
  counting-house...
• Return to page 9, where we left off. Well need
  one person to read all of the speeches made by
  Scrooge and one to read all the speeches made by
  Fred. We shall only read to page 10.

What impression does Dickens want you to get of
Scrooge, based on his interaction with his nephew?
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Text vs Film

• How do you suppose a film version of the novel
  will differ from the text?
• What could they illustrate effectively in a film?
• What could the text give an audience, that a film
  version cannot?

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Watch the opening sequence of the 1999 film
version (up to the end of Stave One).
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Charting the similarities and differences between
the text and the film

• Similarities

• Differences

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Marleys ghost

• Lets take a close look at how the ghost is
  described (page 17)

Marley in his pigtail, usual waistcoat, tights,
and boots the tassels on the latter bristling,
like his pigtail, and his coat-skirts and the
hair upon his head. The chain he drew was clasped
about his middle. It was long, and wound about
him like a tail and it was made (for Scrooge
observed it closely) of cash-boxes, keys,
padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses
wrought in steel. His body was transparent...he
felt the chilling influence of its death-cold
eyes, and marked the very texture of the folded
kerchief bound about its head and chin...though
the Ghost sat perfectly motionless, its hair, and
skirts, and tassels were still agitated as by the
hot vapour from an oven.
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Plenary

• Similarities

• Differences

Marleys ghost Do you get a better impression of
the horror of the ghost in the film or in the
text? Why?
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Homework
Be specific. Youve taken notes on how various
characters and events are described. Make
reference to how Dickens described each character
and how the film portrayed them.

• Write a letter to David Jones, the director of
  this version of A Christmas Carol, stating
  whether or not you think he has done a good job
  of bringing the novel to life. You should comment
  on
• The good points
• Were there any things you felt the film did more
  effectively than the novel?
• Setting, characters, the portrayal of emotion,
  special effects
• The bad points
• Were there any things you felt the novel did more
  effectively than the film?
• Setting, characters, the portrayal of emotion,
  special effects,