A Christmas Carol teaching pack
Engage your students in this classic text and develop their critical reading skills with our teaching pack, A Christmas Carol.
The pack takes your students through the five staves of the text, providing social and historical context, discussion points, structured lesson ideas and supporting resources. Tasks include close-text analysis, comprehension, drama and exam-style questions – perfect for preparing your students for their GCSE.
What's included?
- twenty-five lessons
- exam style questions for the relevant exam boards.
What's inside?
Introduction (page 3)
Specification summaries (pages 4-6)
- AQA GCSE English Literature
- Edexcel GCSE English Literature
- WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Literature
Stave One (pages 7-46)
- Lesson one – Understanding Dickens and Victorian London
- Lesson two – The writer’s craft
- Lesson three – Scrooge as an outsider
- Lesson four – Contrasting characters and family feuds
- Lesson five – Introducing the supernatural
Stave Two (pages 47-69)
- Lesson one – Creating atmosphere
- Lesson two – Ghostly visions
- Lesson three – Memories and regrets
- Lesson four – Mirth and merriment
- Lesson five – Victorian family ideals
Stave Three (pages 70-95)
- Lesson one – A sumptuous celebration
- Lesson two – Larger than life
- Lesson three – Community: the Christmas spirit
- Lesson four – Family affairs
Stave Four (pages 96-123)
- Lesson one – Gothic and ghostly
- Lesson two – Life in the slums
- Lesson three – Reactions to Scrooge’s Death
- Lesson four – Intense emotions
Stave Five (pages 117-144)
- Lesson one – A second chance
- Lesson two – Changing relationships
- Lesson three – Themes and characters: revision summaries
- Lesson four – Exam skills and final practice
These are sample student activities for preparing students and guiding them through Staves One and Two.
Before you read the book…
1. Find out ten interesting facts about Charles Dickens.
2. Find out what these words / writing techniques mean:
allegory
novella
time travel narrative
gothic elements.
When you have read Stave One, complete the following activities.
1. Complete a similar table, describing Ebenezer Scrooge and his nephew Fred, using words from the opening stave.
Scrooge
Tight-fisted, Covetous old sinner
Fred
Cheerful, Glowing
2. Find evidence from the text that supports the following points relating to Jacob Marley, Marley’s Ghost:
the effect the chains have on Scrooge and the reader
the words he uses to appeal to Scrooge
the torment that Marley is experiencing.
When you have read Stave Two, complete the following questions.
Comprehension style questions:
1. Why is the Ghost of Christmas Present described as both a child and an old man?
2. How does Dickens use this Ghost to reflect Scrooge’s childhood and his memories associated with this time in his life?
3. How is this Ghost dressed and does it symbolise anything?
4. Why is the Ghost also a source of light and what does light symbolise?
5. How does the Ghost communicate with Scrooge?
6. How do we learn about his childhood and his sister, Fan?
7. What are his first memories of his working life with old Mr Fezziwig?
8. How does Dickens make the reader start to empathise with Scrooge as a young man and start to understand why he has turned into the man he has become?
9. How does Scrooge feel by the end of this stave at revisiting his memories?
10. What do we learn about his fiancée, Belle and what does Scrooge appear to value more than love?
11. Has Dickens created a contrast between warm and cold and between light and dark? Why does he do this?
All reviews
Have you used this resource?
Review this resource