A Christmas Carol Israel Horovitz from A Christmas Carol By Charles Dickens Israel Horovitz from A Christmas Carol By Charles Dickens

Setting a Purpose / Setting a purpose for reading is deciding before you read what you want to get out of the text. / The purpose you set will affect the way you read...for example if you are reading directions to perform a task, you will read more slowly and carefully than if you are reading to be entertained. / In other words, ADJUST YOUR READING RATE TO SUIT YOUR PURPOSE / Setting a purpose for reading is deciding before you read what you want to get out of the text. / The purpose you set will affect the way you read...for example if you are reading directions to perform a task, you will read more slowly and carefully than if you are reading to be entertained. / In other words, ADJUST YOUR READING RATE TO SUIT YOUR PURPOSE

Setting a Purpose Setting a purpose gives you focus as you read. You may set one or more purposes as listed below. To learn about a subject To be entertained To gain an understanding To take action or make a decision To be inspired To complete a task

As you read drama: Slow down to read stage directions carefully. They may reveal action that is not shown in the dialogue Speed up to read short lines of dialogue quickly to create a feeling of conversation Slow down to read longer speeches by a single character so that you can reflect on the character’s words and look for clues to the message

Dialogue Dialogue is a conversation between characters. In a play, characters are developed entirely through dialogue. Dialogue also advances the plot and develops the conflict. In the script (what the actors learn their speaking parts from), you can tell which character is speaking by the name that appears before the character’s line. For example: NEPHEW. [Cheerfully; surprising SCROOGE] A merry Christmas to you, Uncle! God save you! SCROOGE. Bah! Humbug!

Stage Directions The following letters are stage directions. Stage directions are not spoken but tells the director of the play where the actors need to stand on the stage. Stage directions are found in [ ]. Downstage refers to the center of the front of the stage, the area closest to the audience => D.C.= downstage center D.R.= downstage right D.L.= downstage left Upstage is closer to the back of the stage => U.R= upstage right U.C.=upstage center U.L.= upstage left The directions left, right and center are from the actors’ point of view as they face the audience (they would then be opposite from the audience’s point of view) => R. = right L. = left C = center

A Christmas Carol Before we start to read A Christmas Carol, take a few minutes to preview the text. Look at the title, pictures, the captions, the organization, and the beginnings of passages. Look at The People of the Play list, the characters of the play and who they are in the play. If you already have a purpose in mind, previewing the text will help you decide whether the text will fit your purpose. If you do not have a purpose in mind, previewing the text will help you determine the reason for reading it. Before we start to read A Christmas Carol, take a few minutes to preview the text. Look at the title, pictures, the captions, the organization, and the beginnings of passages. Look at The People of the Play list, the characters of the play and who they are in the play. If you already have a purpose in mind, previewing the text will help you decide whether the text will fit your purpose. If you do not have a purpose in mind, previewing the text will help you determine the reason for reading it.