A Christmas Carol Arvin ( 张帆 ) Australian College of Education Affiliated to Wenzhou No. 21 Middle School 说课

Teaching material Targeted text: A Christmas Carol (novel) in Unit 3 Content: The scene in Scrooge’s counting house (3 parts) VCE ESL Curriculum is made up of four units. There are three study areas in each unit: 1.Text response: novels, movies, etc. 2.Identity and belonging: short stories, movies etc. 3.Language analysis: articles from Australian newspapers.

 Knowledge aims: Know about the main character, Scrooge. Know about the functions of the minor characters, Scrooge’s nephew, the two charity men and Bob Words & phrases: work one’s will, a stake of holly, by one consent, grave, a scrap of gold, surplus, provision, ill-used, workhouse, the Poor Law, treadmill Learning aims

 Ability aims: 1. Train students’ reading skills : skimming, scanning 2. Master the method of character analysis Learning aims  Moral aims: Students will learn that everyone should act generously and benevolently towards others to better their situation to help solve the social problem of poverty.

Teaching methods ① communicative approach ② task-based methods ③ Collaborative learning method

Teaching procedures Step 1 Revision and leading in （ 3 mins) Step 2 Role play (10 mins) Step 3 Discussion (26mins) Step 4 Homework(1min)

Step 1 Revision and leading in (3 mins) Aim: a. Revise the previous class; b. lead Ss to goal of the class— character analysis MetalanguageA Christmas Carol authorCharles Dickens contextEngland during Victorian age genrenovel plotScrooge’s change themePoverty and charity; Christmas and family; transformation and redemption Main characterScrooge Minor characterScrooge’s nephew, Bob, Christmas ghosts, etc.

Character analysis methods: We learn about characters in a text in a number of ways: a. by how they are described B. by what they do c. by what they say d. by what other characters say about them Character analysis Aim: revise the character analysis methods

Whom Scrooge meetsWhat Scrooge saysWhat Scrooge does Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Step 2 Role play (10 mins) When watching the role play, please think of how to complete the following form. Let three groups of students act out the three parts of the scene.

Step 3 Discussion (24mins) ( 一 ) Task 1 (5mins) ( 二 ) Task 2 (12mins) ( 三 ) Task 3 (7mins)

Aim: 1.Reading skills---Skimming and Scanning 2.Collect related information about the main character, Scrooge. Whom Scrooge meets What Scrooge saysWhat Scrooge does Part 1His nephew“Humbug”; “What right have you to be merry?” … He refuses his nephew’s invitation. Part 2Two charity men“Are there no prison?”; “And the union workhouse?”; “The treadmill and the Poor Law in full vigour?”;”…decrease the surplus population.” He reject the two charity men’s asking for donation for the poor. Part 3His clerk, Bob“It’s not convenient,…I’ll be bound?” He grudgingly agree on Bob’s Christmas leave. Discuss in groups and try to complete the following form. Step 3 Discussion: Task 1(5 mins)

Look at the following key quotes, please Discuss in groups and find out: a.Who says; b.What the speaker means c.What we can learn about the speaker. Step 3 Discussion: Task 2 (12 mins) Aim: help students learn to analyse the characters by what they say.

Key quote 1: “If I could wok my will,” … “every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should!” Step 3 Discussion: Task 2 (12 mins)

Key quote 2: “ When men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!” Step 3 Discussion: Task 2 (12 mins)

Key quote 3: “If they would rather die,” … “they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population” Step 3 Discussion: Task 2 (12 mins) Key quote 4: “At this festive season of the year, …it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time.”

Key quote 5: “It’s not convenient,” … “and it’s not fair. If I was to stop half-a-crown for it, you’d think yourself ill-used, I’ll be bound?” Step 3 Discussion: Task 2 (12 mins)

Find out the functions of the minor characters, Scrooge’s nephew and the two charity men. Step 3 Discussion: Task 3 (7 mins)

Minor characters often serve a particular function in a text. They might: a.Support the main character. b.Criticize the main character. c.Hold opposite views to the main character. d.Give background information on the main character. e.Be someone the main character can tell his or her inner thoughts and feelings to. f.Demonstrate an attitude or quality the author wants us to approve of. g.Demonstrate an attitude or quality the author wants us to disapprove of.

Sample answer: Scrooge’s nephew holds an opposite view to the main character about Christmas. He demonstrate an attitude the author wants us to approve of, that is Christmas is a time when we should show goodwill to others. Step 3 Discussion: Task 3 (7 mins) Aim: help students identify the functions of the minor character, so as to deepen their understanding of the novel’s theme.

Step 4 Homework(1min) Work out the following character summary sheets: Character’s name: Scrooge Three words to describe him:______________ Most important things that happens to him:_________________________ Five key quotes:___________________________ Aim: consolidate and output what they’ve learned

Step 4 Homework(1min) Work out the following character summary sheets: Character’s name: Fred(Scrooge’s nephew) Three words to describe him______________ Main function in the text:________________ Most important thing he tells us about the main character:______________________ Key quotes:___________________________

Blackboard design