1. Bell Task: Quotation Explosion
5 minutes
CHARACTER (AO1):
What view of Scrooge is given in this quotation?
LANGUAGE (AO2):
Dickens has Scrooge calling out random greetings (‘hallo’) and noises (‘whoop’). What could this show about the character?
‘I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. I am as giddy as a drunken man. A merry Christmas to everybody. A happy New Year to all the world. Hallo here. Whoop. Hallo.’
LANGUAGE (AO2):
Dickens gives four similes here… why, and why THESE similes?
LINK:
Where else in the novel do we find links to ‘angel’, ‘schoolboy’ and ‘drunken man’? Why make links to them here?
The usual: students annotate their quotation (see Slide 2) using the prompts in the boxes here. This should be glued into exercise books!
CONTEXT (AO3):
How is an audience now/then supposed to feel about the view of Christmas that Scrooge offers?

2. Integrate textual details, interpretive points and the wider context into a revision map
Create a model introduction and connect key details related to the text
2 minutes to share this – edit ‘Subject Key Terms and ‘Dirty 30’ as needed.
Theme
Context
Character
Decided
Necessary

3. STARTER: Quick Comparison - Introductions 5 mins
The Question:
Starting with this extract, how does Dickens present Bob Cratchit as a sympathetic figure?
Sample Introduction 1:
In ‘A Christmas Carol’, Dickens uses Bob Cratchit to explore the theme of poverty and victimhood, but also to present the importance of family in Victorian society.
Sample Introduction 2:
In A Christmas Carol, Dickens presents Bob Cratchit as a sympathetic figure.
Which is the GOOD one… and why?
Sample Introduction 3:
A Christmas Carol is a novel by Charles Dickens written during the Victorian period and focussing on a character called Ebenezer Scrooge. There are other characters in it as well, including Bob Cratchit who Dickens presents as a sympathetic figure.
Sample Introduction 4:
A Christmas Carol is a self-parodic and allegorical fable of either Christian or secular redemption, while also playing to the societal zeitgeist in terms of both the optimistically re-evaluatory approach to festive celebrations and the sociological concerns over Malthusian perspectives.
Class evaluate the sample introductions here – which is the good one and WHY is it good? Sample 1 is the good one, there are problems with ALL the others.
Sample Introduction 5:
Dickens uses the story to write about his own experiences when his father was in the Marshalsea and he had to suffer in a factory living in poverty like the Cractchit family. He also draws on his tour of the Cornish tin mines and the appalling conditions he saw both there and in the Field Lane Ragged School, with children the main victims of the Industrialisation that had taken place during the Victorian period.

4. STARTER: Quick Comparison - Introductions 5 mins
The Question:
Starting with this extract, how does Dickens present Bob Cratchit as a sympathetic figure?
Sample 1:
In ‘A Christmas Carol’, Dickens uses Bob Cratchit to explore the theme of poverty and victimhood, but also to present the importance of family in Victorian society.
Sample 2:
In A Christmas Carol, Dickens presents Bob Cratchit as a sympathetic figure.
Sample 3:
A Christmas Carol is a novel by Charles Dickens written during the Victorian period and focussing on a character called Ebenezer Scrooge. There are other characters in it as well, including Bob Cratchit who Dickens presents as a sympathetic figure.
Why it’s good:
It’s concise
It’s clear
It shows the focus of the question is important / interesting / relevant
It focuses on ideas rather than obscure vocabulary and / or context
It doesn’t just repeat or paraphrase the question
It sets up a discussion
Sample 4:
A Christmas Carol is a self-parodic and allegorical fable of either Christian or secular redemption, while also playing to the societal zeitgeist in terms of both the optimistically re-evaluatory approach to festive celebrations and the sociological concerns over Malthusian perspectives.
Briefly deconstruct why Sample 1 is the good example and key reasons as to why.
Sample 5:
Dickens uses the story to write about his own experiences when his father was in the Marshalsea and he had to suffer in a factory living in poverty like the Cractchit family. He also draws on his tour of the Cornish tin mines and the appalling conditions he saw both there and in the Field Lane Ragged School, with children the main victims of the Industrialisation that had taken place during the Victorian period.

5. The Perfect Introduction
10 minutes
Using the model, create the perfect introductions for the questions:
Starting with this extract, how does Dickens present Scrooge as an unsympathetic figure?
Starting with this extract, how does Dickens present the importance of family?
In ‘A Christmas Carol’, Dickens uses Bob Cratchit to explore the theme of poverty and victimhood, but also to present the importance of family in Victorian society.
A good introduction should:
…be concise and clear
…set up a discussion
…show why the focus of the question is important / interesting / relevant
…focus on ideas rather than obscure vocabulary and / or context
…not repeat or paraphrase the question
Students create introductions using the ‘Work Through Me’ collaborative structure. They should end up with one each. They can use the sample as a writing frame.

6. Mindmapping the Text
25 minutes
Your task is to map as many as possible of the aspects below, adding brief notes about how they are linked.
Ghost
Transformation
Bleak, cold
Childhood
Father
Dickens
Christmas Tradition
Death
School
Compassion
Scrooge
Poverty
Fred
Fezziwig
Industrialisation
Miser
Redemption
Fan
Belle
Working class
Marley
Allegory / Metaphor
Bob Cratchit
Love
Autobiography
Spirit of Christmas Past
Family
Tiny Tim
Ignorance and Want
Light and warmth
Spirit of Christmas Present
Food and drink
Chains and money boxes
Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come
Dancing
Greed and selfishness
Funeral
Charity
Children
Festive generosity
Fate
Possessions
The class should create a mindmap in their books – 5 mins, then rotate. Students should aim to include as many of the elements above as possible, but can also add their own. They should also add notes to explain the links. See next slide for an example.

7. Mindmapping the Text Ebenezer Scrooge Jacob Marley Miser Chains
For example:
Your task is to map as many as possible of the aspects below, adding brief notes about how they are linked.
Protagonist, symbol of social evils but also hope for redemption
Partners, also possible vision of future
Ebenezer Scrooge
Jacob Marley
Obsessed by money rather than people
Marley weighed down by chains and boxes – symbols of greed
Miser
Chains are both physical and a metaphor – trapped, unable to escape – same as Scrooge in life
Chains

8. Plenary Traffic Lighting: Skill / Topic RAG
5 minutes
Traffic Lighting:
Just for your own benefit, RAG yourself on the skills and topics we’ve covered this lesson.
Which areas do you feel least confident with?
How could you address these?
Skill / Topic
RAG
Identifying inferences from a quotation
Evaluating the effect of language features
Constructing an effective introduction
Interpreting a question
Connecting narrative points, inferences and context
Identifying areas to revise more thoroughly
Students ‘RAG’ themselves against lesson content – how do they feel?

9. Integrate textual details, interpretive points and the wider context into a revision map
Create a model introduction and connect key details related to the text
2 minutes to share this – edit ‘Subject Key Terms and ‘Dirty 30’ as needed.
Theme
Context
Character
Decided
Necessary