1. What do these words mean? Each table has words they need to look up and find the meaning of. Write them on your sheet. We will share them as we begin reading.

2. A Christmas Carol- Charles Dickens 1. Putting the novel in context

3. A Christmas Carol A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas (commonly known as A Christmas Carol) is a novella by Charles Dickens First published on December 19, 1843 The story was an instant success, selling over six thousand copies in one week, and the tale has become one of the most popular and enduring Christmas stories of all time.

4. A Christmas Carol was written during a time of decline in the old Christmas traditions "If Christmas, with its ancient and hospitable customs, its social and charitable observances, were in danger of decay, this is the book that would give them a new lease", said English poet Thomas Hood

5. A Christmas Carol is a Victorian morality tale of an old and bitter miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, who undergoes a profound experience of redemption over the course of one night. Mr. Scrooge is a financier/money-changer who has devoted his life to the accumulation of wealth. He holds anything other than money in contempt, including friendship, love and the Christmas season.

6. Major themes The story deals with two of Dickens' recurrent themes: social injustice and poverty. Dickens wrote in the wake of British government changes to the welfare system known as the Poor Laws, changes which required among other things, welfare applicants to "work" on treadmills, as Scrooge points out. Scrooge embodies selfishness and indifference to the poor.

7. Early Nineteenth-Century London London was a world city that awed visitors with its size and its squalor, its grandeur and its filth. Victorian London was the largest, most spectacular city in the world due to the Industrial Revolution and the opening of trade routes across the world. In 1800 the population of London was around a million souls. That number would swell to 4.5 million by 1880.

9. In his biography, Dickens, Peter Ackroyd notes that "If a late twentieth-century person were suddenly to find himself in a tavern or house of the period, he would be literally sick - sick with the smells, sick with the food, sick with the atmosphere around him".

10. Rich and poor people lived very close to each other because the city was crammed with people. Thousands of horse-drawn vehicles clutter the roads and street sweepers have tons of manure to clean up.

11. Many houses burned coal for heat and cooking and this means the air is always full of soot. Raw sewage flows through open drains in the streets into the river. Pick-pockets, prostitutes, drunks, beggars, and vagabonds fill the streets. Jack the Ripper was at large at the time also.

13. People didn’t wash a lot. They didn’t wash their clothes. The smell was unbearable. At night main streets are lit by gas lamps. Side streets and alleys are not lit at all. Many houses are lit by candles or a small gas lamp.

15. People drank water out of the Thames. The same river into which the sewage ran. Many people caught cholera and the whole city stunk, until 1875 when proper sewers were built. In wet weather straw was scattered in walkways, storefronts, and in carriages to try to soak up the mud and wet.

16. Before 1834 the church was responsible for the poor. After this workhouses were built. Many families worked and lived here. It was very badly paid with long hours and a high chance of disease and death.

17. Working Class Life in Victorian London In the nineteenth century there were developments in technology that meant many people stopped working on the land and instead moved to towns and cities to work in factories. This meant cities were overcrowded and the working classes may have had up to thirty people living in one room. Children as young as three worked in factories. Those who could not cope were forced to join workhouses. Three out of every 20 babies die before their first birthday. Life expectancy is about 40 years.

20. Title Connotations ChristmasCarol How do our connotations/inferences make the author’s title seem ironic at the opening of the novel?

21. The Preface: page 18 Tone: ‘ –‘I have endeavoured’ –‘May it haunt their houses pleasantly’ Relationship: –‘Ghost of an idea’ –‘…or with me’

22. Who is the speaker? Third Person Omniscient: We are told everything about the story, including the thoughts and feelings of all the characters and even information in the narrator’s mind which no one knows. Why? Dickens is trying to... Show you the real thoughts and feelings of the characters Get the reader to know the characters really well Build an instant relationship (love or hate) so you have a strong opinion of them and want to see what happens.

23. Reading Stave 1 You need 3 highlighters: Colour 1 = words associated with cold. Colours 2 = words associated with heat / fire. Colour 3 = general annotations / important quotes. Use the same 3 colours every lesson!

24. Scrooge What kind of man is he? As we read think about how he is described?

26. Scrooge What do we learn about Scrooge’s personality from the list of words given?: -Squeezing -Wrenching -Grasping -Scraping -Clutching -Covetous -Sinner

27. Figurative Language: Scrooge’s Introduction Metaphors/Similes 1.“Old Marley was as dead as a doornail.” pg19 2.“…solitary as an oyster.” pg20 3.“…the houses opposite were mere phantoms.” pg21 4.“A frosty rime was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and his wiry chin. He carried his own low temperature always about with him...” pg20 Meaning/Implication 1.Emphasises he is dead 2.shows how lonely and anti-social he really is, making the readers grow a stronger dislike for him. / have a pearl within them – hint of goodness and chance to change. 3.Setting a ghostly atmosphere from the start / foreshadows the arrival of four other phantoms 4.Emphasize for us how hard-hearted and stingy Scrooge is. He is a taskmaster with a cold soul.

28. Repetition for effect pg 19 “Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole administrator, his sole assign, his sole residuary legatee, his sole friend, and sole mourner.” The word ‘sole’ is repeated to…

29. Symbolism What is this? Where might there be symbolism on page 21? Look out for this as we continue to read. Page 22-24

30. Character comparison How do the characters compare? Scrooge: Fred: Scrooge’s clerk:

31. Returning to symbolism What might Fred symbolise? Can you highlight and label a quote to support this?

32. Parallelism Repetition of grammatical pattern, which is used to emphasize related ideas. Examples on page 22: “Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough.” “Come, then,” replied the nephew gaily. “What right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose? You’re rich enough.”

33. Cold vs. Warmth Go back through the pages we have read and highlight references to cold (one colour) and warmth (different colour) Discuss: What patterns do you notice? Are there any quotes that stand out particularly?

34. Social Class Read pages 27-30 and think about: –The differences between Scrooge, his clerk and the two ‘portly gentlemen’. Discuss and annotate in groups: –How do they treat each other? –How do they view money and wealth? –What do they consider to be their role in society? Summarise an answer for each.

35. Dickens’ language Re-read the paragraph ‘Meanwhile the fog and darkness thickened…’ on page 29. Can you identify and annotate the paragraph for: 1.Contrasts (opposites) 2.Personification 3.The speaker’s tone(mood) of voice 4.Repetition, listing, patterns 5.Interesting vocabulary 6.Can you group any words together?

36. ‘Want’ and ‘Abundance’ Highlight and look at the quote on page 28 ‘We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices.” What does this mean?

37. Language analysis Meanwhile the fog and darkness thickened so, that people ran about with flaring links, proffering their services to go before horses in carriages, and conduct them on their way. The ancient tower of a church, whose gruff old bell was always peeping slyly down at Scrooge out of a Gothic window in the wall, became invisible, and struck the hours and quarters in the clouds, with tremulous vibrations afterwards as if its teeth were chattering in its frozen head up there. The cold became intense. In the main street at the corner of the court, some labourers were repairing the gas-pipes, and had lighted a great fire in a brazier, round which a party of ragged men and boys were gathered: warming their hands and winking their eyes before the blaze in rapture. The water-plug being left in solitude, its overflowing sullenly congealed, and turned to misanthropic ice. The brightness of the shops where holly sprigs and berries crackled in the lamp heat of the windows, made pale faces ruddy as they passed. Poulterers' and grocers' trades became a splendid joke; a glorious pageant, with which it was next to impossible to believe that such dull principles as bargain and sale had anything to do. The Lord Mayor, in the stronghold of the mighty Mansion House, gave orders to his fifty cooks and butlers to keep Christmas as a Lord Mayor's household should; and even the little tailor, whom he had fined five shillings on the previous Monday for being drunk and bloodthirsty in the streets, stirred up to-morrow's pudding in his garret, while his lean wife and the baby sallied out to buy the beef.

38. Stave 1: Section C As we read, think about how tension and suspense is created. How many times does Dickens say ‘Humbug’ – what does he mean?

41. Stave 1: Marley and Scrooge Marley’s role in stave 1 is to… Hint: think about what he tells Scrooge. (page 40 and 42)

42. Objectives: –To reflect on the ghost of Marley and how he is presented. –To explore how Dickens’ builds the suspense and tension for the reader. –To make predictions about the ghosts who will visit Scrooge in Stave 2.

43. If Scrooge is our protagonist – main character and usually the hero of a story – what does that make Marley?

44. Marley is our antagonist – a character in conflict with the hero. Does anything seem strange with this idea?

45. Stave 1: Reflecting and Analysing Scrooge is the protagonist and Marley is the antagonist in A Christmas Carol. This is interesting because… Once you have completed this sentence, think about he effect Dickens wants to achieve? How does he want the reader to feel during Marley’s scene?

46. Creating suspense and tension In groups you are going to begin to explore how Dickens builds the suspense and tension of this scene. Each group will have a section of the text to focus on and feedback to the rest of the class: Group 1 = Josh, Ryan, Jimmy, Jess Group 2 = Yvette, Iman, Abbie, Marnie Group 3 = Zak, Stan, Darcy, Coco Group 4 = Gracie, Zephi, CJ, Quinn Group 5 = Scarlett, Nanako, Ivor, Noah Group 6 = Sol, Louis, Tom, Nikolas

47. Example: how to pick apart a quote ‘The yard was so dark that even Scrooge, who knew its every stone, was fain to grope with his hands.’ Adjective: No light / miserable Won’t be able to see danger lurking Links to his unclear thinking / blinded to poverty around him. Foreshadows danger IS ahead.

48. My example PEEE At the start of this scene tension is built by the use of light and dark. For example ‘The yard was so dark that even Scrooge, who knew its every stone, was fain to grope with his hands.’ The word ‘dark’ suggests that Scrooge will not be able to see any potential danger waiting for him. In addition, ‘dark’ is often associated with evil and wickedness which builds the suspense for the reader from the start. This links to the fact that Scrooge had to ‘grope’ to find his way through the darkness, perhaps symbolising to the reader Scrooge is still blind to his own wickedness and has yet to see the light. This makes the reader feel curious as to whether this is about to change.

49. How will your group be successful? How can you work best together? What tools might you need to help you? What should you do if you are stuck?

50. Group one Focus on pages 34-35 Re-read this section again and pick out 2 quotes that you think build the suspense or tension for the reader. Zoom in on the key word / phrase that is particularly powerful and annotate it for what it makes the reader think or feel. Remember to think about language devices: verbs, simile, alliteration, adjectives, repetition etc. Write up your ideas in your book as a short paragraph. You can use the sentence starters below to help you: At the start of this scene tension is built by… For example ‘insert quote’ The word / phrase ‘______’ suggests / implies… This makes the reader think/feel ______ because…

51. Group two Focus on pages 36-37 Re-read this section again and pick out 2 quotes that you think build the suspense or tension for the reader. Zoom in on the key word / phrase that is particularly powerful and annotate it for what it makes the reader think or feel. Remember to think about language devices: verbs, simile, alliteration, adjectives, repetition etc. Write up your ideas in your book as a short paragraph. You can use the sentence starters below to help you: One way the tension is built in this scene is by… For example ‘insert quote’ The word / phrase ‘______’ suggests / implies… This makes the reader think/feel ______ because…

52. Group three Focus on pages 38-39 Re-read this section again and pick out 2 quotes that you think build the suspense or tension for the reader. Zoom in on the key word / phrase that is particularly powerful and annotate it for what it makes the reader think or feel. Remember to think about language devices: verbs, simile, alliteration, adjectives, repetition etc. Write up your ideas in your book as a short paragraph. You can use the sentence starters below to help you: One way the tension is built in this scene is by… For example ‘insert quote’ The word / phrase ‘______’ suggests / implies… This makes the reader think/feel ______ because…

53. Group four Focus on pages 40-41 Re-read this section again and pick out 2 quotes that you think build the suspense or tension for the reader. Zoom in on the key word / phrase that is particularly powerful and annotate it for what it makes the reader think or feel. Remember to think about language devices: verbs, simile, alliteration, adjectives, repetition etc. Write up your ideas in your book as a short paragraph. You can use the sentence starters below to help you: One way the tension is built in this scene is by… For example ‘insert quote’ The word / phrase ‘______’ suggests / implies… This makes the reader think/feel ______ because…

54. Group five Focus on pages 42-43 Re-read this section again and pick out 2 quotes that you think build the suspense or tension for the reader. Zoom in on the key word / phrase that is particularly powerful and annotate it for what it makes the reader think or feel. Remember to think about language devices: verbs, simile, alliteration, adjectives, repetition etc. Write up your ideas in your book as a short paragraph. You can use the sentence starters below to help you: One way the tension is built in this scene is by… For example ‘insert quote’ The word / phrase ‘______’ suggests / implies… This makes the reader think/feel ______ because…

55. Group six Focus on pages 43-44 Re-read this section again and pick out 2 quotes that you think build the suspense or tension for the reader. Zoom in on the key word / phrase that is particularly powerful and annotate it for what it makes the reader think or feel. Remember to think about language devices: verbs, simile, alliteration, adjectives, repetition etc. Write up your ideas in your book as a short paragraph. You can use the sentence starters below to help you: At the end of the scene the tension is built by… For example ‘insert quote’ The word / phrase ‘______’ suggests / implies… This makes the reader think/feel ______ because…

56. Feedback ideas: Each group nominate someone to read their two ideas aloud. Overall what are your predictions for the ghosts that will visit Scrooge?

57. Stave 2: Section A and B We will be actively reading / annotating. You need your 3 coloured highlighters. You need to be looking for: –Symbolism = cold and heat –Light and dark –Foreshadowing –Time –Loneliness and isolation –Change in character –Senses

58. Stave 2: Section B and C You have to highlight a word, phrase or sentence on each page. You might highlight it because… –It is interesting to you. –It is a word you don’t understand –It links to some of the themes we have been exploring: –Symbolism = cold and heat –Light and dark –Foreshadowing –Time –Loneliness and isolation –Change in character –Senses After we have read both sections we will share ideas we have highlighted.

59. Stave 3: Scrooge learns about the joy of Christmas The Ghost of Christmas ________________arrives, and he is __________ and ___________. Scrooge and the ghost visit Bob Cratchit’s family, who are enjoying Christmas Day. Their celebration is _______________ but ______________. Scrooge learns from the spirit that Bob’s son, _________________, will die in the near future. Scrooge and the ghost travel the world, visiting other people who are all enjoying Christmas. They then visit __________ house. The people there ____________________ of Scrooge and his attitude towards Christmas. However, Scrooge gets caught up in the _____________, and _______________ himself. However, the spirit then reveals two starving __________________ hidden within its robes. The children are named _____________ and __________ - the spirit warns Scrooge to _____________ of them because they will cause the _______________ of man. downfall simple intimate Past make fun Want beware merriment Fred’s friendly enjoys jolly children Tiny Tim Ignorance

60. Stave 3: Key Quotes Page 86 paragraph 5 nobody said or thought it was at all a small pudding for a large family. Page 87 paragraph 8 If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die. Page 89 paragraph 2 not a handsome family…not well dressed…scanty…inside of a pawnbrokers…happy, grateful, pleased with one another, contented…looked happier. Page 92 paragraph 4 mud and stone…cheerful company…howling of the wind…barren waste…singing them a Christmas song Page 93 paragraph 6 It was a great surprise to Scrooge Page 94 paragraph 10 ‘His wealth is of no use to him. He don’t do any good with it. He don’t make himself comfortable with it. He hasn’t the satisfaction of thinking – ha, ha, ha! – that he is ever going to benefit US with it.’ Page 96 paragraph 2 …for it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself. Page 97 paragraph 3 The Ghost was greatly pleased to find him in this mood, and looked upon him in such favour, that he begged like a boy to be allowed to stay Page 99 from paragraph 8 onwards …two children, wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable…They were a boy and a girl. Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish…This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom Page 100 paragraph 5 …beheld a solemn Phantom, draped and hooded, coming, like a mist along the ground, towards him.