Good morning and welcome to today's lesson.

Thank you so much for joining me.

My name is Ms. Halladay and I'll be your teacher for today.

I can't wait to see all the incredible ideas that you come up with so let's get started.

So today's lesson is called Scrooge's Redemptive Journey.

And by the end of today's lesson, you will be able to understand and explain the significance of Scrooge's redemptive journey and the impact it continues to have on readers.

Here are some keywords that you'll need for today's lesson.

We've got literary hero, to redeem, inspirational, superstitious, and cultural significance.

So a literary hero is the main character who overcomes challenges.

If someone redeems themself, they regain your respect and support.

If someone is inspirational to you, you want to follow their example.

Someone superstitious would believe wholeheartedly in the existence of the supernatural.

And finally, if something is culturally-significant, it bears relevance to the whole population, so it's of importance to society.

So here's our lesson outline for today.

We're going to begin by looking at Scrooge as a redeemed hero before moving on to how Scrooge can be viewed as an example to many.

But let's start, first of all, with Scrooge as a redeemed hero.

So let's begin with a discussion, as always.

I'd like you to think, "Well, what does the word 'hero' mean to you?" And how does Scrooge change throughout the novella? So I'm going to invite you now to pause the video while you discuss those two questions.

Off you go.

Fantastic discussions.

So let's have a look at some of the answers you might have got.

So first of all, when we think of that word hero, we often consider a hero as a person who saves other people from danger.

And that's a very valid definition of hero to have.

But it's not quite the definition that you'll need for today's lesson because in today's lesson, we're going to be looking at Scrooge as a literary hero.

Okay? Now a literary hero is just the main character, but that main character has to have overcome some kind of challenge.

So it's slightly different from a conventional hero.

So your challenge this lesson is going to be to make sure that you remember that a literary hero is slightly different from what we would describe as a conventional hero, like Spider-Man or Superman.

Now, as Jun points out, Scrooge throughout the novella changes from a very cruel and miserly character to a much more generous and moral one.

So he's therefore redeemed.

So well done if you've got any of those ideas or suggestions.

Excellent work.

So we're going to be looking at "A Christmas Carol" as an example of a redemption story.

Now, there are five crucial parts to every redemption story, and I'm going to show you these on a diagram.

So here's our diagram with five distinct parts.

So this is the way that the redeemed hero story goes.

So first of all, something is lost.

Now it's either that the main character loses something or that they are looking for something that is already lost.

So then the main character will go on a great search for this missing object or item or thing.

Okay? Now whilst they're on that search, some kind of guidance or intervention is given to them, and that enables them to find that which was lost.

And then the last stage of the redeemed hero story is that a huge celebration follows the discovery of the missing thing.

So there's our basic redemption story structure.

So let's check your understanding of what you've just learned now.

So which stage in the redeemed hero story is incorrect? So I'm just going to give you a few moments to pause the video and really scrutinise those stages to see which one is not quite right.

So pause the video and off you go.

And well done if you identified that it is in fact the second stage, okay? It's not that the hero looks within, it's that a great search occurs.

So that was not quite right.

And well done if you notice that 'cause it was a little bit sneaky.

So excellent work.

So what I'd like you to do now is I'd like you to consider, well, what is it that's lost and then found in "A Christmas Carol"? So I'm going to invite you to pause the video while you discuss that question with the people around you, or consider it independently if you don't have a partner.

So off you go.

Fantastic discussions there and some really great independent work from those of you that worked on your own.

I'm really impressed with all of your ideas and suggestions.

So let's hear from some of our Oak students about what they think might be lost and then found in "A Christmas Carol".

So first of all, Alex says, "I think that Scrooge's ability to empathise with other people has been lost.

In Stave two, we see Belle inform Scrooge that he has "changed", indicating that Scrooge was not always the miser we know him as in Stave one.

Throughout the course of the novella, Scrooge rediscovers his ability to empathise with others." So a really interesting point there from Alex.

This idea that actually the thing that has been lost is Scrooge's ability to empathise with others, and that he finds that later in the novella.

And obviously then in Stave five, we see him as a fully transformed and very empathetic character.

So a really, really valuable suggestion there from Alex.

Let's see what Izzy has to say.

"I think that Scrooge's respect for human life is what has been lost in the novella.

In Stave one, we see him say that the "surplus population" needs "decreasing" and throughout the novella, particularly in staves three and four, he rediscovers the value of individual human life through observing characters like Tiny Tim, and Ignorance and Want." Some really great ideas there.

And well done if you came up with either of them.

What I'd like you to do now, however, is discuss, well, who do you agree most with and why? So do you agree with Alex that Scrooge's ability to empathise with other people is what's been lost, or do you agree with Izzy who believes that Scrooge's appreciation and value for human life is what's been lost and then found? So I'm going to invite you to pause the video while you have those discussions and make your decision.

Be ready to justify your answer, though.

So off you go.

Some fantastic discussions there.

And there is no right or wrong answer because actually both students raise really valid ideas that you could argue either way.

So excellent discussions and let's move on.

So onto our next discussion, and I'd like you to take the outcome of your last discussion into this new conversation.

So I'd like you to think, bearing in mind what it is that you think was lost and then found in "A Christmas Carol", I'd like you to consider now, well, where does the search for the missing thing occur? So you'll notice that we're looking now at step two.

So I'm going to invite you to pause the video while you have a think about where the search for the missing thing occurs.

Off you go.

Again, some fantastic discussions there, well done.

And let's go back to Alex and Izzy for a little bit of guidance on what you might have said.

So Alex suggests, "We see the search for Scrooge's empathy in every stave.

In Stave two, we see him learning to empathise with himself." I'm guessing Alex is referring to the part there where we see Scrooge as a young boy, neglected and abandoned.

"In Stave three, he empathises with Tiny Tim and Bob.

And in Stave four we see him empathise with the anonymous dead man.

Each of these represents progress in Scrooge's journey of moral awareness." And what I really liked about Alex's answer here is that he's given me an answer, but he's also used evidence from the text to justify his opinion, and that's what makes a really convincing argument.

So well done, Alex.

Let's hear now again from Izzy.

So Izzy states, "We see the search for Scrooge's awareness of the value of human life in each stave.

In Stave two, Scrooge learns that he has wasted his own life.

In Stave three, he learns that others' lives, like Tiny Tim's, are not wasted.

Finally, in Stave four, he understands that the dead man has wasted his life and learns the importance of living a moral life." So again, a really well justified response there that tracks ideas throughout the whole text.

So both of these students here have provided us with a really well evidenced and well argued idea.

So excellent work and well done if you've got anything similar to them.

What I'd like you to think now is, and you might have guessed this question already, who guides or helps Scrooge in his search? So remember that step three in our redeemed hero cycle was that the hero is given some kind of guidance or intervention.

So your job now is to think, well, who is it that gives Scrooge, our redeemed hero, the guidance that he needs in order to find either his empathy or his awareness of the value of other people's lives? So pause the video while you discuss that question now.

Some great discussions there, and many of you are absolutely right in identifying that the spirits are the moral guides that Scrooge needs in his search.

So well done.

So onto our first task of the lesson.

A student said, "There are five parts to the redeemed hero story and five staves in the novella.

I think you can map Scrooge's redemptive journey directly onto the redeemed hero structure in staves.

Each step in the redeemed hero story corresponds directly to one of Dickens' staves." So what that student is basically saying is that each stave in the novella corresponds directly to one of the steps in the redeemed hero's journey, and your job to prove this student right using evidence from the text.

So you'll have to think about, how does stave one reflect this idea that something has got lost? How does stave two, for example, reflect this idea of a great search begins? Okay, so you're gonna have to think about how each stave maps onto that redeemed hero's journey explicitly.

So what I'm going to do now is invite you to pause the video while you gather your evidence together to help the student prove their point.

Off you go.

Some fantastic work there, and I can see some people really thinking about how those staves map onto the stages of the redeemed heroes journey, so well done.

So here's what you could have said.

So you could have said that the five stages of the redeemed hero's journey story do map directly onto each of the five staves of the novella, because the first stage in the redeemed hero's journey is that something is lost.

And in stave one, we see Scrooge's lost empathy and his lost respect for human life, and we also see his lost concern for other people and his lost human connections.

So lots of things there that have been lost between Scrooge's adolescence and his adulthood.

The second step or stage in the redeemed hero story is this idea of the great search that occurs.

Okay, so where the main character goes looking for that has gone missing.

And in stave two, we see the Ghost of Christmas Past taking Scrooge through his past and identifying where Scrooge lost his empathy and respect for others.

So searching for the moment in effect where Scrooge made the wrong choices and lost his empathy and respect for human life.

And one of these significant moments was when he chose money over his fiance Belle and abandoned his duty of care to his nephew.

So in that sense, I think yes, we could say that in Stave two, the Ghost of Christmas Past is helping Scrooge to search for where he lost his empathy or value for human life.

Now, stage or step three in the redeemed hero's journey is this idea that some kind of guidance or intervention is given.

And we see that in Stave three because all those Scrooge now recognises that he's lost his empathy, which he didn't previously, he needs help to relearn how to be emotionally vulnerable.

And the ghost of Christmas present shows him Tiny Tim, which makes him openly sympathetic.

So it's at this moment really that Scrooge recognises that actually he had lost his empathy and he had lost his respect for human life, and now he's off to try and find it with the help of this intervention from the Ghost of Christmas Present.

The step four or stage four in the redeemed hero's journey is the idea of that which was lost is found.

Okay? And this corresponds directly to "A Christmas Carol" because until Stave four, Scrooge's emotional development has been underway.

So he started his transformation.

He has learned to empathise with himself, and he's learned to empathise with people that he knows.

But in Stave four, we see him put to the ultimate test, can he empathise with someone he doesn't know who is no longer alive.

So that's the ultimate test of empathy because he doesn't even know this person and this person isn't alive anymore.

Okay? So empathising with them is much more difficult.

But Scrooge, to our delight, is able to empathise with the anonymous dead man showing that he's rediscovered his ability to empathise with others and value human life.

And then finally, our last step in the redeemed hero cycle is this idea that a huge celebration follows.

And actually, this maps onto "A Christmas Carol" because in Stave five, we do see Scrooge as a transformed and redeemed character who sets about immediately making positive changes to his life.

Dickens celebrates Scrooge's transformation and positions him as an inspiration to others in the hope that they will follow suit and undertake a similar journey of moral discovery.

So those are all the ways in which you could argue that, yes, the student was right, and that actually the redeemed hero's journey does map directly onto the structure of "A Christmas Carol in its staves.

However, another very perceptive student pointed out that, actually, "The staves do not map exactly onto the stages of the redeemed hero story because many of the stages overlap within the staves.

For example, the moral guidance arguably becomes before the search in the form of Marley's Ghost.

However, the novella contains aspects of all the stages of the redeemed hero's journey, making Scrooge the redeemed hero." Now, what I like about this student is the fact that even though they've disagreed with the other student, again, they've really well evidenced their idea and they've given an example of this idea that actually Marley's Ghost visits Scrooge before the search for his empathy or respect for human life occurs.

And that therefore, perhaps stages two and three in the redeemed hero story, have been somewhat reversed.

And I wanted to show you the student's response because I think it's really perceptive, and I like the fact that they've disagreed partially with the student that perhaps the stages don't map exactly, but they've ultimately agreed that Scrooge is still a redeemed hero.

So I just wanted to show you that.

And well done if you were thinking that as well, because I think there are two ways of looking at this.

So excellent work.

And onto the second part of our lesson now where we're going to have a look at Scrooge as an example to others.

So we're going to reread Dickens' preface, okay? This was the bit that came before the novella where Dickens introduced the story and kind of what his hopes and aspirations for it were.

So I'm going to read it.

If you could be following along, that would be great, thank you.

"I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me.

May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wished to lay it.

Their faithful Friend and Servant, Charles Dickens." So now that we've read the novella, I'm going to give you some very similar questions that you might have been asked when you first read the preface.

So first of all, I'd like you to discuss, well, what is the purpose of this novella? Why did Dickens write it? What is his "Idea" that he refers to in the preface? How do we respond to the novella as a reader? And finally, I'd like you to put yourselves in the shoes of a Victorian reader and consider how they might have responded to this novella as well.

So I'm going to invite you now to pause the video while you reread the preface and use it to discuss the four questions on screen.

Off you go.

Fantastic work.

Some really great annotations there and some great discussions depending on whether you were working independently or with someone else.

Great work.

So you might have identified that Dickens writes the novella to champion or promote empathy and charity, which were the two values that he felt were the most crucial in creating a moral and fair society.

Now, this novella was specifically aimed at the middle to upper classes because Dickens recognised the willful ignorance that they were showing to the plights of the poor.

And he recognised that they didn't care that their fellow human beings were suffering to this extent and not helping them.

So he wrote this as almost like a wake up call to the middle and upper classes to pay attention and care about what was going on around them in terms of poverty and disadvantage.

Now, this is quite a haunting novella, and that's just as Dickens intended.

He wanted people to think about this novella long after they put it down, okay? Because it forces us to examine and reevaluate our own attitudes and behaviour to assess whether we too can be better.

And actually when he asks, "May it haunt their houses pleasantly," he wants us to keep mulling over his message and to consider whether there's anything more that we can contribute to making society fairer and more moral.

Now, in terms of how a Victorian reader might have reacted, well, we know that the Victorians were deeply superstitious and were quite preoccupied with the supernatural.

So this novella was likely quite terrifying to some Victorians, and it might have encouraged them to think twice about the way that they treated other people.

And they would've been absolutely terrified of meeting a fate like Marley's because they did really believe in divine judgement.

So let's check for understanding.

How did Dickens want his readers to respond to the novella? Is it A, that he wanted them to have enjoyed the story and liked the characters? Is it B, that he wanted them to be terrified of the idea of divine judgement and fear for their futures? Is it C, that he wanted them to reevaluate their own attitudes and behaviour? Or is it D, that he wanted them to put the book down and move on to the next one? I'm going to invite you to pause the video while you make your answer selection and before I share the correct response.

So off you go.

And a massive well done if you identify correctly that the answer is in fact, C, Dickens really wanted people to put this book down and start to reevaluate their own attitudes and behaviour, and question whether they could be doing more towards contributing to a fairer and more moral society.

So well done if you got that.

Now onto the last task of the lesson, and it is my favourite kind of task.

It's a debate, okay? I'm very excited.

Can't wait to hear what you're going to come up with.

So, what I would like you to do is I'd like you to debate the following questions with a partner using the discussion grid to aid your conversations.

Now, if for whatever reason you don't have a partner, please don't panic, that's absolutely fine.

You can just jot some of your ideas down independently, still using the discussion grid with which to frame them, okay? So don't worry if you don't have a partner, but if you do, please do take advantage of them and have a really good debate with them.

So I'd like you to debate, Is Scrooge's transformation convincing? Do you believe it? And next, I'd like you to debate, Do you think other Victorian middle or upper class citizens would find Scrooge's story inspiring? Why or why not? I'd also like you to think, well, to what extent is Scrooge an example to us all? So not just to those Victorian middle to upper class readers, but to what extent is Scrooge still an example to readers today? Okay, so basically, what relevance does this novella still bear to us today? And finally, who might the modern day equivalent of Stave one Scrooge, so that really miserly, selfish, and uncharitable person who is in dire need of transformation, be and why? So who would the modern day Scrooge be? And I'm really excited to see what you come up with for this question particularly.

So here is your discussion grid.

Now, because these are quite provocative questions, and I'm guessing that some of you will want to disagree with each other, or at least I'm really hoping that you will, 'cause that's an essential part of debate, I have put a column in on how to disagree with somebody very respectfully, okay? So using phrases like, "I see what you mean, but this.

." or "I'm going to respectfully disagree because.

." So make sure that if you are going to disagree, and as I say, I hope you do, that you do it respectfully, okay? Make sure that you are being empathetic towards somebody else's opinions and ideas.

I'd then like you to develop your ideas and justify them using the middle column.

And then I would like you both, together, to draw some conclusions about what you think, okay? So to summarise your opinions using the last column.

So what I'm going to do now is invite you to pause the video while you get stuck into those debates.

Remember to disagree respectfully and have fun with it because this is a really thought-provoking task.

So off you go.

Fantastic discussions.

Great to see so many disagreements, but respectful disagreements obviously.

But yeah, I'm really proud of your efforts there so well done.

Now because these questions were quite unique and there was no right or wrong answer, what I thought it would be nice to do as feedback is actually just to hear from Alex and Izzy again and see what they thought about this task.

So over to you, Alex.

So Alex said, "Scrooge's transformation is exaggerated and extreme, but I think Dickens does this on purpose to illustrate the idea that if Scrooge can change any stubborn, wealthy Victorian can.

Scrooge is therefore presented to us as an inspirational figure whose transformation we can all aspire to." A really great point raised there by Alex.

This idea that Scrooge is presented as the most misanthropic, the worst, most uncharitable gentleman in London at the time.

And Dickens exaggerates Scrooge's character traits so much so that we know that if he's capable of transformation, then anyone is.

So I really like that point from Alex.

I think it's a really valuable point.

And then Izzy replies, "The 'A Christmas Carol' story bears great cultural significance, still.

The story of the miserly, misanthrope who redeems himself will always be a culturally significant storyline.

Unfortunately, society is still not fair or equal, and thus, Dickens' message in 'A Christmas Carol' is still a poignant and memorable one." So here, Izzy's kind of touching on those last two questions and saying that actually there's still real relevance to this story in our modern day society because unfortunately, we still haven't achieved equality, we still haven't got a fair and just society, and we still haven't eradicated poverty.

So as long as those things continue to exist, the message of this story is still relevant and really important.

So thank you to both our Oak students for their contributions, and well done to you for your amazing debates.

So to summarise the learning from today.

First of all, Scrooge's transformative journey follows that of the redemptive hero paradigm that we see in many stories.

The redeemed hero narrative roughly follows five stages in which the hero looks for something they've lost with the help of some kind of guide or instructor.

In the story "A Christmas Carol," Scrooge is presented as a hero who overcomes challenges to become a better person.

So in that way, he's presented as an inspirational figure whose transformation is intended to be an example to many.

And finally, and something that's really important to remember is that "A Christmas Carol" is a 'timeless classic' because its moral message will always apply as long as society, unfortunately, remains unfair and unequal.

I'd like to thank you for coming to today's lesson and engaging so actively in your learning.

It's been an absolute pleasure to teach you.

I hope you have a lovely rest of your day, and I'm really looking forward to seeing you next time.

Thank you.

Bye.