Good morning and welcome to today's lesson.

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

I'm really looking forward to hearing all of your ideas and suggestions that you come up with during our discussion time.

So let's get started with our learning, shall we? Today's lesson is called "Stave 3: The Cratchits' Christmas." By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to understand the role of the Cratchit family in a Christmas Carol.

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

We've got theme, gratitude, resourceful, to exemplify, and to humanise.

Here are the keyword definitions, if you would like to pause the video and take slightly longer to read them, then please feel free to do so.

So here's how we're going to work our way through today's learning.

We're going to start by looking at the Cratchits' at Christmas specifically, and then we're going to look more broadly at the Cratchits and focus in on the character of Tiny Tim and what he represents and signifies in the novella, but let's start with the Cratchits at Christmas first.

So let's just look at Bob's character first.

We know that Bob had but 15 Bob a week himself, and that he pocketed on Saturdays but 15 copies of his Christian name.

So what I'd like you to discuss first is, well what can you remember about Bob Cratchit and what does the spirit show Scrooge of the Cratchits during Stave 3? And, finally, using the quotation above, can you think what the significance of Bob's name might be in a Christmas Carol? So I'm going to invite you to pause the video now while you have those discussions.

Well done, some fantastic discussions there.

So let's recap everything that we know about Bob Cratchit, and some of the answers to the questions on the previous slide.

So first of all, we know that Bob Cratchit is Scrooge's clerk.

Now a clerk tends to do administrative work, just like accounting, copy editing or record keeping.

So those were the kinds of jobs that Scrooge would've had Bob doing in the counting house.

Bob would've worked long hours in really poor working conditions, and we know this because Dickens describes Bob's room in Scrooge's counting house as "a dismal little cell", and obviously that word cell there is reminiscent of a prison, which suggests that Scrooge is very harsh and remains a tight discipline in the working environment.

We also know that Scrooge denies Bob warmth while he's at work, which again contributes to Bob's poor working condition.

And we know that Bob has a much smaller fire than Scrooge that looks like it's made up of just one coal.

Again, we see Bob's harsh working conditions and the poor manner in which Scrooge treats his employee.

We also know that Bob earns very little money, and that's indicated by his name.

So the significance of Bob Cratchit's name is that a Bob was a shilling, and in 1971 a shilling was equal to roughly 5p.

So if we multiply that and take into account inflation, today that would be roughly equivalent to about 60p.

So as I'm sure you can see from that, Bob's name literally means that he's poor and underpaid.

So Dickens uses his name there to symbolise what he represents in the novella, which is the underpaid but hardworking working classes.

Now Bob is lower class or working class and he does have a large family to feed, however, what we need to bear in mind is that actually the Cratchits are not part of the poorest of the communities in Victorian London, but they still really struggle to feed themselves, okay, so they have to be very economic and careful with their use of clothes and food.

And finally, in Stave 3, we learn that Mrs. Cratchit really resents Scrooge for his cruel treatment of Bob, and we also learn that Bob has a very poorly and disabled son called Tiny Tim.

So well done if you remembered any of those details about Bob Cratchit.

So let's have a think about some of the themes of the novella, and I'd like you to discuss with the people around you, so this could be your classmates or it could be with somebody at home, what are the key themes of the novella a Christmas Carol? I'm going to invite you to pause the video while you jot down some of the key themes of the novella.

Some great work there and some very full lists, so here are some of the things you could have got.

One of the key themes is poverty, we've got gratitude is a key theme, Christmas and Christmas spirit, charity, injustice or inequality, childhood, family, empathy, and redemption.

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

So now that we've identified some of the key themes of the novella, we're going to be reading some extracts.

And as we read I'd like you to consider which themes the scenes link to and how they link.

You've got to consider what Dickens' message is about each of the themes.

So just as a reminder, here are our themes again that you'll be looking for in the following extracts.

So here's our first extract.

We're going to read it together, and as I'm reading, it would be great if you could be following along on-screen.

"Then up rose Mrs. Cratchit, Cratchit's wife, dressed out but poorly in a twice-turned gown, but brave in ribbons, which are cheap and make her goodly show for sixpence; and she laid the cloth, assisted by Belinda Cratchit, second of her daughters, also brave in ribbons; while Master Peter Cratchit plunged a fork into the saucepan of potatoes, and getting the corners of his monstrous shirt colour, Bob's private property, conferred upon his son and heir in honour of the day, into his mouth, rejoiced to find himself so gallantly attired, and yearn to show his linen in the fashionable Parks." So now that we've read the extract, I'd like you to consider which themes it links to and how.

And here's a reminder of the list of themes that we came up with together earlier.

So I'm going to invite you to pause the video now while you annotate your extract with which themes this links to and how it links to those themes.

Off you go.

Fantastic annotations.

And here are some of the themes that you might have identified as prevalent within the extract.

So, first of all, we have that theme of poverty, and it's really apparent in this extract because we see the Cratchits being really resourceful to save money.

We see the twice-turned gown, okay, the fact that the Cratchits have to repair their clothes instead of just throwing them out and buying new ones.

So we see them being really resourceful and economic with what they have to preserve money.

(mouse clicks) This extract also links to the theme of family, because we see the Cratchits as a really united front and we see each individual member of the family playing an individual role in the success of the day, and supporting one another.

(mouse clicks) We also see this theme of Christmas or Christmas spirit, because we see the family making a real effort for Christmas day.

Clearly, these kinds of occurrences are very rare in the Cratchit at house, so when they occur we see that they're really investing in the idea of Christmas spirit, and making sure that the day is as special as possible because it comes around once a year and they view it as an honour, and that shows their gratitude for the things that they are able to have on Christmas.

Yes, they're not as poor as some people, but they're by no means wealthy or comfortable in their financial situation, and yet they're still really grateful for what they can afford on Christmas day.

So let's have a look at our next passage.

Again, I'll read if you follow along.

"There never was such a goose.

Bob said he didn't believe there was ever such a goose cooked.

Eked out by applesauce and mashed potatoes, it was a sufficient dinner for the whole family.

Indeed, as Mrs. Cratchit said with great delight, surveying one small atom of a bone upon the dish, they hadn't ate it all at last.

In half a minute, Mrs. Cratchit entered-flushed, but smiling proudly, the pudding, like a speckled cannonball, so hard and firm, blazing in half of half-a-quarter of ignited brandy, and bedight with Christmas holly stuck in the top." So, again, now that we've read the extract, let's consider which themes it links to.

And, again, here's the list of themes to help you.

So I'd like you to pause the video while you annotate which themes this extract links to, and how it links to them.

Again, some fantastic effort there, and I can really see some of you getting into the swing and really understanding how Dickens is portraying these themes through the Cratchit family, so well done.

So, again, just like in the last extract, we see the Cratchits as a really grateful family and Dickens kind of highlighting that theme of gratitude throughout the novella.

We see the Cratchits as a humble family who count their blessings for whatever they have.

Yes, they might not have as much as other people, yes, they might have more than other people, but they're really grateful for what they do have and they maximise their use of resources to ensure that they are absolutely using every last scrap, so we see them as a really endearing and humble family here.

And we see that through Dickens' use of actions and dialogue, we see Bob really appreciating that goose and being so thankful, and making out like there'd never been a goose as great as the one that he's about to eat, which shows his gratitude and excitement.

Again, we see Mrs. Cratchit with great delight, smiling proudly at the pudding that she's made, so, again, we see them as just really grateful for everything that they have, and also for each other and the company that they keep.

We also see the theme of poverty again because we see that the Cratchits are not used to such a feast.

As we said on the previous slide, this time comes around once a year, we get the impression they've scrimped and saved their pennies to be able to afford a fairly generous Christmas dinner, and we get the impression that they might have forgone dinner on other nights so that they can have this really fantastic meal on Christmas day, and we see them making sure that they've cleaned the bones of that goose to the last atom.

So, again, we see them being really resourceful and economic with the resources that they do have, but also we see the poverty coming through because they really don't want to waste anything.

We also see that Christmas spirit and we see the Cratchits in this scene really embodying the values of Christmas, okay, They're really joyful, they're cheerful, they have a lot to worry about, and yet they put those woes aside for one day to honour Christmas appropriately.

And here we see that blazing pudding, okay, it's blazing, it's bedight with Christmas holly.

And here that word blazing symbolises generosity.

Christmas puddings are actually ignited before they are served, and, again, the fire on the Christmas pudding here represents the Cratchits' generosity because we know that fire is a motif and a symbol used throughout the novella to symbolise generosity.

And the Christmas holly that adorns the top of this pudding is reminiscent of the wreath of holly that the ghost of Christmas present wears.

And that reflects this idea that just like the ghost of Christmas present, who embodies Christmas spirit, the Cratchits are also embodying that same Christmas cheer and (mumbles).

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

Again, let's look at another extract, and I'm hoping that you're getting a little bit more independent with your analysis each time, and feeling more confident in picking out the themes.

So let's see.

"'Mr. Scrooge!' said Bob, 'I'll give you Mr. Scrooge, the founder of the feast.

' 'The founder of the feast indeed,' cried Mrs. Cratchit, reddening.

'I wish I had him here.

I'd given him a piece of my mind to feast upon, and I hope he'd have a good appetite for it.

' 'My dear,' said, Bob, 'The children.

Christmas Day.

' 'It should be Christmas Day, I'm sure,' said she, 'on which one drinks the health of such an odious, stingy, hard, unfeeling man as Mr. Scrooge.

You know he is, Robert.

Nobody knows it better than you do, poor fellow.

'" So, again, now that we've read the extract, let's identify which themes it links to and how.

And, again, I'll just pop those themes on there as a little reminder for you in case you're struggling to remember them all.

So I'm gonna invite you to pause the video while you jot down which themes it links to and how it links.

Fantastic work, yet again, I'm so impressed by how many annotations I'm seeing on these extracts, so really well done.

Again, you could have got and make sure that you are adding any ideas that you missed as we go through them, you could've got the theme of gratitude, yet again, because Bob is thankful for Scrooge's employment even though Scrooge mistreats him.

And that just epitomises, you know, kinda the working environment in the Victorian era because, remember, that master servant act that was passed in 1823 permitted employers to treat their employees however they wanted, pretty much, with no consequence.

And here we see Bob, as a mistreated employee, still grateful for the money that Scrooge gives him for his job, and still grateful for the fact that Scrooge hasn't sacked him or hasn't let him go, because Bob knows that he's fully reliant on in the income from Scrooge to feed his family.

And that's quite sad in this moment, because we've seen from Stave 1 just how poorly he's actually treated by Scrooge, and yet he still finds it within his heart to be thankful for the fact that he has a job.

And, again, that gratitude in his acknowledgement that things could be much worse, and actually if he didn't have Scrooge as his employer, if he was unemployed, things would be much worse and they wouldn't in fact have this lovely feast that they're enjoying on Christmas day.

So, again, we see Bob as a really grateful and humble character.

We also see that Christmas spirit permeating this extract, because we see that when Mrs. Cratchit starts ranting about how much she despises Scrooge and how poorly he treats Bob, we see Bob, you know, kind of reminding her gently that actually it's Christmas day and he doesn't want to bring negativity into the house, and he equally doesn't want to model that to his children and teach them resentment and spite.

So, again, when Bob's kind of softly saying, you know, "Let's just leave it for today because it's Christmas day," that shows us his Christmas spirit because he recognises Christmas as a time for positivity and gratitude, and not negativity, and he reminds his wife of that here.

We also here see the theme of redemption, because in being shown other people's perceptions of him, Scrooge is offered an opportunity to change himself and redeem himself, and become a better person, so that others' perceptions of him become more positive.

In seeing the Cratchits struggle and poverty, he's also shown the difference that he specifically could make to them if he paid Bob more fairly and more generously.

So here we see Scrooge's real chance at redemption, and well done if you identified that, excellent work.

Let's check for understanding before we move on.

Bob Cratchit doesn't want to hear his wife's opinions about Scrooge on Christmas day because, is it A, he's the man of the house so only he should be speaking during the toast.

Is it B, that he wants to preserve the spirit of Christmas and rejoice? Is it C, that he thinks her opinions are wrong and misinformed? Or is it D, that he wants to protect his children from knowing about hardship and mistreatment? So I'm going to invite you to pause the video while you jot down the letters that correspond to the answers you want to give.

(mouse clicks) And well done if you identified the correct answers are in fact B and D.

Bob Cratchit doesn't want to hear his wife's opinions about Scrooge on Christmas day, because he wants to preserve the spirit of Christmas and he also wants to protect his children from that kind of negativity and the knowledge of hardship and mistreatment on Christmas Day, so well done.

(mouse clicks) So onto our first task of the lesson, and we're going to begin by reading the excerpt below together.

So as I'm reading, you should be following along.

"They were not a handsome family, they were not well dressed, their shoes were far from being water-proof and their clothes were scanty, and Peter might have known, and very likely did, the inside of a pawnbroker's.

But they were happy, grateful, pleased with one another, and contented with the time.

And when they faded, and looked happier yet in the bright sprinklings of the Spirit's torch at parting, Scrooge had his eye upon them, and especially on Tiny Tim, until the last." So now that we've read that excerpt what I'm going to ask you to do now is I'm going to ask you to rank the themes that we discussed before, from the most exemplified through the Cratchits to the least exemplified.

So what that means is you're going to look at the extract again and you're going to think, "Well, which of these themes do I see most in this extract, or which of these themes is Dickens exemplifying the most through the Cratchit family and which is he exemplifying the least," okay? So we're thinking here about really what the Cratchits represent, what they show us, and what we learn from them.

And once you've done that, I'd like you to share your orders in pairs.

So here's your list of themes again, just to remind you of the themes that you will be ranking, so we've got poverty, gratitude, Christmas spirit, charity, injustice, childhood, family, empathy, and redemption.

You're going to decide which of those themes you think the Cratchits most represent or exemplify through to which they least represent or least exemplify, and then you're gonna share that with somebody else.

So I'm going to invite you to pause the video now while you have a go at that activity, making sure that you share your answers once you've finished.

Off you go.

Some fantastic work there, and really respectful peer learning so well done, I'm really impressed.

(mouse clicks) So here is a suggested order, okay, this is absolutely by no means the only correct order, you may have in fact put them in a different order but this is just one of the orders that you might have put them in.

So you could have said that the Cratchits most exemplify the theme of family, because we see them here as a really united family unit who really care for one another deeply.

You might have put gratitude second, because you might have said that despite their hardship they are really humble and grateful for everything that they have.

Poverty might have come next, because they represent Victorian working class struggling on the breadline, and this idea that actually they're not the poorest but they're still struggling, so we'd hate to imagine what a really, really poor family looks like at Christmas.

They also exemplify Christmas spirit and they embody that Christmas spirit despite their challenges.

You know, there's lots of reasons as to why the Cratchits might struggle to be so joyful at Christmas, and yet here they are managing it.

(mouse clicks) Empathy might come next because they remain empathetic, especially towards one another, and even people like Scrooge who have wronged them and mistreated them.

You might have put redemption as number six because they offer Scrooge the opportunity for redemption, especially Tiny Tim, and we're going to look at him in a little bit more detail in a moment.

You might have put charity, because actually the Cratchits are the exact kind of family who are really in need of that charity that Scrooge is unwilling to provide.

You might have put injustice at number eight, because Bob faces great injustice at the hands of his employer, Scrooge, and that's acknowledged by Mrs. Cratchit.

You might say that nine, you know, childhood dropping towards the lower end of the list because we can see that the Cratchit children, unlike many of the children in novella, actually have a really loving home, but they still face injustice.

So they're not quite getting that carefree dependent lifestyle that Dickens really promoted for a child, but they are still loved, they are still cared for as best as the Cratchits can.

So well done if you've got anything like that order, okay, you might have a few things in slightly different places, but I'm hoping that, you know, themes like family and gratitude and empathy were somewhere near the top of your list.

So well done.

And onto the second part of the lesson, where we're going to look in greater detail at the character of Tiny Tim.

So Tiny Tim was allegedly inspired by Dickens' nephew, whose name was Harry.

And Harry lived in Manchester with his older sister Fanny, and you might recognise that name from somewhere as well because Scrooge's little sister is called Fan.

Now Harry was disabled and his family lived in poverty, and when Dickens went up to Manchester to deliver one of his speeches about social injustice, he noticed how much harder life was for Harry than his brother.

Now unfortunately, Harry contracted tuberculosis which is a bacterial infection and it affects the lungs, and although Dickens really tried hard to save Harry by paying doctors, he unfortunately died very young.

So real family tragedy there for Dickens.

So bearing that information in mind, I'd now like you to discuss, well, what similarities or differences do you see between Harry and the character of Tiny Tim, if any? Okay, so I'm gonna invite you to discuss that, and I also would like you to discuss, well, do you think that Dickens did use Harry as inspiration for Tiny Tim? Why and why not? So I'm going to invite you now to pause the video and have those conversations, either with somebody next to you or somebody around you.

Lovely conversations.

And now let's have a look at Tiny Tim in the text.

So here is an extract, I'm going to read it to you, and then there's some discussion points for you to have conversations with others.

"'And how did Little Tim behave?' Asked Mrs. Cratchit, when she had rallied Bob on his credulity, and Bob had hugged his daughter to his heart's content.

'As good as gold,' said Bob, 'And better.

He told me, coming home, that he hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggar's walk and blind men see.

' Bob's voice was tremulous when he told them this, and trembled more when he said that tiny Tim was growing strong and hearty." So using this extract, I'd like you now to discuss the following three questions.

First of all, what kind of father does Bob seem to be? And, second, what is your impression of Tiny Tim here? And, thirdly, why does Bob tremble when he reports that Tim is growing strong and healthy? So I'm going to invite you now to pause the video while you have those conversations, and before we share some of our ideas together.

(Mouse clicks) Fantastic work, and I really enjoyed hearing this idea that Bob is a really affectionate and loving father.

Okay, we see him hugging his daughter to his heart's content, so he doesn't just hug her once he keeps hold of her and he keeps hugging her until he's finally had enough love and affection from her.

I also really enjoyed hearing some people discussing this idea that Tiny Tim is presented as an innocent and humble child, despite the fact that he faces real adversity.

And he remains grateful despite his challenges, and that's really inspirational to us, and it was probably quite inspirational to Dickens as well to see how his nephew, Harry, cracked on with his life despite the hardship.

And, finally, you might have identified that Bob trembles because deep down he knows that what he's saying isn't really true.

Bob tries to remain optimistic about everything, and that includes Tiny Tim's health.

He knows deep down that Tiny Tim will likely not make it to adulthood, but he has to remain strong for his family, and be the backbone of his family and model that kind of resilience that his family needs to have in order to get through the hard times that they face, both in terms of Tiny Tim, but also the poverty that they are in.

So let's check for understanding.

Which of the following does not explain why Dickens refers to Tiny Tim as better than gold? Is it A, to show how well behaved and moral he is? Is it B, to illustrate how precious Tiny Tim is to the Cratchit family? Is it C, to contrast with Scrooge who valued golden idols above his fiance? Or do you think it's D, to show that Tiny Tim represents hope for the Cratchits to become a wealthy family? So I'm going to invite you to pause the video and decide which of the following does not explain why Dickens refers to Tiny Tim as better than gold.

And well done if you identify that the answer is in fact D.

Okay, Dickens through the Cratchits is not illustrating the importance of wealth, he's illustrating the importance of family.

So therefore Tiny Tim does not represent this idea that the Cratchits really hope they will become wealthy, okay, 'cause that is not what Dickens is trying to illustrate through them.

He's trying to show the importance of family, empathy, and optimism.

So well done if you got D as the correct answer.

Again, let's return to the text and have another look at an extract about Tiny Tim.

So we've got, "is active little crutch was heard upon the floor, and back came Tiny Tim before another word was spoken, escorted by his brother and sister to his stool before the fire." So I'd like you to discuss now, how does Dickens present Tiny Tim here and what is the effect of this on us, the readers? So I'd like you to pause the video while you have those discussions, and before we share some ideas.

Again, some fantastic discussions there, and well done because I heard somebody mention this idea that Tiny Tim is presented as really merry, optimistic, and brave, despite all of the challenges that he faces.

And, also, I really enjoyed hearing one person talk about the fact that Dickens makes him a sympathetic and inspirational character, and that makes us want to root for his survival.

And here Dickens is illustrating the importance of gratitude and optimism, even when times are hard.

You know, Tiny Tim faces a lot of adversity, both because of his disability, but also because of his living situation, and yet he remains really positive, humble, and grateful for everything that he does have.

So well done if you got those in your discussion.

Again, let's go back to another extract.

And we've got, "'A Merry Christmas to us all, my dears.

God bless us." Which all the family re-echoed.

'God bless us every one,' said Tiny Tim, the last of all.

He sat very close to his father's side upon his little stool.

Bob held his withered little hand in his, as if he loved the child, and wish to keep him by his side, and dreaded that he might be taken from him." So here I'd like you to consider, well, what's the significance of Tiny Tim saying, "God bless us every one."? And, finally, what's the effect of Dickens' use of the objective withered, and how do we respond to Bob here? So I'm going to invite you to pause the video while you have those discussions now.

Some fantastic discussions, and well done if you got that, yet again, we see Tiny Tim as a really optimistic and merry character despite the adversity he faces.

That a objective withered here also shows that Tiny Tim's life is fading really quickly, it shows how little time he has left and it presents him as very vulnerable and weak.

Okay, so he becomes the object of our sympathy and pity in this extract, and indeed in the novella.

We also feel really sorry for Bob as well, because he's really clearly worried about Tiny Tim's future.

He's shown us a really loving and affectionate father who has a very special bond with Tiny Tim, and he's kind of worrying about losing him already, and that really tugs at our heartstrings and makes us feel really upset for Bob here, so we root for the recovery of Tiny Tim.

So onto the final task of the lesson, and we're going to start the task by reading an extract together.

You'll need the extract to complete the task, so make sure you're paying attention and following along.

"'Spirit,' said Scrooge, with an interest he had never felt before.

'Tell me if Tiny Tim will live.

' 'I see a vacant seat,' replied the ghost, 'In the poor chimney-corner, and a crutch without an owner, carefully preserved.

If these shadows remain unaltered by the future, the child will die.

' 'No, no,' said Scrooge.

'Oh, no, kind spirit.

Say he will be spared.

' 'If these shadows remain unaltered by the future, none other of my race,' returned the ghost, 'will find him here.

What then? If he'd be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.

' Scrooge hung his head to hear his own words quoted by the spirit, and was overcome with penitence and grief." So now what I'd like you to do is use the extract that we've just read on the previous slide and your own knowledge, of which you have loads, to discuss to what extent you agree with this student's statement and why.

So the student said, "The spirit shows Scrooge the struggles of Tiny Tim to humanise the poor and the kinds of people affected by Scrooge's miserliness and selfishness.

In Stave 1, Scrooge did not view the poor as people, but it is in this moment when the spirit spits Scrooge's own words back at him, that Scrooge realises how callous and selfish he has been and how much of a devastating impact this has on individual members of society.

This is a really key moment in Scrooge's journey." So I'm going to invite you now to pause the video while you decide to what extent you agree with that statement and why.

So pause the video and have a go at that activity now.

Fantastic work.

Now this was a really big statement, so I'm kind of hoping that you might have split it into sections.

So let's start with the first little bit, where the students said that the spirit shows Scrooge the struggles of Tiny Tim to humanise the poor, and show Scrooge the kinds of people affected by his miserliness and selfishness.

Now, for this, you might have said that you agree with the statement because actually Scrooge didn't view the poor as human beings, and he stated in Stave 1 that, "If they would rather die, they'd better do it and decrease the surplus population," which is the exact same, you know, quote that the spirit spits back at Scrooge here to highlight his hypocrisy.

You might have said that now Scrooge realises that the they that he was talking about are actually innocent people like Tiny Tim.

Now the second part of this statement you might have agreed with is the fact that when the spirit spits Scrooge's own words back at him, Scrooge realises how callous and selfish he has been.

And you might have said that the spirit deliberately repeats Scrooge's famous mouth using quote back to him in response to Scrooge's pity, to emphasise how heartless he has been.

It also emphasises his hypocrisy.

We are told that Scrooge actually hung his head to hear his own words quoted by the spirit, and was overcome with penitence and grief.

So that would indicate that Scrooge understands the impact of his selfishness and callousness here.

Now the last part of the statement that you might have agreed with was when the student said that this is a really key moment in Scrooge's journey, because you might have identified that actually this is the moment where Scrooge recognises his cruelty.

You might have also talked about the fact that Tiny Tim is a symbol of Scrooge's selfishness and cruelty, because he's exactly the kind of person that Scrooge would wish dead, and Scrooge would deem a waste of societal resources.

You might have also said that prior to this moment Scrooge had no understanding of how his actions impacted others.

You also might have said that he here understands the direct consequences of his actions on people that he knows.

Okay, I think a lot of the time Scrooge didn't realise exactly who he was talking about, but when he sees that it's his employer's son, he realises just how awful he has been.

And the spirit has shown him the real difference that he could make if he changed his attitude.

And here we see Scrooge feeling really guilty and quite ashamed of his past behaviour, and he accepts the responsibility to make this right.

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

So to summarise today's learning on the Cratchits' at Christmas and Tiny Tim.

Well, the Cratchits embody the value of Christmas, family, community, empathy, gratitude, and Christmas spirit.

They are united in their hardship and they accept injustice with integrity and humility.

Bob Cratchit's name reflects the fact that he is underpaid and impoverished, and that he represents the working classes who worked really hard and weren't compensated fairly for their hard work.

Tiny Tim was allegedly inspired by Dickens' nephew, Harry, who was also disabled but sadly passed away at the age of nine.

We know that Tiny Tim could be a symbol of Scrooge's selfishness and cruelty, as well as a symbol of hope for his transformation, because Scrooge has the ability to directly impact Tiny Tim's life positively.

And, finally, Dickens uses the Cratchits to humanise the poor, to us and also to Scrooge, and illustrate the direct and personal consequences of greed and avarice.

Thank you for coming to today's lesson, I've really enjoyed delving a little deeper into the Cratchit family, and I look forward to seeing you next time.

Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your day.