Good morning.

My name is Miss Halliday.

Thank you so much for joining me.

It's lovely to see you.

So many excited faces ready to learn, so let's get started.

Today's lesson is called Writing About Stave One, and that's exactly what we'll be doing together.

By the end of today's lesson, you will have written a well-structured essay response.

Let's get started.

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

We've got analytical, thesis, affluent, quintessential, and to embed.

Here are the definitions of these keywords.

If you'd like to take a moment to pause the video and jot some of them down, or take a little bit longer to read them, then please feel free to do so.

And here's today's lesson outline.

We're going to start by looking specifically at how to write an analytical introduction, including a thesis statement before moving on to actually writing our extended response to a question about Stave One.

So let's start with writing an analytical introduction.

You are going to be writing an introduction to the following question in today's lesson.

How does Dickens present Scrooge in Stave One of "A Christmas Carol?" But first, I'd like you to consider, what should an introduction to a response include? And I'd like you to pause the video while you have those conversations and decide exactly what it is that makes a really strong analytical introduction.

And a massive well done to those of you that identified that, actually, yes, we do need a reference to the author and the text, okay? We need to make it clear which text we're writing about and who wrote that text.

We also need to make sure that we are referring to the question that we have been asked, okay? Because if we don't answer the question, then it's not a very convincing analytical response, is it? We also need to make sure that we have contextualised the act or scene or the chapter that we have been asked about.

So in this case, we've been asked about Scrooge in Stave One, so we can't really be talking about Scrooge in Stave Four, can we? We need to make sure that we are actually talking about Stave One, and that we've made that clear in our introduction.

And finally, a clear and interesting thesis is an essential part of any analytical introduction, as that's where we outline our overarching argument, so we really need to make sure that we include that in our analytical introduction.

So well done if you've got any of the four suggestions on the slide.

An introduction moves from the general to the specific, okay, in a triangular fashion.

So we start quite broad and diverse, and we end up focusing very minutely on something very specific.

So we start by giving quite a general sentence about the text.

You know, what is it about? When was it written? That kind of thing.

We would then start to focus on the question that we've been given, okay? And that question may stipulate the act, the scene, the character, or the chapter to focus on.

So here in our introduction, we'll outline exactly which sections of the text that we're going to be examining.

And finally, we end with that really specific thesis statement, where we clearly outline the argument that we're going to take and the idea that we're going to explore throughout our essay.

So that's how we structure an analytical introduction.

So what does the good analytical introduction actually look like? Well, I'm going to show you one now.

It's in response to the question on screen.

How does Dickens present Marley's ghost in Stave One? So let's read it.

Charles Dickens' timeless novella "A Christmas Carol" has cemented itself as a classic by presenting us with some of the most haunting and thought-provoking characters in all of literary history, including the ghost of Jacob Marley.

So here we see that really general sentence about the text.

We've given a little bit of context about its cultural significance, and we've given an overview of some of the characters.

We then move on to that slightly more specific focus where we reference the question being asked.

So we say in Stave One, Marley's ghost, a deceased business partner of the protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge, emerges from the shadows of the narrative to deliver a powerful message about the consequences of a life consumed by greed and avarice.

So we're getting a little bit more specific, zooming in on that character, Marley's ghost, that we've been asked about in the question.

And finally onto the thesis statement.

Dickens uses Marley's ghost to force his readers to interrogate their own behaviour and the choices they make, thus illustrating the importance of kindness, charity and social responsibility.

So here we see that really clear thesis statement where we outline our overarching argument that we're going to examine throughout the course of our extended response.

So there's a really effective and engaging analytical introduction with all the three components that we need.

So what is a thesis statement, and how do we write one, then? Well, the thesis statement summarises the overarching argument from your introduction.

It tells the reader what your argument is.

It also tells the reader why your argument's important, okay.

Consider the bigger picture here, okay.

How does this text fit in to society? You know, what does it teach us about humanity? That kind of thing, and that's what we would call the bigger picture.

And finally, it includes the name of the writer and the title of the text, okay? 'Cause again, we are being really specific here, so we need to be clear on exactly which text we are talking about.

So here's an example of an effective thesis statement.

By presenting Marley's ghost as remorseful and repentant for his greedy and avaricious behaviour in life, Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" serves as a condemnation of the willful ignorance to the plight of the poor demonstrated by many affluent Victorians in 1834, reinforcing the importance of empathy, charity, and social responsibility.

So here we can see that we've included the title of the text and the name of the writer.

We've given our argument about ideas in the novella and what the writer is criticising and what they are promoting.

So here it says that Dickens is criticising greedy and avaricious behaviour and the willful ignorance of the plight of the poor, but also Dickens is promoting and emphasising the importance of empathy, charity, and social responsibility, okay? And this is our bigger picture here.

We're talking about why the argument is important.

So how does it impact on society? How does it impact humanity? Well, it teaches us the importance of empathy, charity, and social responsibility.

So that is what a good thesis statement looks like.

So let's check your understanding.

Which of the following is the better thesis statement? Is it A? In "A Christmas Carol," published in 1837, Scrooge is a miserly and uncharitable person who doesn't feel sorry for poor people, much like lots of Victorian people.

Scrooge is harsh to show that most Victorians didn't like the poor.

Or do you think B is better? In "A Christmas Carol," Dickens presents Scrooge as a quintessential, misanthropic Victorian employer, thereby condemning the kind of greed and selfishness which was demonstrated by many affluent Victorians in 1837 when the novel was published.

I'm going to give you a moment now to pause the video while you decide which thesis statement you think is the best.

And well done, if you correctly identified that, yes, it is in fact B.

Now what I'd like you to discuss is, well, why is B better than A, okay? What's the difference between these two? Why is B the better thesis statement? So again, I'm gonna invite you to pause the video while you have those conversations now.

Some fantastic conversations there, and I really like this idea that I heard about the fact that actually B talks about Scrooge as a character construct and not as a real person.

In thesis statement A, it talks about how Scrooge is a miserly person, okay? Whereas in thesis statement B, it talks about that Dickens presents Scrooge as a misanthropic Victorian employer, okay? And it really makes it clear that Scrooge is not a real person, okay? I also really like this idea that actually Scrooge is representative of the larger Victorian population from 1837.

So this is much more specific, because we know that our thesis statement needs to be really specific about exactly why Dickens creates this really misanthropic and quintessentially Victorian employer.

So well done if you identify that that was the reason as to why B was the better thesis statement.

So onto our first task of the lesson where you are going to show me everything you've just learned, and you are going to write your own analytical introduction to the following question.

How does Dickens present Scrooge in Stave One of "A Christmas Carol"? Now, you've got to remember that to write a really good and effective analytical introduction, you need to include a general statement about the text and what it's about, the focus of the question and the section of text that you will be discussing, and a thesis statement that outlines your argument about the ideas in the novella, states what the writer is criticising or promoting, and states why this is important for society.

So I'm going to invite you to pause the video now while you have a go at writing me your very own analytical introduction.

Enjoy.

Fantastic work, and here's what you could have written.

Charles Dickens' timeless classic "A Christmas Carol" explores the infamous Scrooge's inspirational transformation from an avaricious and greedy miser to a generous, charitable, and socially responsible benefactor.

In Stave One, the reader observes Scrooge's cruelty and willful ignorance through his interactions with his nephew, his clerk, and two charitymen, all three of whom he insults and dismisses.

By presenting Scrooge as a quintessential upper-middle class Malthusian Victorian gentleman, Dickens harshly criticises the dismissive and ignorant attitudes of affluent Victorian citizens towards the poor, calling for greater empathy, charity, and social responsibility from those privileged enough to be able to turn a blind eye.

So in this response, I'm sure you can see that we start with that really general statement about the topic, the fact that it's a timeless classic, the fact that it's about Scrooge transformation, and then we start to get more specific.

We focus in on the section of text we've been asked about, which is Stave One, and we give details about that, the fact that Scrooge's interactions with Bob, Fred, and the charitymen, and then we end with that really clear and specific thesis statement, where we outline the fact that Scrooge represents a quintessential upper-middle class Malthusian Victorian gentleman, and why Dickens does that.

So that is a really effective and also very engaging and informative analytical introduction.

So well done if you've got anything that resembled this.

You are amazing.

And onto our second learning cycle now, where we're going to look at writing our own extended response.

I'm going to ask you to read the model paragraph now.

I'm going to put it on screen and I'll read it to you, and if you could follow along, that would be brill.

Thank you.

In Stave One of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," Marley's ghost is introduced as a tormented and restless spirit, weighed down by the heavy chains and moneyboxes that he forged in life.

During his visit, Marley's ghost expresses remorse at his past inability to recognise that mankind was his business.

Here, Dickens' use of the word mankind emphasises the central theme of the novella, social responsibility, and reinforces the importance of compassion and selflessness.

Furthermore, Dickens' use of the word business is quite ironic, as it illustrates that Marley's priorities were disordered, for his sole preoccupation was the pursuit of wealth and material gain at the expense of human relationships and the welfare of others.

Characterising this ghost as repentant and remorseful, Dickens illustrates the dehumanising effects of unchecked greed and the fundamental need for individuals to consider the welfare of others as their true business or purpose.

Thus, in Stave One, Marley's ghost serves as a cautionary figure, warning Scrooge and readers alike about the tragic consequences of a self-absorbed existence, as well as showing the redemptive power of embracing one's responsibility to humanity.

So there's the second paragraph from our essay about Marley's ghost, and what I'd like you to do now is discuss, well, why is this a good paragraph? What makes this successful? So I'm gonna invite you to pause the video while you reread the paragraph and discuss what makes it successful.

Some fantastic discussions there.

Really well done, and I'm gonna share the ideas that I heard that I liked the best.

So first of all, I heard someone mention that it had a really clear topic sentence.

You are absolutely right, okay? It did.

It clearly outlined what was going to be covered in the paragraph and what the significance of Marley's ghost is.

Well done to the person that identified that the quotations were in fact embedded.

That makes a massive difference to your response.

It makes your essay much more concise, okay? So this is a real indicator of a top-quality response.

Well done to the person who suggested that actually there's some really interesting analysis of language, form, and structure here, okay? And that's really important in our analytical writing, that our analysis is not just there, but it's explorative.

It's interesting as well.

And well done to the person who identified that actually this response uses discourse markers really effectively as well to help them track ideas across the text, okay? These are really useful in organising ideas, things like thus, therefore, so, also.

They help structure your arguments, so well done if you identified that this response used those really effectively.

We also saw some really considered interpretations in this response.

This person wasn't just listing everything that they knew about the text.

They'd evaluated which they thought would best support their argument.

So well done if you also identified that.

And finally, this response used really specific and precise vocabulary really effectively to convey meaning and to show understanding of the text.

So well done if you pulled out any of those criteria that made this a really successful response.

Let's check for understanding.

Which of the following is not key to an excellent response? Is it A, considered interpretations, B, ideas tracked from across the text, or C, a lot of subject terminology.

I'm gonna invite you to pause the video now while you jot your answer down.

And well done to those of you that wrote C.

You're absolutely right.

Yes, we should be using subject terminology, but we definitely don't need a lot of it, and actually too much of it can be really dangerous because that indicates that you're just method spotting and that you don't actually understand why Dickens has used the methods that he has.

So we're looking for that real balance between using subject terminology, but also explaining our understanding of the text.

So well done if you got that one right.

And onto our final task of the lesson now, where you're going to actually write your response.

So here's a reminder of the question that you've been given.

How does Dickens present Scrooge in Stave One of "A Christmas Carol"? And you need to remember that you should be including a very clear topic sentence.

You should be embedding your quotations.

You should be showing that interesting analysis of language, form, and/or structure.

You should be using discourse markers that help to track ideas from across the whole Stave.

You should be giving considered interpretations, and you should be using really specific and precise vocabulary.

For example, miserly or misanthropic.

So I'm going to invite you to pause the video now while you have a go at using that success criteria to craft a really successful analytical response, just like the one we've seen on the previous slide.

I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Give it your best and have a go.

Some really fantastic work there, and I'm so impressed with how much you managed to write in the time.

So really well done.

Some great resilience demonstrated.

So we're going to undertake some self-assessment, okay? 'Cause reflection's really important and it's a key part of our writing process.

So first of all, I'd like you to reread your response, and I'd like you to identify where you have included the following.

So where is your clear topic sentence, and is it clear enough, okay? Where are your embedded quotations to make your essay more concise and sound more sophisticated? Where have you included interesting analysis of language, form, or structure? Where have you used discourse markers to help you track ideas from across the stave? Where are your considered interpretations, not just the most obvious ones, but the most meaningful ones that will really support your argument? Where is your use of precise and specific vocabulary, okay? Have you used it as effectively as you could have? So I'm going to invite you to pause the video while you undertake that self-assessment and see how you got on in the last task.

Fantastic work.

And I'm so impressed by your ability to reflect on your own work.

It's a really important life skill.

So to summarise a learning from today's lesson on writing about Stave One, first of all, an analytical introduction can contain a general statement about the text with a clear focus on particular sections of the text, and then that thesis statement.

Let's remember that the thesis statement summarises the overarching argument from your introduction, and that a good thesis statement can contain an outline of the argument you'll put forward about the text, so what the writer is criticising and promoting, and why it's important for society.

So looking at that bigger picture and what it teaches us about humanity.

And finally, a good piece of analytical writing can use embedded quotations, detailed analysis, discourse markers for organisation, considered interpretations, and really well-chosen and precise vocabulary.

I'd like to thank you for coming to today's lesson and giving that writing task such a good go.

I was so impressed by the quality of work that you produced and then the standard of your reflection in the self-assessment task.

So a huge well done.

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