Lesson video

Hi everyone.

My name is Ms. Boyle, and welcome to this reading lesson, where we are going to be analysing the ending of "A Christmas Carol." We will be reading extracts from an adapted version of "A Christmas Carol" and you can find this within the additional materials section of this lesson.

During the lesson, you'll need to be listening and looking carefully and there'll be tasks where you need somebody to talk to.

I hope you are feeling excited and ready to learn.

Let's get started.

The learning outcome for today's lesson is, I can discuss the ending of "A Christmas Carol." Here are our keywords for today's lesson.

Let's practise saying them.

My turn, your turn.

Redemption.

Newfound.

Gratitude.

Great job.

Let's take a look at their definitions.

Redemption is getting a second chance or being forgiven for mistakes you've made.

Newfound means something that has been recently discovered or acquired.

Gratitude, or being grateful, is feeling thankful or appreciative for something that someone has done for you or something you have received.

There are two parts to today's lesson.

In the first part, we will be reading the ending of "A Christmas Carol", and in the second part we will be analysing the events and characters in the ending.

So let's begin with reading the ending of "A Christmas Carol." "A Christmas Carol", what we know so far.

Let's recap.

Ebenezer Scrooge is introduced as a cold-hearted, miserly old man, who cares only for his wealth and has a disdain for Christmas and its festivities.

Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, who warns him of the consequences of his greed and selfishness.

Marley informs Scrooge that he will be visited by three spirits.

One by one, Scrooge is visited by three ghosts who show him events from his past, present and future.

Through these ghostly visits, Scrooge begins to realise the error of his ways and the impact his actions have on others.

He experiences profound guilt and remorse, and his heart softens as he sees the potential for redemption.

Now we will read the ending of "A Christmas Carol" from the additional materials.

Pause the video, go to the additional materials and read from the start of the ending up to "with gratitude and joy." Come back and press play once you have read this section.

Well done for reading the beginning of the ending.

Let's check your understanding.

What did passers-by do when they saw Scrooge? A, they smiled with joy.

B, they avoided him.

C, they leapt with glee.

D, they acted suspiciously.

Pause the video and select the correct answers now.

The answers are A and C.

Passers-by smiled with joy and leapt with glee when they saw Scrooge.

It's time to continue reading.

Pause the video, go to the additional materials and read from "Next he made his way" up to "his boundless generosity" in the ending of the story.

Come back and press play once you have read this section.

Welcome back.

I hope you have enjoyed reading.

Let's check your understanding.

True or false, Bob was very moved by Scrooge's newfound kindness.

Pause the video and select your answer.

That is true.

Well done.

Now it's time to justify your answer.

A, he listened with tears of gratitude in his eyes.

Or B, Bob didn't expect Scrooge to have transformed.

Pause the video and select the correct justification.

The answer is A, well done.

Bob was very moved by Scrooge's newfound kindness, and we know this because the text says that he listened with tears of gratitude in his eyes.

It's time to read the final part of the ending.

Pause the video, go to the additional materials and read from "As the sun dipped below" up to "all who sought its light." Come back and press play once you have finished reading.

Welcome back.

I hope you enjoyed reading to the end of the story.

Let's check your understanding.

Put the following events from the ending in order.

A, Scrooge visits Bob and offers to raise his salary and look after his family.

B, he visits Fred, hugs him, and accepts his invitation to dinner.

C, Scrooge leaves his house with a newfound energy and positivity.

D, Scrooge returns home and reflects on how lucky he is to have this second chance.

Pause the video now and number these one to four to show their order in the story.

Let's go over the answers together.

One, Scrooge leaves his house with a newfound energy and positivity.

Two, he visits Fred, hugs him, and accepts his invitation to dinner.

Three, Scrooge visits Bob and offers to raise his salary and look after his family.

And four, Scrooge returns home and reflects on how lucky he is to have this second chance.

Well done for showing your understanding of the chronology of key events in the ending of the story.

It's time for your first task and it is a talk task.

Who do you think was more affected by Scrooge's visit, Fred or Bob? Why? Your possible sentence starters are, "I think Fred was affected more because", or "I think Scrooge's visit affected Bob more because." Because is the key subordinating conjunction you need to use to justify your answer.

Pause the video and discuss this question with your partner now.

I loved listening to your different opinions and you were so good at using evidence from the text to explain them.

Let's take a look at a couple of the examples I heard.

Laura said, "I think Fred was affected more because Scrooge is his family member.

He must have thought he knew him really well and was probably very shocked when he visited." Jacob had a different opinion.

He said, "I think Scrooge's visit affected Bob more, because Scrooge promised things that would change Bob's life forever, such as an increase in salary.

He even cried because he was so grateful." There is no right or wrong answer to this question.

Laura and Jacob had different opinions, but the important thing is that they were able to use evidence from the story to explain their opinions.

Well done for considering how Scrooge's actions affected other characters in the story and sharing your opinion with others.

It's now time for the second part of our lesson, where we will be analysing the events and characters in the ending.

First, we are going to focus on the character of Bob Cratchit.

Scrooge's transformation has a massive impact on Bob.

Bob has been working for Scrooge for a long time.

He works very hard and is very dedicated.

Scrooge doesn't pay Bob enough, but Bob cannot leave.

He desperately needs his job.

Bob's son is ill, and healthcare in the Victorian era is not free, it's very expensive.

In the ending, Scrooge promises to raise his salary and provide for his family's needs.

How do you think the promises Scrooge makes will change Bob's life? Pause the video and discuss this question with your partner.

Well done for your discussions.

I had lots of great answers.

I'm going to share an example with you now.

Jacob said, "Scrooge's offer means Bob will be able to live a more comfortable life with his family.

He will also be able to afford the healthcare his son needs." Let's check your understanding.

Why is Bob so grateful for Scrooge's offer? A, the extra money will allow him to continue to look after his family.

B, he didn't get any Christmas presents, or C, Bob was about to quit his job and now he doesn't have to.

Pause the video and select the correct answer.

The answer is A, well done.

Bob is incredibly grateful to Scrooge for his offer because the extra money will allow him to continue to look after his family.

As Scrooge walked through the streets on Christmas morning with a newfound purpose, he encountered people going about their day.

Read and listen carefully to this quote from the ending.

"Scrooge's acts of kindness rippled through the city, like waves upon the shore, touching the lives of all who crossed his path.

From the beggar on the street corner to the weary widow struggling to make ends meet, no one was left untouched by his boundless generosity." What do you think Scrooge's acts of kindness were? Pause the video now.

Read over this quote again and discuss with your partner what you think Scrooge might have done to show his kindness? Well done for your discussions.

We know that Scrooge has a lot of money, which he didn't like to share, but he's had a change of heart after his experiences, and this extract says that he showed generosity to a beggar on the street and a weary widow struggling to make ends meet.

From this, Andeep inferred, "Maybe he gave them money or even just a nice smile or chat." Let's check your understanding.

True or false, only Bob Cratchit and Fred benefited from Scrooge's newfound kindness.

Pause the video and select your answer.

That is false.

Well done.

Now it's time to justify your answer.

A, Scrooge's kindness spread far and wide like waves upon the shore, or B, they are his two closest acquaintances.

Pause the video and select the correct justification.

The answer is A, well done.

Scrooge's kindness spread far and wide like waves upon the shore.

This lets us know that not only Bob Cratchit and Fred benefited from his kindness.

It's time for your final task and it is a talk task.

Read this statement carefully.

Do you agree or disagree and why? "Bob Cratchit is lucky to have Scrooge in his life." Your possible sentence starters are, "I agree with this statement because" or "I disagree with this statement because." Pause the video now to discuss this with your partner.

Welcome back.

I really enjoyed listening to your different opinions.

I'm now going to share an example of somebody who agreed with this statement and somebody else who disagreed with the statement.

Andeep said, "I agree with this statement because thanks to Scrooge, Bob now has enough money to look after his family properly." This opinion focused on the kindness that Scrooge showed towards the end of the story.

Izzy, on the other hand said, "I disagree with this statement.

While it's true Scrooge seems to have changed, he spent years and years being nasty.

I don't think that this makes up for that." This is a very valid opinion too.

It's okay to believe that Scrooge's kindness at the end of the story doesn't justify all of the meanness he showed before.

We've now come to the end of our lesson, so let's go over a summary together.

After the visits from the three ghosts, Scrooge reflects on his miraculous transformation and feels grateful for the second chance he's been given.

He embraces the spirit of Christmas and treats all those around him with kindness and generosity.

He accepts Fred's offer to dinner and promises Bob money and support.

Scrooge's transformation has a big impact on Bob and his family.

Well done for analysing the ending of "A Christmas Carol" and developing your own opinions on the story.

I have really enjoyed teaching you this lesson.