Lesson video

Hi everyone, my name is Ms. Voyal, and welcome to this reading lesson where we will be developing comprehension of "A Christmas Carol." We will be reading an extract from an adapted version of "A Christmas Carol," which you can find in the additional materials section of this lesson lesson.

During this lesson, you'll need to be listening and looking carefully.

You'll need a piece of paper and pen or pencil, and there'll also 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 answer a range of comprehension questions on "A Christmas Carol." Here are our keywords for today's lesson.

Let's practise saying them.

My turn, your turn.

Retrieval.

Inference.

Impression.

Great job, well done.

Let's take a look at their definitions.

Retrieval is finding key details or information in the text and extracting them.

Inference means to use clues from within the text to draw conclusions.

An impression refers to initial feelings about a person, place, or thing, gained from reading a text.

There are two parts to today's lesson.

In the first part, we will be answering retrieval questions, and in the second part, we will be answering inference questions.

So let's begin with answering retrieval questions.

Chapter 1 of "A Christmas Carol," what we know so far Ebenezer Scrooge, an unkind man, rejects the joy of Christmas and focuses solely on his wealth.

Despite festive surroundings, Ebenezer dismisses his nephew's invitation to Christmas dinner.

His nephew emphasises the importance of family and spreading joy during the holiday season.

Unmoved Ebenezer returns to his work, unaware that everything might be about to change.

These are some strategies for retrieving information.

Read the question and underline the keywords.

Search for the keywords in the text.

Read the sentence and check it answers the question.

If it doesn't answer the question, read the sentence before or after to find the answer.

You might need to search for a type of word, for example, a proper noun with a capital letter or an adjective.

Let's check your understanding.

True or false? Searching for keywords is a useful strategy for retrieving information.

Pause the video and select your answer.

That is true, well done! Can you justify your answer? A, it helps me find the information I am looking for quickly, or B, you never need to re-read a whole text.

Pause the video and select the correct justification.

The answer is A, well done.

Retrieval helps you find the information you are looking for quickly within a text.

Now we will read Chapter 1 of "A Christmas Carol," from the additional materials.

Pause the video, go to the additional materials, and read from the start of Chapter 1 up to the words, "cold, hard, silence." Come back and press play, once you have read this section, welcome back, I hope you enjoyed reading.

Let's check your understanding of what you have read so far.

Which of these statements about the streets outside are true? A, there is nobody around.

B, the streets are covered in snow.

C, the sun is rising.

D, people are singing songs.

Pause the video and select all of the true statements now.

The true statements are B and D.

The streets are covered in snow, and people are singing songs, well done! Read and listen to this quote from the text carefully.

"Fred sighed, disappointment flickering across his face.

"But Uncle, Christmas is about more than just work and money.

It's about spending time with the ones we love and spreading joy and goodwill to all.

'" What does Fred think Christmas is all about? Pause the video, read the quote again, and discuss this question with your partner.

Hopefully, you were able to retrieve your answer from the words that Fred spoke.

Aisha said, "Fred thinks Christmas is all about spending time with family and friends and being kind." It's time to continue reading.

Pause the video now and go to the additional materials.

Read from "Ebenezer sat behind his desk," up to, "would change his life forever." Come back and press play once you have read this section.

Welcome back, well done for your reading.

Let's check your understanding of what you have read.

Put the following events from Chapter 1 In order.

A, Bob asked Scrooge for more coal for the fire.

B, Bob sat shivering by the fire.

C, Fred arrived joyfully.

D, Scrooge dismisses Fred's invitation to dinner.

Pause the video and number these 1 to 4 to show their order in the story.

Let's take a look at the answers.

1, Bob sat shivering by the fire.

2, Bob asked Scrooge for more coal for the fire.

3, Fred arrived joyfully.

4, Scrooge dismisses Fred's invitation to dinner.

Well done, for showing your understanding of the chronology of events in the beginning of the story.

It is time for your first task.

Referring to what we have read so far, answer the following retrieval questions.

A, how is Fred related to Scrooge? B, what offer does Fred make to Scrooge? C, what does Scrooge think people should do on Christmas Day instead of celebrating? Pause the video, refer to the additional materials, and answer these retrieval questions now.

Let's take a look at the answers together.

For A, how is Fred related to Scrooge? The answer is, he is his nephew.

For B, what offer does Fred make to Scrooge? We know that he asks him if he'd like to come to dinner on Christmas Day, and for C, what does Scrooge think people should do on Christmas Day instead of celebrating? The answer is, he thinks they should be working.

Well done, for using your retrieval skills to answer these questions.

It's now time for the second part of our lesson, where you will be answering inference questions.

When we infer, we draw conclusions or make educated guesses based on information and clues provided in the text, combined with our own background knowledge and reasoning skills.

This is sometimes referred to as 'reading between the lines.

' Here's an example of doing this.

After the young child took a bite of the apple, a huge smile spread across their face.

Laura said, "I can infer that the child found the apple tasty because they smiled after taking a bite.

I sometimes smile after eating something yummy." This is a good example of using the clue of the child smiling to infer what their experience was like or how they felt.

Let's check your understanding.

Which of the following statements are true? A, inference is sometimes called 'reading between the lines.

' B, When you infer, you must only use information from the text.

C, inference involves using your own knowledge as well as clues from the text.

Pause the video and select the true statements now.

The answers are A and C.

Inference is sometimes called 'reading between the lines,' and inference involves using your own knowledge as well as clues from the text.

Well done, for demonstrating your understanding of what inference means.

Read and listen to this quote from the text carefully.

"'Cole costs money, Cratchit,' Ebenezer snapped.

'If you're cold, you should work harder and warm yourself up that way.

' Bob nodded meekly and went back to his work, his fingers trembling as he struggled to write in the dim light." Why are Bob's hands trembling? Infer using clues from the text and your own experiences.

Pause the video now, read over the quote again carefully, and discuss this question with your partner.

You were great at inferring meaning from this extract, let's take a look at an answer I heard.

Sam said, "I think Bob's hands are trembling because he is cold.

When I get cold, I shiver and my hands shake." Sam has used clues from the text, as well as her own experiences to infer why Bob's hands were trembling.

It's now time to continue reading.

Pause the video, go to the additional materials, and read from, "Ebenezer sat behind his desk," up to, "cheerful nephew, Fred." Come back and press play once you have read this section.

Welcome back, I hope you enjoyed reading.

Let's check your understanding.

True or false? Bob Cratchit enjoys his job.

Pause the video and select your answer.

That is false, well done.

Now it's time to justify.

A, Bob Cratchit seems cold and finds it hard to see because it's dark.

These are not nice working conditions Or B, I don't think working in a counting house would be much fun.

Pause the video and select the correct justification.

The answer is A, well done.

Bob Cratchit seems cold and finds it hard to see because it's dark.

These are not nice working conditions for him.

Read and listen to this quote carefully.

"Ebenezer sat behind his desk, hunched over a pile of coins, counting them with a scowl on his face." What impression does this give you about Scrooge and his relationship with money? Pause the video and discuss this question with your partner now.

Well done, for using the quote to infer meaning about Scrooge's relationship with money.

Let's take a look at a good example I heard.

Aisha said, "Scrooge is hunched over his money in a way which makes me think he's trying to protect it.

Also, he's counting it.

This suggests he cares a lot about how much there is.

Finally, the scowl on his face makes me think he's not happy and wants more!" Aisha used the clues within the text about Scrooge's actions, body movements, and facial expressions to infer meaning about his relationship with money.

It is time for your task.

Using what we've read today and the inference skills you've developed, answer the following question.

How do you think Scrooge is feeling at the end of the chapter? Your sentence starter is, "I think Scrooge is feeling.

because.

Because is the key subordinating conjunction you need to use to explain your answer using evidence from the text.

Pause the video and discuss this with your partner now I am so impressed with how well you searched for clues to infer your answer.

The question was; How do you think Scrooge is feeling at the end of the chapter? Let's take a look at a couple of examples I heard.

Jacob said, " I think Scrooge is feeling grumpy because his nephew's arrival seemed to annoy him.

He reacted with anger and impatience and rejected his kind offer." Jacob inferred this by considering Scrooge's interactions with his nephew.

Andeep said, " I think Scrooge is feeling confused because of the chill that ran down his spine.

Sometimes I feel this when I sense that something bad might happen." Andeep used a clue from the text, "The chill down Scrooge's spine," and considered his own personal experiences to infer this answer.

Well done for considering and inferring Scrooge's feelings at the end of this chapter, We've now come to the end of our lesson, so let's go over a summary together.

Retrieval involves identifying and extracting key information from the text.

Searching for keywords or specific types of words, for example, proper nouns, can support readers in answering retrieval questions.

When a reader infers, they use clues from the text and their own understanding to 'read between the lines,' and inferring helps readers establish an impression of a character.

Well done for your hard work building comprehension of "A Christmas Carol," I have really enjoyed teaching you!.