Lesson video

Hi, everyone.

My name is Ms. Royalle, and welcome to this reading lesson where we are going to be learning about the context of the story "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.

During this lesson, you need to be listening and looking carefully 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 discuss the author and context of "A Christmas Carol".

Here are our key words for today's lesson.

Let's practise saying them.

My turn, your turn.

Victorian era, context, poverty contrast.

Great job, well done, and let's take a look at their definitions.

In British history, the Victorian era is the period of time during which Queen Victoria was on the throne, 1837 to 1901.

Historical context refers to the background information that existed at a specific period in history.

Poverty is the state of being extremely poor.

And contrast is a significant difference between one thing and another.

There are two parts to today's lesson.

In the first part, we will be having an introduction to the author and context.

And in the second part, you will be reading "A Christmas Carol".

So, let's begin with an introduction to the author and context.

Learning about the author and context of a story helps us understand the themes and characters better.

"A Christmas Carol" is set in London during the Victorian era.

What do you already know about "A Christmas Carol"? Pause the video and discuss with your partner.

Hopefully you know that it was written by Charles Dickens, and that's a really good place to start.

What do you already know about Charles Dickens? Let's find out a bit more about him.

Charles Dickens was born in 1812.

He wrote a variety of novels and short stories.

He wrote a number of other famous stories such as "Oliver Twist" and "Great Expectations".

His writing often featured the struggles of the poor.

"A Christmas Carol" was written by Charles Dickens in 1843.

It is set in Victorian London.

It had immediate success and sold out within the first few weeks.

Since it was first released, lots of different versions have been created.

It has been adapted hundreds of times, and it is still a popular Christmas story today.

Let's check your understanding.

Which three of the following are true: a, Charles Dickens lived during the Victorian era, a, "A Christmas Carol" was popular straight away, c, Charles Dickens rarely wrote about the lives of poor people, d, Charles Dickens also wrote "Oliver Twist"? Pause the video and select the three statements that are true now.

The answers are a, b, and d.

Charles Dickens lived during the Victorian era, "A Christmas Carol" was popular straight away, and Charles Dickens also wrote "Oliver Twist".

C was incorrect.

Charles Dickens regularly wrote about the lives of poor people within his literature.

In London during the Victorian era, there was a big contrast between the rich and the poor.

Contrast is a significant difference between one thing and another.

While the rich had access to a comfortable life and luxuries, around one quarter of the city's inhabitants could not afford to meet their daily needs.

In addition, the poverty in London was more extreme than it is today.

This image depicts a poor area in Victorian London.

What signs of poverty can you spot? Pause the video, look carefully at the image, and discuss this question with your partner now.

Well done by analysing this image.

Let's take a look at some of the answers I heard.

Jacob said, "I noticed that the people's clothes are ragged and dirty." Aisha said, "I spotted that the street is very crowded." Both of these things highlight the poverty that existed during the Victorian era.

Let's check your understanding.

True or false? In Victoria London, everyone was equal.

Pause the video and select your answer.

That is false, well done.

Now it's time to justify your answer.

A, in Victorian London, there was a significant contrast between the lives of the rich and the lives of the poor, or b, most Londoners in the Victorian era suffered.

Pause the video and select the correct justification.

The answer is a, well done.

In Victorian London, there was a significant contrast between the lives of the rich and the lives of the poor.

This meant that there was great inequality.

Just like London today, Victorian London was a busy, bustling city.

On a typical day, the streets were full of people going about their business.

This city was much dirtier, noisier, and smellier than it is today because of the large number of factories and coal fires and the poor sewage systems. What do we know about Victorian London? Let's remind ourselves.

We know it was a bustling city.

It was noisy.

It was dirty.

There was a great contrast between the rich and the poor.

It was a lively place.

And the poverty was more extreme than it is today.

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

Do you think Victorian London is a good setting for a story, why? Use the map below to help you.

Your sentence starter is, I think Victorian London is or is not a good setting for a story because (pauses).

Because is the key subordinating conjunction you need to use to justify your answer.

Pause the video and discuss with your partner now.

Welcome back.

It was wonderful listening to your discussions and hearing your opinions.

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

Andeep said, "I think that Victorian London is a good setting for a story because I can imagine a lot of interesting things happening on the lively streets." Izzy said, "I think that Victorian London is a good setting for a story because representing the difference between the rich and the poor might fascinate the reader." I love this answer.

It picked up on some of the key themes that Charles Dickens explores within the story.

Well done for showing a good understanding of the author and context of "A Christmas Carol".

It's now time for the second part of our lesson where you will be reading a Christmas Carol.

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.

When people asked for help, what would Scrooge do: a, welcome them with open arms, b, give them advice, c, turn them away, or d, invite them in for food and drink? Pause the video and select your answer.

The answer is c.

Scrooge would turn people away when they asked him for help.

It's now time to continue reading.

Pause the video, go to the additional materials and read from, "Ebeneezer sat behind his desk," up to, "wasting your time with frivolous celebrations." Come back and press Play once you have read this section.

Well done for your reading.

Let's check your understanding.

What did Bob Cratchit ask for: a, coal for the fire, b, more money, or C, some peace and quiet?.

Pause the video and select your answer.

The answer is a, Bob Cratchit asked Scrooge for some coal for the fire and Scrooge said no, and that Bob should warm himself up by working harder instead.

True or false, Fred was put off by Scrooge's grumpiness? Pause the video and select your answer.

That is false, well done.

Can you justify your answer: a, Fred ignored his uncle Scrooge's grumpiness and asked him round for dinner anyway, or b, Fred didn't notice his uncle's grumpiness? Pause the video and select the correct justification.

The answer is a, well done.

Fred ignored his uncle Scrooge's grumpiness and asked him around for dinner anyway.

It's time to continue reading.

Pause the video, go to the additional materials and read from, "Fred sighed," up to, "would change his life forever." Come back and press Play once you have read this section.

Welcome back.

I hope you enjoyed reading more of the story.

Let's check your understanding.

True or false, Fred and Scrooge feel the same about Christmas? Pause the video and select your answer.

That is false, well done.

Now it's time to justify.

A Scrooge loves Christmas, but Fred is not so keen, or b, while Fred thinks Christmas is about joy and love, Scrooge thinks it's a waste of time.

Pause the video and select the correct justification.

The answer is b, well done.

While Fred thinks Christmas is about joy and love, Scrooge thinks it's a waste of time.

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

Reflect on what you have read so far.

Answer these questions with your partner.

Is there anything you like or dislike about the story so far, why? And how do you feel about the different characters, and why? Pause the video and discuss these questions now.

Welcome back.

I loved listening to your discussions and hearing all of your interesting opinions.

Let's take a look at some of the answers I heard.

One person said, "I find some of the old-fashioned words and phrases like, 'counting house,' a bit confusing.

I think it might take some time to get used to them." That's understandable.

Someone else said, "I like imagining snowy Victorian London.

It seems very atmospheric." For how do you feel about the different characters, and why? One person said, "I am intrigued by Scrooge.

I want to know how he got to be so mean and nasty." That would be an interesting thing to discover.

Someone else said, "I like Bob Cratchit because he seems like a hard worker." Well done for sharing your opinions on the story with others.

It's time for your final talk task.

Why might Scrooge be described as selfish? Remember, being selfish means caring more about yourself than others.

So, you want to look for examples within the text that show how Scrooge cares more about himself than others.

Your sentence starter is I would describe Scrooge as selfish because in the story (pauses).

Try to refer to an example from the text.

Pause the video and discuss this with your partner now.

Welcome back.

Well done for searching for evidence in the text to show the ways in which Scrooge is selfish.

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

Alex said, "I would describe Scrooge as selfish because in the story, he refuses to give Bob extra coal for the fire even though he is cold." Sophia said, "I would describe Scrooge as selfish because in the story he ignored his nephew's kind offer to have Christmas dinner together." Both of these answers provide examples of how Scrooge places his own feelings and needs above the feelings and needs of others, therefore demonstrating his selfish nature.

Did you refer to evidence from the story in your answer? If you did, then well done.

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

Charles Dickens lived during the Victorian era.

He was a very popular author who often represented the contrast between the rich and the poor.

He wrote "A Christmas Carol" in 1843.

The story is set on the lively, bustling streets of Victorian London.

"A Christmas Carol" features a character called Scrooge, who is unkind and doesn't like Christmas.

Well done for your hard work in today's lesson and learning all about the context of "A Christmas Carol".

I have really enjoyed teaching you.