Hello, my name is Miss Halladay and welcome to today's lesson.

I'll be your teacher for today, guiding you through the learning.

I'm really looking forward to hearing all your contributions and seeing your engagement in today's lesson.

So let's get started.

Today's lesson is called The Four Ghosts that entrances and exits.

And by the end of today's lesson, you will be able to understand the significance of The Four Ghosts' entrances and exits.

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

We've got rational, superstitious, purgatory, intervention, and to resolve.

Here are the keyword definitions.

If someone is rational, they are sensible and explain things using logic or reason.

Someone superstitious would believe wholeheartedly in the existence of the supernatural.

Purgatory is a mid ground between heaven and hell where sinners are sent to repent for their sins.

Intervention is an action taken to help somebody.

And finally, if you resolve to do something, you decide to do it.

I'd like you to keep an eye out for today's keywords in the learning.

And here's our lesson outline for today.

We're going to start by looking at entrances and how the ghost enter the scenes with Scrooge.

And then we're going to finish by looking at their exits and see the significance of the way in which they leave Scrooge.

But let's start first with their entrances.

I'd like you to discuss, first of all, where does the ghost of Jacob Marley appear before he physically presents himself to Scrooge? So let's see if you can remember this detail.

I'm going to invite you now to pause video while you discuss the answer to that question, off you go.

Some fantastic discussions there and really respectful interactions with one another.

So well done.

Congratulations to those of you that remembered that Jacob Marley's face actually appears in Scrooge's door knocker before his full arrival in Stave 1.

So let's have a look at that moment in a little bit more detail.

Here's the extract from when Scrooge sees Marley's ghost's face in his door knocker.

And I'd like you to consider, well, why do you think that Dickens has Marley's face appear in the knocker before he meets Scrooge face to face? So here's the extract.

I'll read it, you follow along.

"Now, it is a fact, that there was nothing at all particular about the knocker on the door, except that it was very large.

It is also a fact, that Scrooge had seen it, night and morning, during his whole residence in that place.

Also, that Scrooge has as little of what is called fancy about him as any man in the city of London, even including- which is a bold word- the corporation, aldermen and livery.

Let it also be borne in mind that Scrooge had not bestowed one thought on Marley, since his last mention of his seven years' dead partner that afternoon.

And then let any man explain to me, if he can, how it's happened that Scrooge, having his key in the lock of the door, saw in the knocker, without its undergoing any immediate process of change- not a knocker but Marley's face." So now I'd like you to consider the question on screen.

Why does Dickens have Marley appear in the knocker before he meets Scrooge face-to-face? So I'm gonna invite you now to pause the video while you discuss that with the people around you.

Some really fantastic and insightful discussions there.

And I'm really impressed with the depth of your explanation and how many of you tied it back to the text.

Let's have a look at some of the things you might have said and we're going to turn to our Oak students and listen to their conversation.

So Sophia says, first of all, "I think that Dickens has Marley's face appear in the knocker to create a mysterious and supernatural atmosphere to foreshadow the appearance of Marley's ghost." And in response, Jacob replies, "It's quite a confusing moment for the reader as we are left initially without an explanation as to how this has happened.

We only realise why this has happened following the entrance of Marley's ghost." Sophia replies, "I wonder if Dickens has done that to us to put us in the same situation as Scrooge? In the moment where he sees Marley's face, we are just as confused and bewildered as Scrooge.

Dickens might be challenging our perceptions of what is real." And then Jacob replies, "You mean he's setting us up to accept the unbelievable?" And Sophia replies, "Precisely, Jacob.

I think that's also why he characterises Scrooge as a really rational person who, 'had as little of what is called fancy about him as any man in the city of London.

' So that we don't think that Scrooge is hallucinating." And I really like this idea from Sophia, this idea that Dickens does characterise Scrooge as really rational because then we feel that if Scrooge's a rational person, then A, we can trust his disbelief and that we know he's definitely not hallucinating.

And B, also, this is clearly something, a phenomenon that cannot be explained by rationale or logic.

So it must be supernatural.

So I really like that point from Sophia.

And then Jacob replies, "So that we understand that this is really happening.

I guess it prepares us to accept the visit from Marley's ghost without question.

It's quite clever from Dickens really, isn't it?" And Sophia replies, "It's very clever.

Dickens even goes as far as to tell us that 'there was nothing at all particular about the knocker on the door' which again shows us that when Marley's face appears in it, that it's really definitely happening." And Jacob response, "Why is it so important that we understand that this is definitely happening and not just Scrooge hallucinating though?" And what I'd like you to do now is we'll think, can you answer Jacob's question? So why is it so important that we actually understand this is happening and it's not Scrooge just hallucinations? So I'm going to invite you now to pause the video while you discuss that with the people around you.

And if there is nobody around you, that's fine, you can just jot your ideas down.

So off you go.

Fantastic discussions.

And I was really impressed to see that many of you had the same idea as Sophia, this idea that actually Victorian readers were really superstitious, okay? So they really believed in the supernatural, it's one of our key words.

So if they believed that Scrooge was genuinely being visited by a ghost for his sins in life, they would believe that this could actually happen to them so they'd be more likely to behave better.

So to summarise, it's really important that we as readers really buy into this existence of the supernatural and believe that these supernatural occurrences are genuinely happening to Scrooge and that it is not just him hallucinating because that way there is the real and genuine threat that if we don't behave well, this could actually happen to us as well.

So well done if you got that idea.

So let's start looking at the four ghosts' entrances in the novella and consider why they're so significant.

So we're going to start looking at first of all, Marley's ghost entrance.

And if you remember, we're told that before Marley's ghost enter, a disused bell began to swing and it rang out loudly and so did every bell in the house.

We're told that the bells ceased as they had begun together and that they were succeeded by a clanking noise deep down below, as if some person was dragging a heavy chain over the casks in the wine-merchant's cellar.

We're then told that the cellar door flew open with a booming sound and then he heard the noise much louder on the floors below, then coming up the stairs, then coming straight towards his door.

Without a pause, it came on through the heavy door and passed into the room before his eyes.

So I'd like you to discuss using those quotations, well what is so significant about the forced entry into Scrooge's life from Marley's Ghost? So I'm going to invite you now to pause the video while you discuss that question with the people around you.

Off you go.

Fantastic discussions there.

So let's have a look at some of the things that you might have said.

First of all, we know that Marley's ghost enters from below.

And this could be really significant because this could be symbolic of him rising from hell or purgatory where he's being punished for his sins.

So this idea of him, you know, starting in the cellar and then moving up the stairs kind of reflects the idea that he's rising from hell, which is where he's been sent for all his misdeeds and wickedness in life.

His arrival is also announced by a bell.

Now we know that bells are symbolic of this idea of moral awakening and that this therefore could signify the beginning of Scrooge's rebirth and moral awareness.

It's also significant that Scrooge hears the ghost clanking and clanging before he sees him.

And Scrooge actually recognises this sound, which is quite interesting.

When he hears the sound, he thinks straight away that it must be the sounds of chains being dragged.

And the fact that he does recognise the sound could be significant in itself because it links really nicely with that quote when Marley asks Scrooge, "Is its pattern strange to you?" And obviously we know that its pattern isn't strange to Scrooge because Scrooge is behaving in the same miserly and way that Marley did.

So the fact that Scrooge recognises it could be Dickens indicating that Scrooge is in store for the same fate and that Scrooge and Marley approached life in a very similar and very selfish way.

And finally, the fact that Marley's ghost forces himself into Scrooge's chambers and into Scrooge's life reflects this idea that actually Scrooge wouldn't help himself and that he needs this kind of supernatural intervention in order to recognise the where he's been going wrong and make those positive changes to his life.

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

So let's check for understanding, what might be the significance of Marley's ghost entering from the wine cellar below Scrooge's lodgings? Is it A, that it symbolises that Marley locked himself away from others his whole life? B, it symbolises that Marley's ghost has ascended from purgatory/hell to visit Scrooge or is it C, it symbolises that Marley's ghost was always underneath Scrooge financially he never had as much money.

So I'm going to invite you now to pause the video while you make your answer selection.

Off you go.

And well done if you identified that B is in fact the correct answer, you are absolutely right.

The fact that Marley's ghost enters from the wine cellar could symbolise that Marley's ghost has ascended from hell or purgatory to visit Scrooge, which is where he's being punished for his sins.

Excellent work.

So I'd like you to discuss now, well do you remember how the Ghost of Christmas Past enters a novella in Stave 2? So I'm going to invite you to pause the video while you try and remember those details.

Fantastic work.

And I'm really impressed by how many of you were able to remember the way in which the Ghost of Christmas Past enters the novella.

So let's have a look at that moment now.

"He spoke before the hour bell sounded.

Light flashed up in the room upon the instant, and the curtains of his bed were drawn.

The curtains of his bed were drawn aside, I tell you, by a hand.

Not the curtains at his feet, nor the curtains at his back, but those to which his face was addressed.

The curtains of his bed were drawn aside, and Scrooge, starting up into a half-recumbent attitude found himself face to face with the unearthly visitor who drew them." So there we have the moment that the Ghost to Christmas Past enters the novella.

And Jacob has a really good point and he says, "I wonder what the light represents here.

It's also interesting that the spirit has to draw the bed curtains itself.

I wonder why that is." A really good question there from Jacob that I would like you to help him answer.

So I'm going to invite you now to pause a video while you try and explain to Jacob what the light represents? But also, why the spirit might have to have drawn the curtains aside himself? So pause the video and discuss that with the people around you.

Fantastic discussions.

So here's what you could have said.

You might have said that the light that fills the room could represent this idea of judgement because Scrooge's immorality is going to have a light shone on it and he's going to be enlightened as to the error of his ways.

So the light could also represent this concept of enlightenment and also guidance because the spirit will guide Scrooge to rediscover his empathy and recognise where he went wrong in his past.

It could also represent the light of God entering Scrooge's life because he's going to learn Christian values of kindness, equality, and charity through the spirit's visit.

Now in terms of the spirit having to draw Scrooge's bed curtains back himself, well that could be representative of the fact that Scrooge is not yet receptive to the spirit's teachings.

Okay? So he needs to have the curtain shown aside because he needs to be forced to engage with them at this point in the novella.

And we saw his lack of engagement in his conversation with Marley because he was initially quite defensive when he noticed the visit from Marley's ghost and he wasn't really receptive to the message that Marley's ghost was trying to teach him initially.

And secondly, I love this idea that the fact that the curtains bring him face to face with his unearthly visitor could also reflect this idea that the ghost will bring him face to face with his past actions.

And he is going to have to literally face up to the consequences of his own actions in this stave.

So pulling the curtains aside and finding himself face to face with the ghost really reflects that kind of vulnerability that we're going to see from Scrooge here.

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

So onto the first task of the lesson and I'd like you to use the following extracts to answer the questions about the significance of the last two ghosts' entrances.

So we're going to start by looking at the Ghost of Christmas Present.

Here's your extract, I'm not going to read it to you as I'll let you read it for yourselves.

And then here are some questions that I'd like you to answer based on the extract that really focus on the significance of the ghosts' entrance.

So we've got, first of all, well what is significant about Scrooge discovering the spirit for himself? And what is significant about Scrooge's response to this ghost? Once you've answered those questions, you are then going to have a look at the next ghost, which is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

And again, I've given you an extract which you can read for yourselves and some questions again.

Well, what is significant about Scrooge looking for the last spirit? And why might Dickens have the last spirit arrive at the end of Stave 3 instead of at the beginning of the next stave like the other ghosts? So I'm going to invite you now to pause the video while you read the two extracts and consider the significance of the two ghost entrances.

Now you might want to do this in your book in a written response or you might want to discuss it.

It's up to you, but either way I'd like you to read the extracts and answer the questions.

Off you go.

Fantastic work.

So let's have a look at what you might have said.

So first of all, the Ghost of Christmas Presents entrance, we could say is significant because, as Sophia points out, "Scrooge discovering the Ghost of Christmas Present himself shows his willingness to learn." And Jacob says, "It also reflects his growing ability to be introspective, as he has started to examine his own behaviour and understand his sins." Really good point there from Jacob.

And I love his use of the word introspective because that's a really important word when we're talking about "Christmas Carol", that ability to look inside oneself and recognise one's flaws and how one might be able to behave better.

So well done to Jacob for using a really key word there.

And finally, Sam states, "It's significant that Scrooge obeys the spirit when he 'bade' him enter.

Here, Scrooge still needs instruction from the spirits to change, but he is receptive to their lessons." And I really like this idea from Sam because they've really pointed out this idea that actually, Scrooge's not fully formed in his transformation yet, but he's certainly on his way.

And Sam points out that actually, although he does still need that guidance, he's a lot more receptive to it than he was.

So well done to Sam, Sophia and Jacob for their fantastic contributions there.

Now on to the last ghost.

So the significance of Scrooge looking for the last spirit, the Ghost to Christmas Yet to Come could be this, "Scrooge actively looking for the last spirit could show his eagerness and willingness to learn his final lesson.

Scrooge has already resolved to change by this point in the novella, so he may be looking forward to meeting the next spirit so that he can see himself as a changed man in his future, as this is what he assumes the spirit will show him." And if you remember in Stave 4, we see Scrooge really avidly and passionately looking for himself in the scenes with the gentleman discussing the dead man and he can't find himself because he's so convinced that he's going to change.

So he thinks he will be seeing himself in his future.

So that might explain why he's so eager to meet the ghost because he wants to see how his transformation has impacted his future.

Now the last spirit might arrive at the end of the previous stave because the spirit represents death and judgement and neither of these are escapable or avoidable.

So the spirit's arrival slightly prematurely compared to the other ghosts catches us as a reader off guard as well.

And it could illustrate the inescapable and inevitable nature of death and divine judgement , not only for Scrooge but also for the reader because again, Dickens puts us in that same position of surprise that Scrooge is in when the ghost enters at the end of Stave three and not at the beginning of Stave 4 like the other ghost did.

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

And if you didn't, feel free to add them in a different coloured pen so that you've got them for your notes.

Well done.

So onto our second learning cycle in the lesson where we're going to have a look at the ghosts' exits now.

We're going to use our work on the entrances as a model.

And we're going to start by looking at Marley's ghost's exit.

So here it is, "The apparition walked backward from him; and at every step it took, the window raised itself a little so that when the spectre reached it, it was wide open.

It beckoned Scrooge to approach, which he did.

When they were within two paces of each other, Marley's Ghost held up his hand warning him to come no nearer.

Scrooge stopped.

Not so much in obedience, as in surprise and fear: for on the raising of the hand, he became sensible of confused noises in the air, incoherent sounds of lamentation and regret, wailings, inexpressibly sorrowful and self-accusatory.

The spectre, after listening for a moment, joined in the mournful dirge and floated out upon the bleak, dark night." Fantastic piece of writing there from Dickens.

I just love his descriptions.

So good.

So let's check for understanding of what you've just read.

How does Marley's ghost leave the scene? Is it A, he evaporates into thin air in front of Scrooge.

B, he burns up in flames and then falls to ashes.

C, he reintegrates with other wondering spirits or is it D, he goes back down to the cellar, clanking his chains down the steps as he goes.

So I'm going to invite you now to pause the video while you make your answer selection.

And well done if you identified it is in fact C, Marley's ghost leaves by reintegrating with other wondering spirits outside Scrooge's window.

Well done.

So here's our extracts again that we've just read.

And what I'd like you to do is think, well who are these phantoms and what is significant about Marley's ghost rejoining them? And I've given you a little bit of help by highlighting key sections of the extract for you in green.

So I'd like you to reread the extract and answer the questions on screen with the people around you or jotting answers down if you are on your own.

So pause the video and off you go.

Again, some really fantastic work there.

And it was so lovely to see so many of you writing down the answers that your partner gave to you as well as your own.

So fantastic, really good note taking there alongside your discussions.

So here's what you might have said.

And again, if you see anything you like or you think you might want to use, please do feel free to jot it down in your book or on paper, whatever you've got in front of you.

'Cause these will be really useful notes for you.

So let's hear from Sophia.

And Sophia says, "These phantoms that Scrooge observes out of his window are all the lost souls who, like Marley, are doomed to wonder the earth unhappily as punishment for their sins." Jacob replies, "These phantoms all want to help other people but are forbidden to, and that is part of their punishment.

Scrooge recognises several of them showing that he has surrounded himself with wicked people." So the significance here is not only in the fact that these phantoms really want to help people and can't, but also that Scrooge knows a lot of these people.

So again, that shows us that Scrooge is really invested in the wrong kinds of relationships in his life.

And he is prioritised relationships that bring him material wealth and good over relationships that kind of fulfil his life and and bring him peace and comfort and warmth.

And finally Sam states, "It's important that Marley's ghost rejoins them so that we understand that just because he has been allowed to help Scrooge, he has not been granted freedom.

He will wander the earth forever." And that is his punishment.

Thank you to Sam, Jacob and Sophia for their fantastic ideas and well done to those of you who said similar things.

What we're going to do now is match exits up to the correct ghost.

So these are the remaining three exits in the novella and I'd like to see how much you can remember on your own.

So have a go at matching those up.

You'll need to pause the video before we share our answers.

Off you go.

Fantastic work.

And I can see that most of you got three out of three, so well done.

Let's mark our answers.

So the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come enters because Scrooge grabs the spirit's arms, but the spirit resists him.

Scrooge raises his hands in prayer and the spirits form morphs into that of his own bedpost.

So that's how the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come leaves Scrooge in his bedroom.

Now the Ghost of Christmas Past exits because Scrooge extinguishes the spirit's light with its cap and it collapses onto the floor and disappears.

And finally, the Ghost of Christmas Present has been gradually ageing over the stave.

And when the spirit fires Scrooge his words back at him, "Are there no prisons?" The clock strikes 12 and the spirit vanishes.

So well done for matching those up.

Really good recall and these will serve you well in the next task.

So onto our last task of the lesson, and I'd like you to use the table to explain why the ghost exits are so significant.

So on the left hand side we've got the spirit's exits, and on the right hand side I've given you some supporting questions to really help you consider this question of why the exits are so significant? So for the Ghost of Christmas Past, we've got the question of, well, what is significant about Scrooge extinguishing the spirits light himself and what does it show us about Scrooge? For the Ghost of Christmas Present, we've got what is significant about the spirit ageing throughout the stave and then disappearing on the stroke of 12? And I've given you a little hint for this one because it's a hard question and the hint is consider what the spirit represents.

And then finally, for the last spirit the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, we've got the question of how does this moment contrast with the way Scrooge grabs the spirit in Stave 2? And also, what is significant about the way in which the spirit morphs into a bedpost? So I'm gonna invite you now to pause the video while you have a go at completing the grid, using the questions on the right hand side to guide you, off you go.

Fantastic work.

And I can see some really detailed grids here.

So I'm so impressed with the effort that you've put into this task.

So here's what you might have said.

And as always, if you see something you like that you want in your own notes, please do feel free to copy it down and use it later.

So for the Ghost of Christmas Past and the fact that Scrooge extinguishes its light with its cap and it collapsed on the floor and disappears, you might have said that Scrooge rids himself of the ghost through force.

And this shows us not only the pain that Scrooge feels that having seen these past memories, but also that he's really not ready yet to take accountability for his past actions.

So we really see Scrooge here at the very beginning of his metamorphosis and his transformation, not quite ready to take accountability, but recognising significant moments from his past that have shaped his present.

Now in terms of the Ghost of Christmas Present and the fact that he gradually ages over the course of the stave and that when the clock strikes 12, he disappears.

Well, we know that this spirit represents Christmas.

He's an embodiment of Christmas and that's why he has more than 1800 siblings and that's why he vanishes at 12 o'clock because Christmas is over.

So the spirit's life has ended as such.

And Scrooge learns from the Spirit just how precious time is because when the Spirit vanishes, he sees that he doesn't have all the time in the world and recognises that he too needs to get a move on with making positive changes to his life otherwise he's going to end up with the same fate as Marley's ghost.

And finally, the last spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Scrooge grabs his arms and the spirit resists him.

And Scrooge raises his hands in prayer and the spirit morphs into Scrooge's bedpost.

And that could be significant because it makes the experience seem much more dreamlike and it gives it this kind of nightmarish quality that makes us question the ghost existence for a moment.

'Cause we kind of think, well, was this all a dream? And then we start to think afterwards, well would it have made a difference if it was all a dream? You know, are the messages and the morals that the ghost taught Scrooge still relevant? And of course they are but these are all questions that we start to ask ourselves when we kind of for one moment question the validity and the realness of the ghosts.

This kind of dwindling down into the bedpost is also kind of a structural device by Dickens because it facilitates this really smooth transition into Christmas Day where we can finally see Scrooges start to implement the teachings of the spirits into his everyday life and make those really positive changes.

So while done, if you've got any of those ideas, very, very insightful and perceptive.

So to summarise our learning from today, well first of all, each of the ghost entrances is symbolic of the stage that Scrooge is at in his transformation.

The earlier ghosts like Marley's Ghost and the Ghost of Christmas Past have to enter Scrooge's world forcefully.

And that idea reflects the fact that Scrooge won't help himself and that he needs this intervention kind of thrust upon him in order to recognise the error of his ways and make positive changes.

Now in contrast, the later ghosts are actually sought out by Scrooge.

He goes looking for them, and that shows his newfound willingness to learn and his ability to be introspective.

Also, the ghost exits are very significant because they reflect the purposes and the characters of the ghosts.

And each of their exits confirms Scrooge's progress in his transformation.

So again, really significant in terms of us tracking Scrooge's development throughout the text.

Thank you for coming to today's lesson.

I've absolutely loved teaching you, and it's been an absolute pleasure to hear all your ideas and see all your engagement.

So thank you very much for all of that.

I hope you have a lovely rest of your day and I will see you next time.