New
New
Year 4

Exploring characterisation in 'A Christmas Carol'

I can analyse characterisation within a chapter.

New
New
Year 4

Exploring characterisation in 'A Christmas Carol'

I can analyse characterisation within a chapter.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Characterisation is the way an author describes and develops the personalities and traits of the characters in a story.
  2. Authors choose adjectives carefully to build a picture of a character.
  3. The way a character treats others helps us understand a character, build an opinion and become invested in the story.
  4. Authors use contrasting characters to helps highlight particular characteristics.
  5. In the summary, Scrooge meets four ghosts who give him a new perspective on life.

Keywords

  • Characterisation - Characterisation is the way an author and illustrator describes and develops the personalities and traits of the characters in a story.

  • Synonym - A synonym is a word that has the same or similar meaning to another word.

  • Contrast - Contrast is a significant difference between one thing and another.

Common misconception

Children may not realise that characterisation is more complex than just adjective choice. It is also about how they treat other people and how they are treated by other people.

Practise drawing from real life examples of how you develop an impression of a person and their characteristics.

Provide an opportunity for children to compare the character of Scrooge to other characters they have studied, particularly any by the same author.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
When reading, what is meant by a making a prediction?
a list of technical or subject-specific terms with brief explanations
when you find and remember specific information or details from the text
Correct answer: a guess or inference about what might happen next in the story based on clues
Q2.
Which of these words has a similar meaning to 'mean'?
jolly
Correct answer: nasty
Correct answer: unpleasant
Correct answer: cruel
Q3.
Which of these words relate to Christmas?
Correct answer: merry
boring
Correct answer: festive
gloomy
Q4.
Which words also mean 'ghost'?
Correct answer: spirit
shape
Correct answer: phantom
mystery
Q5.
True or false? Words sometimes have related words in different word classes.
Correct Answer: True, true
Q6.
What is Scrooge's first name?
Bob
Fred
Correct answer: Ebenezer
Eric

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to their definitions.
Correct Answer:characterisation,the way an author and illustrator describes and develops a character

the way an author and illustrator describes and develops a character

Correct Answer:synonym,a word that has the same or similar meaning to another word

a word that has the same or similar meaning to another word

Correct Answer:contrast,significant difference between one thing and another

significant difference between one thing and another

Q2.
Order the following events from the summary of 'A Christmas Carol'.
1 - Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his old business partner, Marley.
2 - Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past.
3 - Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Present.
4 - Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.
Q3.
True or False? The ghosts all looked and acted the same.
Correct Answer: False, false
Q4.
In the morning, why did Scrooge jump from his bed with determination?
Correct answer: He is determined to turn his life around.
He is scared and wants to get away.
He's excited about breakfast.
Q5.
Which of these following words relates to the difference between Scrooge at the beginning of the summary and Scrooge at the end of the summary?
similar
Correct answer: contrast
appropriate
Q6.
True or False? Scrooge is only characterised in a negative light.
Correct Answer: False, false

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