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Year 10
AQA

'A Christmas Carol': improving analytical writing

I can use feedback to improve my analytical writing about Scrooge.

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New
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Year 10
AQA

'A Christmas Carol': improving analytical writing

I can use feedback to improve my analytical writing about Scrooge.

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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The thesis statement, topic sentences and summary sentences offer structure to the argument
  2. Textual evidence should be used to support your argument and embedded
  3. We should use a range of embedded quotations from across the text
  4. You should examine layers of meaning within the text
  5. Redrafting is a very important part of the writing process

Keywords

  • Feedback - Feedback is information given to someone to help them improve something.

  • Redrafting - Redrafting something means rewriting it to improve it.

  • Introspection - Engaging in introspection means examining your own thoughts and feelings.

  • Compelling - If an argument is compelling, it is convincing and persuasive.

  • Discourse marker - A discourse marker is a word or phrase that helps us to organise our speech or writing into sections. An example would be ‘so’ or ‘also’.

Common misconception

Students think that once they have put their pen down and stopped writing, that they have finished.

Students should think of their first attempt as simply a first draft. The second redraft is their chance to fine tune their argument.

You could replace the two paragraphs given in learning cycle one with your own students' work.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to a copy of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' for this lesson.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does Scrooge represent in Stave 1 of 'A Christmas Carol'?
An oyster concealing a pearl.
The impoverished lower classes.
Correct answer: Malthusian ideology.
Redemption and transformation.
Correct answer: The middle-upper Victorian classes.
Q2.
Match the quotations from 'A Christmas Carol' to the character who says it.
Correct Answer:Marley's ghost,"Mankind was my business."

"Mankind was my business."

Correct Answer:Ghost of Christmas Past, "These were shadows of the things that have been."

"These were shadows of the things that have been."

Correct Answer:Fred,"I have always thought of Christmas as a good time."

"I have always thought of Christmas as a good time."

Correct Answer:Scrooge,"I wish to be left alone."

"I wish to be left alone."

Q3.
Starting with the first, put the components of an analytical essay in order.
1 - Thesis statement.
2 - Topic sentence.
3 - Supporting detail 1.
4 - Supporting detail 2.
5 - Supporting detail 3.
6 - Closing sentence.
7 - Conclusion.
Q4.
Which of the following do you need to use to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the text?
Discourse markers to organise your argument.
Correct answer: A clear and well-considered argument.
Correct answer: Integrated context used to support your argument.
Quotes from the extract.
Correct answer: Textual evidence that is analysed thoroughly.
Q5.
Which of the following quotations might you use to show Scrooge's miserliness in Stave 1 of 'A Christmas Carol'?
'Marley was dead: to begin with.'
Correct answer: 'a poor excuse for picking a man's pocket every twenty-fifth...'
'Merry Christmas, uncle!'
Correct answer: 'Darkness is cheap and Scrooge liked it.'
'Scrooge took his usual melancholy dinner.'
Q6.
Which of the following would be the most appropriate piece of context to use when analysing the quotation 'Are there no prisons?' from 'A Christmas Carol'?
Malthus was an economist who believed there wasn't enough food to go around.
Dickens was born in 1812 in Portsmouth.
Correct answer: The Poor Law aimed to separate those who could work and those who couldn't.
Child labour was common in the Victorian era with children working in factories.
Charles Dickens gave a speech in Manchester in 1843.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Starting with the first, put the stages of the writing process in chronological order.
1 - Read the text.
2 - Plan the response.
3 - Write the response.
4 - Get feedback on the response.
5 - Redraft the response.
Q2.
Which of the following is an example of a discourse marker?
And.
Said.
Correct answer: Moreover.
You.
Correct answer: Therefore.
Q3.
A group of students were answering the question: How does Dickens present Scrooge in Stave 2 of 'A Christmas Carol'? Whose topic sentence is best?
Dickens presents Scrooge as an enlightened character in Stave 3.
Scrooge is a much more emotional character in Stave two.
Correct answer: In Stave 2, Dickens illustrates Scrooge's capacity for empathy.
In Stave 2, the Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge his childhood.
Q4.
What is an embedded quote?
A quote that is hidden within the text and requires decoding.
A quote that is written within quotation marks.
Correct answer: A quote that is fully integrated into the text and flows naturally.
A quote that is unrelated to the topic of the text.
A quote that is positioned at the beginning of a paragraph.
Q5.
If you were answering the question: How does Dickens present Fezziwig in 'A Christmas Carol'? Which pieces of evidence could you use to support the idea that he represents philanthropy?
"In came Mrs. Fezziwig, one vast substantial smile."
Correct answer: "No more work tonight. Christmas Eve!"
"Another idol has displaced me...a golden one."
"Solitary as an oyster."
Correct answer: "The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune.”
Q6.
Which of the following is the best example of a closing sentence?
Correct answer: Thus, Dickens illustrates the transformative power of generosity and empathy.
The novella is a timeless tale about the joy of Christmas.
Scrooge's story shows us that the pursuit of wealth is wrong.
"And so, as Tiny Tim observed, 'God bless us, every one!'"
The Ghost of Christmas Past represents enlightenment.

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