New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

'A Christmas Carol': constructing an argument about the ghosts

I can plan an effective argument about the ghosts, being selective with my ideas and evidence.

New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

'A Christmas Carol': constructing an argument about the ghosts

I can plan an effective argument about the ghosts, being selective with my ideas and evidence.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. When first given an essay question, use the question to brainstorm all the possible ideas you could include.
  2. It is important to be judicious about which evidence and ideas you will include.
  3. Ideally, you want to include a range of moments from across the text that all support your thesis statement.
  4. Try to include a personal response to the text, to show your reader your engagement with it, and understanding of it.
  5. Paragraph outlines are useful when planning your response.

Common misconception

Students try to include as much knowledge as possible in their responses.

Encourage students to be selective in their choice of ideas and to explain their choices.

Keywords

  • Selective - Being selective means choosing something very carefully so that it fulfils an intended purpose.

  • Social responsibility - Somebody who believes in social responsibility invests in their community and supports those in need.

  • Mouthpiece - A person or character who speaks on behalf of another person or organisation.

  • To impart - To impart is to communicate information to someone.

When the suggestions are given to Andeep in learning cycle 1, ask students to explain how each idea links back to social responsibility. This will show students how to keep linking back to their thesis statement.
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 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).

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the stave from 'A Christmas Carol' up to the ghost who visits Scrooge in that stave.
Correct Answer:Stave 1,Marley's Ghost

Marley's Ghost

Correct Answer:Stave 2,The Ghost of Christmas Past

The Ghost of Christmas Past

Correct Answer:Stave 3,The Ghost of Christmas Present

The Ghost of Christmas Present

Correct Answer:Stave 4,The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

Q2.
Match the allusion Dickens makes to the ghost he uses to make the allusion in 'A Christmas Carol'.
Correct Answer:Victorian Father Christmas,The Ghost of Christmas Present

The Ghost of Christmas Present

Correct Answer:The German Christkindl,The Ghost of Christmas Past

The Ghost of Christmas Past

Correct Answer:The Grim Reaper,The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

Q3.
In 'A Christmas Carol', which spirit shows Scrooge the scenes of Mrs Dilber and her criminal friends bargaining over some stolen possessions?
Marley's Ghost
The Ghost of Christmas Past
The Ghost of Christmas Present
Correct answer: The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
Q4.
In 'A Christmas Carol', which spirit has the characters Ignorance and Want with it?
Marley's Ghost
The Ghost of Christmas Past
Correct answer: The Ghost of Christmas Present
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
Q5.
In 'A Christmas Carol', which spirit repeats Scrooge's words 'Are there no prisons?' back to him?
Marley's Ghost
The Ghost of Christmas Past
Correct answer: The Ghost of Christmas Present
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
Q6.
In Stave 1 of 'A Christmas Carol', Dickens uses the portly gentlemen as a mouthpiece to directly contradict the common beliefs and ideologies that pervaded Victorian society at the time.
Correct Answer: Malthusian, Malthusian.

6 Questions

Q1.
When writing an analytical essay, approximately how many ideas should you choose to cover your essay response?
1-2
2-3
Correct answer: 3-4
5-6
Q2.
Why is it important to be selective about the ideas you choose to include?
to present as much knowledge as possible.
so that you can have some spare time when you have finished writing
Correct answer: to present the strongest argument possible
Q3.
Which of the following features of academic writing 'outlines the arguments of each paragraph and includes key question vocabulary'?
Correct answer: topic sentence
thesis statement
summary statement
supporting detail
conclusion
Q4.
Which of the following is the correct definition for the word 'mouthpiece' in relation to 'A Christmas Carol'?
a person or character who communicates information
Correct answer: a person or character who speaks on behalf of another person or organisation
a person who chooses something very carefully so that fulfils a purpose
somebody who believes in social responsibility and invests in their community
Q5.
If you were writing an essay about the significance of Marley's Ghost in Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol', which quotation would you not include?
Correct answer: "jolly green giant"
"I wear the chains I forged in life."
"link by link and yard by yard"
"are there no prisons?"
"mankind was my business"
Q6.
In an essay about injustice in 'A Christmas Carol', which character might be the least appropriate to discuss?
Tiny Tim
Correct answer: Fred
Bob Cratchit
Ignorance and Want
Mrs Dilber