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Year 10
Edexcel

'A Christmas Carol': planning an essay on Scrooge

I can plan a sophisticated response to an essay question on Scrooge.

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New
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Year 10
Edexcel

'A Christmas Carol': planning an essay on Scrooge

I can plan a sophisticated response to an essay question on Scrooge.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Single paragraph outlines are useful for organising your ideas into a coherent structure
  2. Single paragraph outlines contain a topic sentence, supporting detail and a closing sentence
  3. The supporting details should contain quotations you will use, along with methods, key vocabulary and context
  4. A single paragraph outline should be planned for each section of your response (it might be more than one paragraph)
  5. Context should be used as evidence for your argument and not as an afterthought

Keywords

  • Dire - If a dire warning is delivered, it is incredibly serious and urgent.

  • Indifferent - Someone indifferent to other people would show little concern or interest in them.

  • Harbinger - A harbinger is a person or thing that signals the arrival of something.

  • Meagre - A meagre meal would contain very little food.

Common misconception

Students do not take the time to plan properly before writing.

Not taking the time to plan a response properly makes your argument less concise and less coherent.


To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: 'A Christmas Carol': planning an essay on Scrooge, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Take the time to share students' responses to the first discussion in learning cycle 2 to give weaker students as much help as possible with ideas.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

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

content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), 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.
In 'A Christmas Carol', what is Scrooge's first name?
Edward
Edgar
Correct answer: Ebeneezer
Ethan
Ellis
Q2.
The motif of cold associated with Scrooge, in stave one of 'A Christmas Carol', is used to suggest what about him?
Correct answer: that he is selfish
that he is deceased
that he is lonely
that he is poor
Correct answer: that he is cruel
Q3.
How many years has Marley been dead in 'A Christmas Carol'?
Correct Answer: seven, 7
Q4.
What does Scrooge tell Bob to do, in order to have Christmas Day off, in 'A Christmas Carol'?
work later that evening
bring him a Christmas gift
Correct answer: come in early on Boxing Day
give him a day's wages back
Q5.
Which of the following is a synonym for 'small' or 'inadequate'?
dire
Correct answer: meagre
immoral
immense
miser
Q6.
Which of the following is the best explanation of the significance of the chains Marley's ghost wears in 'A Christmas Carol'?
The chains represent his sins
Each link on the chain represents a sin Marley committed in life
The chains are heavy, which shows the burden of Marley's guilt
Correct answer: Each link on the chain symbolises a sin Marley committed, showing his immorality
The chains are long so Marley committed a lot of sins

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What comes after the topic sentence in a single paragraph outline?
Correct Answer: supporting details, Supporting details, Supporting Details
Q2.
When writing a single paragraph outline, which of the following should you include in your supporting details?
Correct answer: relevant context
Correct answer: quotations from the text
information about the publisher
Correct answer: key vocabulary that you will use
Correct answer: the writer's methods
Q3.
What is the purpose of the closing sentence in a single paragraph outline?
to reinforce your supporting details
Correct answer: to restate your opinion
to introduce new ideas and opinions
to outline your opinion on the topic
Correct answer: to revisit your thesis statement
Q4.
Which word means 'a person or thing that signals the arrival of something'?
meagre
Correct answer: harbinger
beacon
dire
spokesperson
Q5.
How long should you spend on each single paragraph outline?
up to 2 minutes
up to 4 minutes
Correct answer: up to 5 minutes
up to 10 minutes
Q6.
Which of the following would make the best supporting detail?
Marley's ghost visits Scrooge - gives him message
"I wear the chains I forged in life" - important quote
Marley warns Scrooge about his fate if he doesn't change.
Correct answer: Marley's ghost visits - "wear the chains" - symbolism - warning to Scrooge
Chains in "wear chains" show guilt and symbolise regret