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Year 10
Edexcel

'A Christmas Carol': planning an extended argument

I can plan a convincing, holistic argument about the text.

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New
New
Year 10
Edexcel

'A Christmas Carol': planning an extended argument

I can plan a convincing, holistic argument about the text.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. When writing an essay, you have to think carefully about the order in which you present your ideas.
  2. When writing, lay the foundational knowledge, then include primary/secondary evidence, then give a personal response.
  3. It can be difficult to bring any new interpretations to commonly-used quotations, so try to pick some lesser-used ones.
  4. Giving a personal response to the text shows your reader your enthusiasm for the text and the subject.
  5. Using paragraph outlines to plan your response can be useful when considering the structure of your argument.

Common misconception

Students think that it doesn't matter which quotations they select for use.

It can be difficult to bring any new interpretations to commonly-used quotations, so try to pick some lesser-used ones.

Keywords

  • Holistic - when something is holistic, all the separate parts are connected and work together as a whole.

  • Explorative - to be explorative about a topic means to approach it in a spirit of investigation and curiosity.

  • Primary evidence - primary evidence refers to the commonly-used quotations from a text.

  • Secondary evidence - secondary evidence refers to less well known quotations that can build your argument.

  • Reductionist - being reductionist means analysing something complicated into its simplest form.

In learning cycle one, take the time to model some more examples of primary versus secondary quotations and direct students to additional reading so that they can form a personal response to the text.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

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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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
How does Scrooge respond to Marley's Ghost in Stave 1 of 'A Christmas Carol'?
he finds the ghost amusing
he is very upset
Correct answer: he is defensive
he is excited to see his old friend
Correct answer: he is fearful
Q2.
How does Scrooge respond to the characters Ignorance and Want in Stave 3 of 'A Christmas Carol'?
Correct answer: with disgust
Correct answer: with horror
with anger
with generosity
Correct answer: with fear
Q3.
What is Scrooge's biggest fear as an adolescent in Stave 2 of 'A Christmas Carol'?
hunger
greed
wealth
Correct answer: poverty
heartache
Q4.
Complete the quotation from Stave 4 of 'A Christmas Carol': “Ghost of the Future!” he exclaimed, “I you more than any spectre I have seen."
Correct Answer: fear, Fear, fear., Fear.
Q5.
Where does Scrooge's fear of abandonment come from in 'A Christmas Carol'?
Correct answer: his poor relationship with his father
his co-working with Bob Cratchit
his relationship with his sister
his relationship with Fezziwig
Correct answer: his relationship with Belle
Q6.
Match the components of an essay to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:introduction,includes a thesis statement - introduces holistic argument

includes a thesis statement - introduces holistic argument

Correct Answer:topic sentence,introduces idea for the paragraph

introduces idea for the paragraph

Correct Answer:supporting detail ,includes evidence for your opinion and relevant context

includes evidence for your opinion and relevant context

Correct Answer:closing sentence,summarises ideas from the paragraph

summarises ideas from the paragraph

Correct Answer:conclusion,revisits thesis statement - summarises overarching argument

revisits thesis statement - summarises overarching argument

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What can we call the fundamental information your reader requires to understand your argument?
secondary evidence
primary evidence
Correct answer: foundational knowledge
personal response
Q2.
evidence is the unavoidable evidence - the quotations that you can’t avoid referencing. These quotations are very well-known, which makes it difficult to say anything new.
Correct Answer: Primary, primary., Primary., primary
Q3.
Which of the following statements is true of secondary evidence?
It includes very well-known quotations.
Correct answer: Fewer people would be likely to use these quotations.
It would be difficult to say anything new about these kinds of quotations.
Correct answer: It includes lesser-known quotations.
More people would be likely to use these quotations.
Q4.
Which of the following could help you to demonstrate a personal response to a text?
writing everything that your teacher thinks down
Correct answer: reading critical essays independently
discussing commonly-used quotations
Q5.
If you consider a text as a whole, you are giving a __________ view of it.
reductive
Correct answer: holistic
primary
secondary
explorative
Q6.
Which of the following could be considered primary quotations from 'A Christmas Carol'?
Correct answer: "as solitary as an oyster"
"capacious waistcoat"
Correct answer: "God bless us, every one!"
"Well, I am the most disinterested among you, after all,”
“Father is so much kinder than he used to be"