This document outlines learning objectives and activities for teaching A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It includes standards like understanding unfamiliar words from context and discussing differences between print and audio versions of texts. Students will research Victorian Britain, read an abridged audio version while following along, and complete vocabulary and comparison activities. They will also write a news article recounting events from the story to practice language skills. The combination of listening and reading is meant to help all students comprehend the complex vocabulary and story.
A Christmas Carol Lessons on Victorian Era & Storytelling
1. A Christmas Carol
SLO 1.1: Express ideas and develop understanding
- engage in exploratory communicat ion to share personal responses and
develop own interpretations
SLO 2.1: Use comprehension st rategies
- use definit ions provided in context to ident ify the meanings of unfamiliar
words
SLO 2.2: Const ruct meaning from text s
- observe and discuss aspect s of human nature revealed in oral, print and
other media text s, and relate them to those encountered in the
community
SLO 2.3: Understand forms and genres
- discuss the differences between print and other media versions of the
same text
SLO 2.3: Understand techniques and element s
- explore techniques, such as visual imagery, sound, flashback and voice
inflect ion, in oral, print and other media text s
SLO 3.1: Determine informat ion needs
- decide on and select the informat ion needed to support a point of view
SLO 3.3: Record informat ion
- quote informat ion from oral, print and other media sources
SLO 3.4: Share ideas and informat ion
- communicate ideas and informat ion in a variety of oral, print and other
media text s
Rat ionale
By listening to an audiobook while reading along with the text, students
face fewer challenges in understanding the text. The combinat ion of listening
and reading allows different ly-st rengthed learners to understand the story. The
second “episode” allows for an excellent opport unit y for st udent s t o re-tell
event s through a news story. The large and dynamic vocabulary used in Charles
Dickens’ A Christmas Carol provides many opportunit ies for student s to learn
how to understand unfamiliar words through contextual cues.
2. Tasks
Learning About Victorian Britain: (1 period)
Materials: computers, bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/Victorian-britain,
Victorian Britain research sheet
Reading the Story: (9 – 15 minute episodes on
bbc.co.uk/learning/schoolradio/subject s/english/a_christmas_carol)
Materials: Abridged version found on website, with notations added for
vocabulary
Vocabulary: (approx. 5 words per episode)
Materials: student notes, online crossword generator
News Art icle: (4 periods – 1 inst ruct ional, 1 planning, 2 writ ing)
Materials: Writ ing a News Story Notes
Comparison: (flex act ivity)
Materials: Film version of A Christmas Carol, Comparison Sheet s (Venn Diagram,
T-Table, Fill in the Blank notes, etc.)
4. What did they do for fun?
What are some BIG differences between now and then?
Did you find anything interesting?
5. Writing a News Story
Your needs to give the reader an idea of
what the article is about.
The most important thing is that the title
about the article.
The first sentence of your news story is called a .
This is a statement that the reader’s
interest, and makes sure that the reader will
.
In your first paragraph, you need to answer the .
These are:
6. In your next paragraphs, you need to provide the reader
with the .
This is where you fill the reader in on .
News Art icle Rubric
Tit le: /2
Hook: /2
5W1H: /6
Details: /5
Sentence Structure: /5
Total: /20