Lesson video

Hi there.

My name is Mr. Byrne-Smith, and today we're going to be doing some reading together.

This is the first lesson in our unit on "A Christmas Carol." In today's lesson, we're going to introduce the book and the author.

Okay, let's make a start.

Here's the agenda for today's lesson.

First, we're going to introduce the author of the book.

Then we're going to discuss the era in which this book was written.

After that, we'll summarise what we've learned.

In this lesson, you will need an exercise book or paper, a pencil and, of course, your brain.

So if you need to go and get any of these things, pause the video now.

Let's introduce the author and the book.

Now, the author of the text we're looking at in this unit is Charles Dickens.

My turn, your turn.

Charles Dickens.

Before we go on, I'd like you to have a think about what you already know about Charles Dickens.

It might be a little, it might be a lot.

It doesn't matter.

Anything and everything that you know, I like you to write it down or say it out loud.

Then we'll go through some key facts.

Pause the video now.

Okay.

So Charles Dickens was born in 1812 in England.

So he was born over 200 years ago, and he was born and mostly lived in England.

He lived during the Victorian era.

This is an era that we are going to study later on in the lesson.

An era is a period of time.

Now, he wrote many famous novels, one of which is called "Oliver Twist." This is perhaps the most famous.

The one we're studying in this unit is also pretty well-known, "A Christmas Carol." "Oliver Twist" is probably the second equals first best known of his stories.

He often represented the struggles of the poor.

He was quite interested in portraying the lives of poor people in his various stories.

And this is a theme that we see again and again in his texts.

Okay, now, we're going to look at the text that we'll be studying today, it's called "A Christmas Carol." Now, you might already know something about it.

There might be some things you can guess about it.

I'd like you to share everything you know now.

Pause the video.

Okay, let's think about some facts we know about "A Christmas Carol." Now, the first thing that I'm going to guess is that it's related to Christmas.

I'm making that guess on the basis of the word Christmas being in the title, "A Christmas Carol." "A Christmas Carol" was first published in 1843, which is almost 180 years ago.

It sold out within a few weeks.

So it was released as a Christmas tale just before Christmas, and by Christmas Eve, it had completely sold out.

So it was very popular.

Even after it was first published, straight away.

Since then, lots of different versions have been created.

There have been stories rewritten, there have been films, there have been plays.

There have been different types of novels, graphic novels, cartoons.

There have been poems. There have been picture books.

This has to be one of the most recreated Christmas tale there is.

It's very popular, and it's still popular today as a Christmas tale.

Okay, let's discuss the era in which the book was written.

First question we're going to think about is why do you think it is important to understand the era in which a book was written? So we're about to get to grips with the era, but why are we doing that? What's the benefit of that? I'd like you to answer this question, using phrases like this.

I think it is important to understand a book's era because.

That's quite important, that because, that's where you justify your answer.

Pause the video now and have a think.

Okay.

Now I think it's important to understand the book's era because it allows him to understand the characters a bit better.

Characters from a tale that's 200 years old will have different concerns and worries in their life to a character from a story based today.

And the same thing goes for stories in 200 years time.

Characters in those stories will have completely different things to worry about and to be concerned about.

So I think it's really important that in order to understand these concerns and worries we really delve into the era, and we really fully understand the era.

It helps us as a reader get to know the characters and get to know the story.

Now, Charles Dickens lived during the Victorian era, which lasted from 1837 to 1901.

Now, an era is a period of time.

I wonder why this era was called the Victorian era.

Do you have any ideas? This is the period during which Queen Victoria reigned, during which she ruled, the period during which she was queen, she was in charge.

That's why it's called the Victorian era, it's named after her.

Queen Victoria was only 18 when she became queen, and she ruled the next 64 years, which is one of the longest reigns in history.

Now, "A Christmas Carol" is set in Victorian London.

During this period in London, there was a big contrast between the rich and poor.

What do you think I mean by contrast between the rich and poor? Pause the video and have a think.

Okay.

Now, when I say contrast, I mean difference.

So there was a big difference between the rich and poor.

They had very different lives, very contrasting lives.

I've selected two images here, which I think represent the contrast between the rich and the poor.

The first thing I'd like you to do is point to the image which you think represent the poor.

Point to it for me.

Okay, it's the image on the left.

Now, both of these are drawings.

So we got to investigate these, but obviously we have to be aware of the fact that they're only drawings.

They're not photographs of the time, they're just recreations of the time.

I'd like you to have a think about the differences represented in these images between the rich and the poor.

What can you see that's different about the dress or the lifestyle of the rich and the poor? I'd like you to pause the video and have a think.

Okay, now the biggest difference I can see is the dress.

The way in which the characters in each picture are dressed.

So the people in the picture on the left are dressed in quite scruffy, tatty clothes.

Sometimes they're not even wearing shoes.

Whereas the people in the right are dressed in their finery.

They're dressed in fancy dresses, which actually look as though they're made from really expensive material, even seem to be quite shiny.

The material seems to have a sheen to it.

It suggests to me it's probably quite expensive.

So already I'm seeing quite a significant difference between the two sets of people.

I also think they're doing different things.

The people on the right seem to be partying and socialising and seem to be quite relaxed.

And the people on the left seem to be, lots of them are looking after someone else.

And there are lots of people looking after children, or even some children looking after children.

And although they look like they're having an okay time, they're certainly not partying.

So just some of the differences highlighted between the Victorian poor and the Victorian rich.

Let's get a feel for the setting, Victorian London.

Now, "A Christmas Carol" is set at Christmas time.

We have some images here which represent Victorian London at Christmas time.

I'd like you to look at these pictures and come up with one, two, three adjectives that you think describe Victorian London at Christmas, which is what these images represent.

So that's one, two, three adjectives describing this setting.

Pause the video now.

Okay.

You might have come up with misty, and snowing, and bustling.

Bustling because there are people moving around on the street.

Okay, let's build on that.

We have a new image representing Victorian London at Christmas.

I would like one, two more adjectives.

These have to be different from the ones you picked before.

Two more adjectives.

Pause the video and have a go.

Okay, I'm going to go with crowded and chaotic.

It seems to be lots of movement and bustling around.

People seem to be fairly busy, which figures, because Christmas time is a busy time.

Right.

So Victorian London.

Let's see if we can represent here various things we know about Victorian London, various things that we've picked out from these last few images.

I'd like you to create a mini mind map.

This won't take long.

And your mind map should contain a variety of adjectives, which you think describe Victorian London.

So pause the video and have a go.

Okay.

I've had a go.

I have added to my mind map busy, bustling, foggy, cold.

It looks really cold.

It's somehow looks colder than Christmas time does now.

Chaotic.

Lively.

It seemed to be a bit of buzz in the air and a bit of movement about the streets.

Okay.

So we've considered the author.

We considered the era.

We considered the text and even the setting.

So let's summarise what we've thought about today.

I'd like you to help me out with these statements, they're true or false statements.

So let's hear them first.

Charles Dickens only liked to represent the lives of the rich.

"A Christmas Carol" was popular instantly.

Victorian society was very fair and balanced.

Okay.

Consider those.

Pause the video if you need to.

Are they true or false? Charles Dickens only liked to represent the lives of the rich.

False.

We know that he liked to represent the lives of the poor, and he enjoyed exploring the contrast between the rich and the poor.

"A Christmas Carol" was popular instantly.

True.

Within a few weeks, it was sold out, which is testament to its popularity.

Victorian society was very fair and balanced.

False.

We know that there's a great contrast, the big difference between the rich and the poor, and between the lives they led.

We got to find out more about this contrast in the text, "A Christmas Carol." So what do you think? Do you think Victorian London is a good setting for a story? And why? If you were to write a story and you have to base it on Christmas in London, Victorian London, would you have ideas springing to mind? And why? Pause the video and have a think.

Okay, I think it is a good setting, 'cause it seems to me very atmospheric, which means it seems as there's a very distinct atmosphere in Victorian London.

I also think that the difference between the rich and the poor gives you lots to talk about.

Because a big difference like that is likely to cause problems, and problems make good stories.

So in my opinion, it is a good setting for a story.

Okay.

Congratulations, that's the end of the lesson.

You've done really well.

Today, we've introduced the author and the book.

We've discussed the era and we have summarised what we've learned so far about Victorian London.

So well done.

That was the end of the lesson, well done for all of your hard work.