In British history, The Victorian era is the period of time during which Queen Victoria was on the throne (1837 - 1901).

Historical context refers to the background information that existed at a specific period in history.

Poverty is the state of being extremely poor.

Contrast is significant difference between one thing and another.

Learning about the context of 'A Christmas Carol'

English

In the current unit, pupils write a shorter narrative based on a film. In 'The Robin’, pupils write a narrative based on a film clip from beginning to end.

In 'The Firework Maker's Daughter', pupils developed the skill of writing speech sentences. In this unit, pupils will learn to write a short narrative based on a film.

In this unit, pupils explore A Christmas Carol, learning about its context and developing comprehension through targeted questions. They analyse characterisation, themes, and the story's ending. Pupils then plan and write a setting description, along with the opening, build-up and climax.

'A Christmas Carol': narrative writing and reading

Retrieval is finding key details or information in the text and extracting them.

Inference means to use clues from within the text to draw conclusions.

An impression refers to initial feelings about a person, place or thing, gained from reading a text.

Developing comprehension of 'A Christmas Carol'

Characterisation is the way an author and illustrator describes and develops the personalities and traits of the characters in a story.

A synonym is a word that has the same or similar meaning to another word.

Contrast is a significant difference between one thing and another.

Exploring characterisation in 'A Christmas Carol'

Redemption is getting a second chance or being forgiven for mistakes you've made.

Newfound means something that has been recently discovered or acquired.

Gratitude or being grateful is feeling thankful or appreciative for something that someone has done for you or something you have received.

Analysing the ending of 'A Christmas Carol'

A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story.

To convey means to communicate a message to the reader directly or indirectly.

Transformation is the process of significant change, often resulting in a big shift in character, beliefs, or behaviour.

Exploring and engaging with themes in 'A Christmas Carol'

descriptions that include touch, sight, taste, sound and smell

a way of describing a non-living thing as if it acts or feels like a human

Planning a setting description based on 'A Christmas Carol'

a word or words that tell the reader where a noun is

how a text is written to keep the reader engaged

Writing a setting description based on 'A Christmas Carol'

the first section of a story where the writer describes the setting and main characters

the comparison of two or more elements that are strikingly different

a writing technique for showing a character’s feelings with description of their actions and expressions

the term used for a character speaking out loud in a text

a framework that writers create before they write a section or whole text

Planning the opening of 'A Christmas Carol'

a sentence formed of a main clause and a relative subordinate clause

Writing the opening of 'A Christmas Carol'

the building of action and suspense that leads up to the climax in a narrative

a state of feeling excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen

Planning the build up of 'A Christmas Carol'

a character’s thoughts that are not spoken out loud

Writing paragraph one of the  build up of 'A Christmas Carol'

the form of speech used to share what was said by someone without using a direct quote

Writing paragraph two of the  build up of 'A Christmas Carol'

the process of improving writing to improve text flow and overall quality

a set of standardised symbols and marks used in written language to structure sentences

the way words are arranged and organised within sentences to convey meaning

Editing the build-up of 'A Christmas Carol'

the point in the narrative that describes the main action and takes the suspense to its highest point

an adjective used to describe something showing a sign of misfortune to come

an adjective used to describe something that causes anxiety and stress

Planning the climax of a 'A Christmas Carol'

how a text flows in order to maintain the interest of the reader and achieve the purpose

'A Christmas Carol': narrative writing and reading

Choose a lesson (15)

These lessons will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.