A theme is a central idea or message that is explored through a literary work.

If someone demonstrates gratitude, they are thankful for what they have.

Being resourceful means finding clever ways to overcome difficulties or challenges.

If a character exemplifies a theme, they are an example or representation of it.

If you humanise something, you present it as a human being, so that people can empathise with it.

'A Christmas Carol' Stave 3: the Cratchits' Christmas

English

'A Christmas Carol' Stave 1: Scrooge the Miser

'A Christmas Carol' Stave 1: The Characterisation of Scrooge

'A Christmas Carol' Stave 1: Meeting Marley's ghost

'A Christmas Carol': Scrooge as a very Victorian character

'A Christmas Carol': planning an essay on Scrooge

'A Christmas Carol': writing about Stave 1

'A Christmas Carol' Stave 2: the first of the three spirits

'A Christmas Carol' Stave 2: Scrooge's childhood and Fezziwig

'A Christmas Carol' Stave 2: Belle

'A Christmas Carol': writing about Stave 2

'A Christmas Carol': improving analytical writing

'A Christmas Carol' Stave 3: the second of the three spirits

'A Christmas Carol' Stave 3: Christmas around the world

'A Christmas Carol' Stave 3: Scrooge and Fred as opposite characters

'A Christmas Carol' Stave 3: Ignorance and Want

'A Christmas Carol': writing about the presentation of children

'A Christmas Carol' Stave 4: the last of the three spirits

'A Christmas Carol' Stave 4: a significant death

'A Christmas Carol' Stave 4: death in the novella

'A Christmas Carol' Stave 4: Scrooge's fears

'A Christmas Carol' Stave 5: the change in Scrooge

'A Christmas Carol': symbolism in the novella

'A Christmas Carol': Scrooge's redemptive journey

'A Christmas Carol': planning an extended argument

'A Christmas Carol': writing an extended argument

In 'A Christmas Carol: Scrooge's redemption, pupils trace the way Scrooge changes across the text as a result of his interaction with the ghosts. In 'A Christmas Carol: a ghost story', pupils  examine the use of gothic tropes in more detail and in particular the use of the supernatural and the ghosts, which allow the past to interrupt the present and even future.

In 'Victorian Childhood', pupils read a number of non fiction extracts about the suffering of poor children and campaign for better laws to protect them as part of a persuasive speaking role play. In 'A Christmas Carol', pupils learn about Dickens as a social campaigner and the way in which he wrote the novella to encourage people to help the poor.

In this unit, pupils read and explore 'A Christmas Carol'. They start by reading the novella in full, pausing during each stave to analyse key scenes, characters, themes and methods. After reading the novella, pupils chart Scrooge's redemptive journey and craft an essay on the presentation of fear.

Nineteenth century text: first study

Discriminatory behaviour or images, whether on the grounds of race, gender, disability, religion or belief or sexual orientation, or otherwise.

Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

Historic or outdated representations of people that may portray inequality or injustice.

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce, poverty, deprivation.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

In 'A Christmas Carol', Bob's youngest, disabled son is called... 

Allegedly, Tiny Tim (from Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol') was inspired by...

Bob was a popular name for a man. Dickens is showing how poverty was everywhere.

A bob is a short hairstyle, showing that Bob is short of money.

Cratchit sounds like 'catch it' because Bob is always chasing after money.

A bob is slang for a shilling, showing that Bob isn't paid much money.

Cratchit sounds like 'catch it': Dickens is showing that poverty is infectious.

In 'A Christmas Carol', what is the significance of Bob Cratchit's name? 

Which of the following themes do the Cratchits exemplify in 'A Christmas Carol'? 

He's showing how little food Tiny Tim is fed because the Cratchits are poor.

He's showing how miserable and beaten down Tiny Tim is because of his condition.

He's describing him like a plant that withers in the sunlight of Bob's care.

He's illustrating that Tiny Tim's life is fading and he doesn't have long left.

Which of these explanations best describes why Dickens uses the word "withered" to describe Tiny Tim in Stave 3 of 'A Christmas Carol'? 

how overpopulated London was and therefore how necessary population control was.

that he is making fun of Scrooge's actions in Stave 1.

how cruel and ignorant he has been in wishing the poor dead.

that he agrees with Scrooge and thinks that Tiny Tim should be left to die. 

In Stave 3 of 'A Christmas Carol', the spirit repeats Scrooge's words "If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population” back at him to show him...

Which spirit visits Scrooge in the third stave of 'A Christmas Carol'? 

Which of the following is not an aspect of the Ghost of Christmas Present's appearance in 'A Christmas Carol'? 

The Cratchits eating their goose and toasting Scrooge's health.

The miners and lighthouse men singing Christmas songs around a fire.

Fred's Christmas party that Scrooge is invited to.

Belle opening presents with her family on Christmas Day. 

Which of the following scenes of Christmas present does Scrooge not see in Stave 3 of 'A Christmas Carol'? 

Starting with the most wealthy, put the Victorian social classes in order of how much wealth they had.

A recurring object that features throughout a literary work.

A character or characters that appear consistently throughout a literary work.

A central idea or message that is explored through a literary work.

A brief introduction to the literary work written by the writer.

A colour that appears often throughout a literary work.

Which of the following are themes in 'A Christmas Carol'? 

Starter Quiz