'A Christmas Carol': Dickens’ depictions of Victorian London
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can analyse how Dickens uses his descriptions of setting to depict Victorian London.
Key learning points
- Victorian London was noisy, overcrowded and diverse, with people from various cultural backgrounds and social classes.
- The Industrial Revolution transformed the city, worsening pollution and widening the class divide.
- The poor lived in cramped, unsanitary conditions, with little support available to improve their lives.
- Dickens campaigned for social reform and the novella encouraged middle-class readers to show compassion for the poor.
- Descriptions of the setting foreshadow how this ghost story exposes the harsh realities of poverty in Victorian London.
Keywords
Unsanitary - lacking cleanliness or hygiene, leading to potential health risks
Industrial Revolution - a period of major industrial and technological advancements, transforming economies and societies
Ominous - suggesting something bad or threatening is about to happen
Philanthropist - a person who donates money or resources to promote the welfare of others
Foreshadows - hints at or predicts a future event in a story
Common misconception
The Industrial Revolution brought great prosperity to the Britain; factories helped to provide wealth equality because it provided jobs to help poor people out of poverty.
The Industrial Revolution did bring great prosperity but unfortunately the wealth was not shared across all social classes. Industrial wealth improved the lives of business owners but poor people suffered due to low wages and overcrowding.
Teacher tip
Learning cycle two explores two extracts from the novella. For Task B, students will need to annotate the second extract independently. You may wish to print off the first extract for yourself (which can be found in the additional materials) to model annotating with students.
Equipment
You will need access to two extracts from 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens. The extracts can be found in the additional materials section. You may also wish to have highlighters for annotating.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is poverty?
Q2.The Victorian era took place between the ...
Q3.What is a novella?
Q4.Match each term to the correct definition.
People employed in manual or industrial jobs with lower wages.
Professionals with moderate incomes and education.
Wealthy individuals with significant assets and social influence.
Q5.What is a revolution?
Q6.What is compassion?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What caused the 'pea souper' fogs in Victorian London?
Q2.What was Charles Dickens’ aim in writing 'A Christmas Carol'?
Q3.What was one major impact of the Industrial Revolution on London?
Q4.Which of these words would you use to describe Victorian London?
Q5.Which of these elements from 'A Christmas Carol' link to the wider context of Victorian London?
Q6.What element of the setting does Dickens use to draw links between the ghostly element of 'A Christmas Carol' and the social issues caused by the Industrial Revolution?
To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: 'A Christmas Carol': Dickens’ depictions of Victorian London, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: 'A Christmas Carol': Dickens’ depictions of Victorian London, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 English lessons from the ‘A Christmas Carol’: a critique of Victorian values unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.