'A Christmas Carol': constructing an argument about the ghosts
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can plan an effective argument about the ghosts, being selective with my ideas and evidence.
Key learning points
- When first given an essay question, use the question to brainstorm all the possible ideas you could include.
- It is important to be judicious about which evidence and ideas you will include.
- Ideally, you want to include a range of moments from across the text that all support your thesis statement.
- Try to include a personal response to the text, to show your reader your engagement with it, and understanding of it.
- Paragraph outlines are useful when planning your response.
Keywords
Selective - Being selective means choosing something very carefully so that it fulfils an intended purpose.
Social responsibility - Somebody who believes in social responsibility invests in their community and supports those in need.
Mouthpiece - A person or character who speaks on behalf of another person or organisation.
To impart - To impart is to communicate information to someone.
Common misconception
Students try to include as much knowledge as possible in their responses.
Encourage students to be selective in their choice of ideas and to explain their choices.
Teacher tip
When the suggestions are given to Andeep in learning cycle 1, ask students to explain how each idea links back to social responsibility. This will show students how to keep linking back to their thesis statement.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' for this lesson.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the stave from 'A Christmas Carol' up to the ghost who visits Scrooge in that stave.
Marley's Ghost
The Ghost of Christmas Past
The Ghost of Christmas Present
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
Q2.Match the allusion Dickens makes to the ghost he uses to make the allusion in 'A Christmas Carol'.
The Ghost of Christmas Present
The Ghost of Christmas Past
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
Q3.In 'A Christmas Carol', which spirit shows Scrooge the scenes of Mrs Dilber and her criminal friends bargaining over some stolen possessions?
Q4.In 'A Christmas Carol', which spirit has the characters Ignorance and Want with it?
Q5.In 'A Christmas Carol', which spirit repeats Scrooge's words 'Are there no prisons?' back to him?
Q6.In Stave 1 of 'A Christmas Carol', Dickens uses the portly gentlemen as a mouthpiece to directly contradict the common beliefs and ideologies that pervaded Victorian society at the time.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.When writing an analytical essay, approximately how many ideas should you choose to cover your essay response?
Q2.Why is it important to be selective about the ideas you choose to include?
Q3.Which of the following features of academic writing 'outlines the arguments of each paragraph and includes key question vocabulary'?
Q4.Which of the following is the correct definition for the word 'mouthpiece' in relation to 'A Christmas Carol'?
Q5.If you were writing an essay about the significance of Marley's Ghost in Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol', which quotation would you not include?
Q6.In an essay about injustice in 'A Christmas Carol', which character might be the least appropriate to discuss?
To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: 'A Christmas Carol': constructing an argument about the ghosts, 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': constructing an argument about the ghosts, 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 ghost story unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.