Knowledge Organiser Year 7 English A Christmas Carol
Enquiry Question: A Christmas Carol Big questions that will help you answer this enquiry question: 1) To what extent does Scrooge change as a character in the novel? 2) What typifies Christmas? 3) Why does Dickens set the novel at Christmas time? 4) How is Tiny Tim presented in the novel? 5) What is the moral of the novel? 6) To what extent does the novel reflect the Victorian era? 7) What is the significance of Marley? 8) How is compassion presented in the novel? 9) What is the role of Ignorance and Want? 10) To what extent is societal injustice central to the novel? Key Vocabulary: Benevolent: well-meaning and kindly. Malevolent: having or showing a wish to do evil to others. Morality: principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behaviour. Philanthropy: the desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed especially by the generous donation of money to good causes.
Homework The tasks below represent only part of what you can do to enhance and develop your understanding of the text. You are preparing for an exam on a challenging text. Knowledge is power, so the more you know, the more secure you will be in your learning. Term 1 (Nov Dec) Task Week: 1 Research Charles Dickens and his other works. What has he written? What do you know about Dickens life? What was the period of time in which he was writing? 2 Research one of the following areas of context and create a guide for fellow students to understand what was happening at the time Dickens was writing. Your guide should: link to an extract from the novel that relates to your area of context, have a key summary of what you found out about the area of context, and the links to a character from A Christmas Carol. Areas to choose from: The Poor Law The Gothic Genre and Social Purpose novel Families in the 19 th Century 3 Using your homework you have completed since September, write a 500 word evaluation answering the question: How is creative writing influenced by society? Consider: How the writer was influenced by what was happening in society at the time they were writing. How the language and symbolism across your research relates to key context such as period of time in which the text was written. How we respond to novels and fiction writing as a reader once we understand the context. If you have no homework (a likely story!) or you have finished the above, try these tasks on a weekly basis to ensure your understanding of the novel is secure. 1) Research A Christmas Carol and make some revision notes on the stories that you have read. 2) Research Dickens and other works that he has produced. Are there common themes?
Commentary: This is a strong analytical response. The student has focussed on the question and paid careful attention to the extract. The student has included relevant subject terminology and has analysed the language and the effect of it. The student as included well-chosen quotations but has been unable to show a knowledge of the wider novel as this was an extract based assessment. Overall, this student would achieve 17/20.
Wider Reading List Other novel by Dickens Great Expectations The development and life of an orphaned child called Pip. Oliver Twist The story of an orphaned child born into a workhouse who is sold as an apprentice to an undertaker. Other Victorian novels Dracula by Bram Stoker- A gothic horror novel that tells the story of Dracula's attempt to move from Transylvania to England so that he may find new blood and spread the undead curse, and of the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and a woman. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a grotesque but sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Film adaptations (be careful of plot changes!) A Christmas Carol (dir. Robert Zemeckis) 2009 The Muppet Christmas Carol (dir. Brian Henson) 1992