Charles Dickens’ Holiday Classic
A Christmas Carol
The Project:
Famous British novelist, writer and political commentator Charles Dickens was onto something in 1843,
the year his masterpiece about a miserly money lender, four ghosts and a little boy with a limp became
a smash hit with the English public. Since that time, A Christmas Carol has never been out of print and
has been adapted for the stage and screen multiple times. It’s now a world-wide smash! There’s
something timeless about the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, and we’re going to ascertain just what that is
right now.
Expectations Addressed:
Reading:
read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary, graphic, and informational texts, using a
range of strategies to construct meaning;
Tasks:
I.
Questions – all questions must be completed before starting the project.
WEIGHT: 65% of final grade
Questions for Stave 1
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3.
4.
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6.
7.
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9.
10.
What is your first impression of Scrooge? What are some of the words used to describe him?
What does Scrooge think of Christmas? What evidence supports your opinion?
How does Scrooge treat his nephew, Fred? What evidence supports your opinion?
What are Scrooge’s views on the poor? What evidence supports your opinion?
Who was Jacob Marley and why has his ghost visited Scrooge on Christmas Eve?
Why does the ghost wear chains?
What is the second chance that Marley has secured for Scrooge?
Why would Scrooge refuse this chance at first? What is he thinking?!
How would you react in the same situation?
What is so tragic about the ghosts circling outside the window who attempt to intervene for
good in the affairs of man?
Questions for Stave 2
1. The first ghost to visit Scrooge is the ghost of Christmas Past. Describe him in detail using the
text for reference.
2. Why might Scrooge be visited by this ghost first?
3. What do we learn about Scrooge’s family and youth?
4. What was Scrooge’s relationship like with Mr. Fezziwig?
5. Who was Belle and why is she important to the story?
6. The ghost later takes Scrooge to Belle’s life after their breakup in order to show him something.
What does he learn about her?
7. What does Scrooge learn about himself after visiting his past?
Questions for Stave 3
1. Describe the ghost of Christmas Present. Who does he remind you of? ;)
2. What does Scrooge learn by visiting the miners, the lighthouse and other working people on
Christmas Day?
3. The ghost takes Scrooge to visit his nephew Fred’s house. How does his name come up, and how
does it affect him?
4. What nice things does Fred have to say about his uncle? How does this make Scrooge feel?
5. Bob Cratchit’s family Christmas is a major stop for Scrooge in this stave. He gets to see how his
poor clerk celebrates Christmas firsthand. How does it affect him?
6. Who is Tiny Tim?
7. What does the ghost tell Scrooge about the fate of Tiny Tim if things don’t change? Quote him
directly.
8. At the end of the stave, the ghost shows his legs to Scrooge and he is shocked to see two
emaciated (starving) children in their place. What are their names? What do those names
mean?
9. What words of Scrooge’s does the ghost throw back in his face as he leaves him? Why is this
important?
Questions for Stave 4
1. Describe the Ghost of Christmas yet to come. Whom or what does he resemble? Why do you
think this is?
2. What does Scrooge eventually learn about himself in this chapter?
3. What signs are around him in the early part of this stave that show Scrooge how awfully his life
has ended? Use three examples from the text to support this opinion.
4. Whose tombstone does the ghost take Scrooge to view at the end? How does he react?
5. What does Scrooge vow to do after he sees the tombstone?
6. What does Scrooge learn about the Cratchit family in this stave?
Questions for Stave 5
1.
2.
3.
4.
How does Scrooge demonstrate change in this chapter?
How does Bob Cratchit benefit from Scrooge’s change?
How does the town now look at Scrooge?
What might readers learn from this story? What is the big idea or moral?
II.
Culminating Tasks:
WEIGHT: 35% of final grade.
Choose one (1) of the following:
 Produce a large wreath or other holiday symbol that uses pictures and words to summarize the
big idea behind Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol;
 Write a diary entry from Fred Scrooge’s perspective that outlines how his uncle finally died, and
how the positive change that he experienced lasted until his very last breath;
 Write a scene between the ghosts of Scrooge and Marley that takes place after Scrooge dies in
which they discuss how Scrooge was changed by the events of the story;
 Write a diary entry by Jacob Marley in which he laments on the specific things he did badly in
life that led to his condemnation after death;
 Use the class iPad and the Pic Collage app to construct a tableaux showing the main idea of this
story. Costumes are a must;
 Produce a one page poster on Bristol board outlining the changes in Scrooge from the start of
the story to the end;
 Produce a Power Point presentation covering the history of this story from its first printing in
1843 to today and discuss why it’s still relevant and important over 170 years later;
 Compose and record a piece of music that shows the change in Scrooge from the start of the
novel to the end;
 Write a short script for a scene in the Cratchit house where Bob and Tiny Tim discuss the
changes in Scrooge from day one. You will have to produce a video of your team acting out this
scene;
 Build a desktop model or sculpture that shows how Scrooge has changed over the course of the
story.
Team Size: Groups of three (3)
Things to Keep In Mind:
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Working together means pulling your fair share. Please pick team mates that you know you can
work with. Any issues with people not pulling their weight should be reported to me as quickly
as possible so that we can resolve the situation. Repeat offenders will be doing the project on
their own;
Please lock down your choice within 24 hours of the assignment being assigned;
Put some pride and care into your work. A better effort almost always means a better mark.
Grading Scheme
Weight
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Demonstration of
Understanding of
Reading Material
15%
Little to no
evidence of
understanding of
reading material;
Student cannot
demonstrate
understanding in
oral or written
terms
Developing
evidence of
understanding of
reading material;
Student’s oral
and written
answers show a
basic
understanding of
his/her reading
Solid evidence
of understanding
of reading
material;
Student’s oral
and written
answers show a
strong and
detailed
understanding of
his/her reading
Rich and varied
evidence of
understanding of
reading material;
Student’s oral
and written
answers show
an exceptional
and unusually
thorough
understanding of
his/her reading
Organization of Ideas
15%
Not present
Developing
Sound
Exceptional
Clarity, Detail and
Overall Quality of
Finished Writing
25%
Writing is
developing
clarity but lacks
supporting
detail, command
of grade
appropriate
spelling
conventions;
frequent errors
garble overall
attempt at
meaning
Writing is
developing
consistency
and is
approaching
grade level in
terms of style,
word choice
and structure;
Frequent small
errors present
Writing is
strong,
displaying
gradeappropriate
command of
style, word
choice and
structure; only
negligible
errors present
Writing is
unusually
advanced,
displaying
above gradelevel command
of style, word
choice and
structure;
virtually errorfree
Final Product
25%
Poor; hastily
assembled and
bearing the
signs of “last
minute” work;
teacher
feedback was
not sought
over the
course of the
project
Solid; a clear
effort was put
in; teacher
feedback
occasionally
sought in order
to ascertain
steps forward
Strong; a
consistent
effort was put
forth and
students met
frequently to
assess next
steps forward
Exceptional; a
sustained,
superb effort
by all group
members
combined with
consistent
teacher/student
conferencing
led to this
result
Presentation
20%
Weak
Solid
Strong
Superb
Success Criteria