CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
A Christmas Carol
Et undervisningsforløb for 7.-8. kl
Et forløb, som arbejder med filmen og bogen. Eleverne får indblik i den store
klassiker – både via den traditionelle historie samt den moderne filmfortolkning –
undervejs er der aktiviteter, der tilgodeser såvel mundtlighed som skriftlighed.
Fælles Mål II danner grundlag for forløbet. Der er inddraget mange strukturer fra
Cooperative Learning (Stenlev/Kagan) i de farvede tekstbokse. Det anbefales at
kombinere forløbet med øvrige tekster/aktiviteter omkring Christmas for at få et
bredere perspektiv, ordforråd samt kulturelt indblik.
Materialer:
“A Christmas Carol” – Movie – Disney 2009
“A Christmas Carol” – Charles Dickens - Penguin Readers 2008(inkl cd)
In 2009 Disney released their version of Charles Dickens´ famous story:
“A Christmas Carol”. The story takes place in London in the 19th
century. Dickens wrote it back in 1843, but the book has been one of
the most popular stories ever, and has been printed in many versions
and told in words as well as plays and movies several times.
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Fælles mål og ”A Christmas Carol”
Forløbet tager udgangspunkt i Fælles Mål 2009. Flg. trinmål efter 7. kl er
berørt:
Kommunikative færdigheder:
Udtrykke sig skriftligt i et forståeligt og sammenhængende sprog i form af
breve, historier, digte, beskrivelser og meddelelser.
Forstå hovedindhold af lyd- og billedmedier om centrale emner fra
hverdagen.
Udtrykke sig spontant mundtligt, redegøre for informationer.
Sprog og sprogbrug:
Anvende et centralt ordforråd inden for udvalgte emner
Udtrykke sig med en klar og forståelig udtale
Tale og skrive engelsk, således at centrale grammatiske regler om især
ordklasser, ental og flertal, tidsangivelse ved hjælp af verbernes former følges.
Stave centrale og hyppigt forekommende ord, så kommunikationen lykkes.
Sprogtilegnelse:
Anvende elektroniske medier til kommunikation og informationssøgning.
Vælge lytte- og læsestrategier afhængigt af formål, især lytning/læsning efter
hovedindhold, detaljer eller for at få en oplevelse.
Vælge kommunikationsstrategier, , herunder kropssprog og mimik samt
omskrivninger eller bede om hjælp til at udtrykke sig.
Kultur og samfundsforhold:
Kende til eksempler på kulturforhold og levevilkår i engelsktalende
lande, især fra arbejdet med engelsk sprog, litteratur, sagprosa, lyd- og
billedmedier samt it.
Drage sammenligner mellem engelsksprogede kulturer og egen kultur.
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
If you visit the official website for the 2009 movie you can
check out some of the videos and pictures and read about
the characters – you can also find a short synopsis of the
content.
Go to: http://www.disney.com.au/disneyfilms/achristmascarol/
For the next period until Christmas we are going to work with the story
as well as the movie. We´ll begin today…
 How many of you know the story on beforehand?
 Go to You Tube and watch the trailer for the movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ3lr3urgDU
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
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
In groups have a talk about what your
expectations to the movie/story are? Write down in keywords or
sentences what you talk about.
o One of you presents your group´s thoughts to the class.
Round Robin/Ordet rundt
Trin 1: Læreren giver et emne eller en opgave med mange mulige
svar.
Trin 2: Efter tur giver team-medlemmerne deres svar.
 Visit the website:
http://www.disney.com.au/disneyfilms/achristmascarol/
 Have a look around and find as much info about the film as you
can. You have 20 minutes – come back to class and take part in a
talk in class about our knowledge about the story/movie so far.
-
Who are the characters – what do we know about them.
-
What is the plot in the movie
-
Is the story a sad story, a happy story, a scary story or…?
 Together in class: Talk about and write on the blackboard
everything that you have found out about the movie, the
characters etc. Make notes in your own notebook as well.
The Story in writing:
 Read the introduction in the book “A Christmas
Carol” (Penguin Readers level 2). What things in
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Charles Dickens´own life might have inspired him to write about
the cold hearted Scrooge, Christmas and the differences between
rich and poor?
 Read pages 1-5 (top). Afterwards make a short description
(written) of both Scrooge and his clerk, Bob Cratchit. In what
ways do they differ from each other? Your descriptions will be
displayed in class for others to see.
(Teacher: Hang up a picture of both Scrooge and Cratchit in class – enclosure
1 and 2 - hang the different descriptions around the pictures).
 Answer the questions on enclosure 3 in a “People Hunt” (Svarbazar)
People Hunt/Svar-bazar
Forberedelse: Eleverne får en kopi af et ark med spørgsmål
forberedt af læreren. Arket har plads til svar og underskrifter.
1. Eleverne cirkulerer i klassen og finder en partner
2. Elev 1 stiller elev 2 et spørgsmål fra arket. Elev 2 svarer, hvis
han kan, hvorefter elev 1 skriver svaret på arket.
3. Elev 2 tjekker og underskriver.
4. Nu stiller elev 2 et spørgsmål og elev 1 svarer. Elev 2 skriver
svaret, og 1 tjekker.
5. Partnerne takker, siger farvel, signalerer ved at række
hånden i vejret, at de er ”ledige” og finder en ny partner.
6. Der gentages fra trin 2-5
7. Der fortsættes, indtil opgavearket er fyldt med svar. Når en
elev er færdig, sætter han sig, men kan stadig spørges af
andre.
8. Eleverne går evt. tilbage til deres team/gruppe og
sammenligner svar. Hvis de ikke kan blive enige om et svar,
rækker alle hånden i vejret for at få hjælp.
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
 Read the rest of chapter 1 – Why does Mr. Marley´s
ghost come to visit Scrooge? What does he prepare
Scrooge for?
(Teacher: Put the “names” of the three ghosts on the
blackboard: Christmas Past, Christmas Now and Future
Christmases.)
 Make a drawing and a text about Christmas Past, Now and
Future in your life:
What is your best/worst memory?
How are you celebrating Christmas this year?
What are your hopes/wishes for the future Christmases in
your life?
Note: If you don´t celebrate Christmas then write about another festive
day that you celebrate with your family.
This task is going to
be handed in on _____________
______________________________. Including the
drawing. Your text should be between 300-500 words.
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
TEXTREADING
Enclosures 4-13 er en anden og lidt kortere udgave af “A Christmas Carol” Vælg evt.
at arbejde med den og de tilhørende opgaver – lige klar til kopiering og udlevering.
Man kan måske vælge at lade elever, der har svært ved engelsk, arbejde med denne
version. Dog bør man være opmærksom på, at ordvalget her ikke er helt let
tilgængeligt.
THE BOOK:
Work with the tasks in the back of the book (There are tasks for both
before and after reading the chapters.) or make the following tasks…
Read the chapters in Role Reading:
Role Reading/Rollelæsning
Der er fire roller: Oplæser, referent, overskrifstmester og
sammenhængsmester.
1. Oplæseren læser første afsnit
2. Referenten giver et referat af det vigtigste indhold
3. Overskriftsmestereren finder en dækkende overskrift til afsnittet,
som han, eller alle de andre team-medlemmer skriver ned.
4. Sammenhængsmesteren forklarer sammenhængen med det
forudgående eller prøver at forudsige, hvad der følger.
5. Rollerne roterer, inden næste afsnit læses.
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Tasks for chapter 2:
Answer these questions in “Mix-Pair-Share”/ Mix-par-svar
Mix-Pair-Share
1. Læreren siger: “Mix”, og eleverne cirkulerer rundt mellem
hinanden.
2. Læreren siger ”Par”, og eleverne finder en partner.
3. Læreren stiller et spørgsmål og giver svartid
4. Partnerne deler deres svar, og formulerer et fælles,
fyldestgørende svar.
5. Læreren siger: ”Mix”, eleverne takker deres partner og cirkulerer
igen.
6. Start fra trin 2.
Questions for chapter 2:
 What time did Scrooge go to bed and what time was it when he
woke up?
 Describe the ghost
 Where does the ghost take Mr. Scrooge?
 What did Scrooge see from the first Christmas shown to him?
 Who is Fan and what do we know about her?
 Tell what you know about Mr. Fezziwig
 Who is the young girl and how was she involved in Scrooge´s life?
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Tasks for chapter 3:
 Make your own Flashcard game with words from chapter 3
On small notes, write 15 words from the text in English and
the correct translation in Danish.
Remember to look them up and spell them correctly.
Flashcard Game
Forberedelse: Hvert par har et antal kort med spørgsmål/gloser
på den ene side og svar på den anden. Den ene part er ”tutor”,
den anden ”elev”
1. Tutoren har alle kortene. Han tager det første kort, læser
spørgsmålet/glosen og viser det evt. til eleven.
2. Hvis eleven kan svare, vinder han kortet, og tutoren roser
ham. Hvis eleven ikke kan svare, lægges kortet tilbage i
bunken.
3. Der fortsættes, indtil eleven har vundet alle kort.
Byt roller.
 If you think you know most of the words in the chapter, you
might make questions for each other instead.
Teacher: Tag et stykke voksdug ca. 1,5x2 meter. Del dugen ind i 30 felter med en
tusch. Skriv alfabetet i felterne. Nu kan dugen bruges til at lave glose/stavetræning.
Billede hentet fra ”Fremmedsprog og Grammatik ”- kopimappe
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Running, jumping and spelling:
 Work in groups of four – one group at a time. Stand in one
end of the room and place the alphabet carpet in the other
end. Have a list with words from the text/words you would
like to learn.
 Person 1 is the runner, person 2 is the “speller”, person 3 is
the writer and person four is the translator.
 Person 1 and 2 runs to the alphabet carpet. Number 1 picks
a word from the list, “jumps” on the letters in the word while
person 2 says the letters out loud. Person 3 writes the word
on a piece of paper. Afterwards number four translates the
word into Danish.
 Switch roles and try again.
Other groups might work with “Magical stars” (enclosure 14 ) .
Magiske stjerner
På bordet ligger stjerner med bagsiden opad. På hver stjerne står et spørgsmål til
historien.
1. Team-medlem 1 trækker et kort/stjerne og læser spørgsmålet højt, hvorefter
alle efter tur besvarer det.
2. Derefter trækker team-medlem to et nyt kort/stjerne osv.
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Tasks for chapters 4 and 5:
 Work with the tasks in the back of the book. They are quite good.
 Write an obituary about Mr. Scrooge in which you describe how
Scrooge´s life has been and how he will be remembered.
Remember to be honest, but not to leave a negative impression
about who he was.
You might find some useful information here:
http://www.ehow.com/how_3456_write-obituary.html
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
The movie.
Now watch the movie – and enjoy
it.
After watching:
 What did you like the best – the book or the movie – why?
 Was the movie faithful to the book or were there any significant
changes?
Reading:
 Although you have finished reading the book, then you are now
going to use it again…
 Think of the part in the movie that excited you the most – find
that part in the book and practice reading it out loud, while
putting in as much expression as you can. Think of the movie,
how was the atmosphere/ the mood in this particular part – try to
put that into your reading.
 You might want to get together more people. Some of you could
make sound effects, the others are readers.
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Hot Seating - Scrooge:
 One person gets the job to think carefully about Scrooge´s life
and decisions – this person is Scrooge in this task.
 The others prepare questions that they would like to have asked
Scrooge if he was here.
 The class “interviews “Scrooge, who has to answer all questions as
good as he/she can.
Final questions – answer them in “Inside-Outside Circle”:
 Why do you think that this story has been so popular through so
many years?
 What is Christmas all about according to the story?
 What is Christmas about according to you?
 If you could have one big wish come true this year, what would it
be – why?
Dobbeltcirkler/Inside-Outside Circle
1. Halvdelen af eleverne former en cirkel og vender ryggen imod
cirklens centrum. Den anden halvdel af eleverne danner en
cirkel udenom, så alle står ansigt til ansigt med en partner.
2. Læreren stiller et spørgsmål
3. Partnerne diskuterer i den aftalte tid
4. Partnerne takker for snakken, og ydercirklen rykker en person til
højre.
5. Læreren stiller et nyt spørgsmål, og eleverne diskuterer.
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Christmas Galore
(Anna Bruun – CFU Ålborg - har lavet denne oversigt over masser af juleideer til undervisningen
– suppler ethvert juleforløb med ideer herfra)
The Queen’s Christmas Speech 2009
Every year on the 25th of December at 3.00 pm the Queen gives her Christmas Speech.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T12qfpSwUS0
Ideas:
Brug evt. talen som lytteopgave, lad eleverne arbejde i en ”Round Robin” CL – struktur efter de
har set klippet og på skift fortælle om det, de har iagttaget.
Lav specifikke spørgsmål, de skal lytte efter, mens de ser talen.
Brug den som udgangspunkt for at tale om/arbejde med ”Christmas traditions in England”
og/eller ”The Commonwealth”
Læs mere om Commonwealth her:
http://www.thecommonwealth.org/
Læs mere om the Queen and the Commonwealth:
http://www.royal.gov.uk/
Læs mere om engelske juletraditioner her:
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/index.html
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-magazine-christmas-2.htm
Christmas Stories
”A Christmas Carol” er ikke til at komme udenom. Bogen findes på mange niveauer – og i mange
undervisningsmaterialer i uddrag.
Sidste år udkom en Disney filmudgave med Jim Carrey. Arbejd med traileren eller hele filmen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YAOYs3ObzI
Rigtig god juleantologi : “The Kingfisher Book of Classic Christmas Stories” Ian Whybrow.
Gode historier på nettet:
http://storynory.com/
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
”Horrible Christmas Stories” - der bliver fortalt om julen på en skarp, interessant og meget morsom måde
Christmas and ICT
Ideas (med særligt focus på IT):
Lav evt. en webquest
Lad eleverne lave en Photo Story med billeder, tekst og musik – evt. over en Christmas Carol.
Lav et Theme Race
Lav en glogster www.glogster.com over en bestemt tradition, et bestemt lands juletraditioner og
publicer den evt. på Skoleintra, eller lad eleverne lave en fremlæggelse ud fra den.
http://anna42.glogster.com/annas-christmas-glogster/ min hurtigt fremstillede glogster, forsøg jer
selv – det er utrolig nemt at gå til.
Hvert år opdaterede ideer til jul i engelskundervisningen.
http://www.emu.dk/gsk/fag/eng/uv-forloeb/christmas.html
Christmas in other English speaking countries
Ideas:
På www.emu.dk er der forslag til konkret forløb for 6. – 8. klasse
Christmas Carols and Songs
http://www.carols.org.uk/
Musik (som er til at holde ud at høre på!) + tekster.
Use funny Christmas songs fx:
Aussie Jingle Bells:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfSb6J4jhcU&feature=related
12 Days of Christmas – Indian Style:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=indian+twelve+days+of+christmas&aq=f
Klip teksten i stykker, lad eleverne samle den, når de har set videoen.
Udlever teksten, men udelad ord og brug teksten som lytteøvelse.
Sammenlign med originalversionerne.
Snak kultur – stereotyper og fordomme.
Christmas Games
”Christmas Bored Game” fra “Horrible History”
“Christmas Jeopardy” fra Praktisk Sprog
Mange gode lege til udprint og inspiration: http://www.pspraktisksprog.dk/opgaver--engelsk/jul.aspx
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Enclosure 1
Bob Cratchit:
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A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Enclosure 2
Ebenezer Scrooge:
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A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Enclosure 3
People Hunt/ Svar-bazar
Question
Answer
Who is Mr. Marley
How long time has passed
since he died?
Why
has
Scrooge
not
removed his name from the
door?
How did people react when
they met Scrooge in the
streets?
Who is Fred who visits Mr.
Scrooge in his office?
How does Scrooge describe
Christmas?
What
is
Fred´s
opinion
about Christmas?
Why
won´t
Scrooge
any money to the poor?
give
Initials
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Enclosure 4
Charles Dickens:
A Christmas Carol
(Fundet på SKoleKom – lay-out tilrettet lidt)
Chapter 1 – Marley’s Ghost
Marley was dead, to begin with – there’s no doubt about that. He was
as dead as a doornail.
Marley and Scrooge were business partners once. But then Marley
died and now their firm belonged to Scrooge, who was a stingy and
heartless old man. Once upon a time, on Christmas Eve, old Scrooge
sat busy in his office. It was very cold outside and in Scrooge’s office it
was not much warmer either. Suddenly, a cheerful person entered the
office. It was Scrooge’s nephew.
“A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!” Fred said.
“Bah!” said Scrooge, “Humbug!”
“Christmas a humbug, uncle!” said Scrooge’s nephew. “You don’t
mean that, I am sure?”
“I do,” said Scrooge. “What’s Christmas time to you? You have to pay
bills without money! You’re a year older but not an hour richer! Keep
Christmas in your way, and let me keep it in mine.”
“Keep it? But you don’t keep it,” said Scrooge’s nephew, who was a
very friendly young man. He even tried to cheer Scrooge up and
invited him for dinner on Christmas Day. But Scrooge said no and sent
him out.
When Scrooge’s nephew left, two gentlemen came in to collect money
for the poor who had no place they could go. Stingy Scrooge,
however, didn’t give the gentlemen any money.
“Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?” he asked
sarcastically and told them to leave the office.
When it was time to close the office, Scrooge talked to his clerk, Bob
Cratchit.
“You want all day off tomorrow, don’t you?” said Scrooge.
“If that is okay, Sir,” answered the clerk.
“It’s not okay,” said Scrooge, “and it is not fair. After all, I have to pay
you for the day although you don’t work. But if it must be, I want you to
start work even earlier the following morning.”
Cratchit promised that he would; and the two went home.
Scrooge lived all alone in an old house. The yard was very dark and
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Enclosure 5
scary that night and when Scrooge wanted to unlock the door, he had
the feeling that he saw Marley’s face there. This was rather spooky,
but Scrooge was not frightened easily. “Humbug,” he said, opened the
door and walked in. He locked himself in, however, which he usually
didn’t do. But then he felt safe again and sat down before the fire.
Suddenly, Scrooge heard a noise, deep down below, as if somebody
was dragging a heavy chain. The noise came nearer and nearer, and
then Scrooge saw a ghost coming right through the heavy door. It was
Marley’s ghost, and his chains were long; they were made of cashboxes,
keys and heavy purses.
“Who are you?” said Scrooge
“In life I was your partner, Jacob Marley.”
“But why do you come to me now?”
“I must wander through the world and I wear the chains because I was
so stingy in life. I only cared about business but not about the people
around me. Now, I am here to warn you. You still have a chance,
Ebenezer. Three spirits will come to you. Expect the first tomorrow,
when the bell tolls one.”
When he had said these words, Marley’s ghost disappeared; and the
night became quiet again. Scrooge went straight to bed, without
undressing, and fell asleep immediately.
Questions on the text
Who is who? Complete the sentences according to the text:
1. Jacob Marley ___________________________________
2. Fred ___________________________________________
3. Bob Cratchit _____________________________________
4. Scrooge ___________________________________________
5. The two gentlemen _____________________________________
Find a synonym for each word in the text:
1. spirit ‐ ____________________________
2. next ‐ ____________________________
3. start ‐ ____________________________
4. happy ‐ ____________________________
5. at once ‐ ____________________________
6. shut – ____________________________
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Enclosure 6
A Christmas Carol
Chapter 2 – The First of the Three Spirits
When Scrooge awoke, it was still very foggy and extremely cold, and
there was no noise of people in the streets.
Marley’s ghost bothered him. He didn’t know whether it was a dream
or not. Then he remembered that a spirit should visit him at one
o’clock. So Scrooge decided to lie awake and wait what happened.
Suddenly, the clock struck one. Light flashed up in the room and a
small hand drew back the curtains of his bed. Then Scrooge found
himself face to face with the visitor. It was a strange figure – like a
child: yet not so like a child as like an old man. Its hair, which hung
about its neck and down its back, was white as if with age; and yet the
face had not a wrinkle in it.
“Who, and what are you?” Scrooge asked the ghost.
“I am the Ghost of Christmas Past. Rise and come with me.”
The ghost took Scrooge back in time, to a place where Scrooge was a
boy. There Scrooge could see his younger self playing with other
children. They were cheerfully running around the Christmas tree; and
although they were poor, they had lots of fun.
The spirit also took Scrooge to a warehouse, where Scrooge was an
apprentice. Scrooge saw the merry Christmas Eve they spent in the
office with their boss Mr Fezziwig and his family. There was food and
music and dancing and everybody was happy.
Then the spirit took Scrooge to yet another place. Scrooge was older
now. He was not alone, but sat by the side of a beautiful young girl,
Belle. There were tears in her eyes.
“It is sad to see,” she said, softly. “that another love has displaced me
– the love of gold. Your heart was full of love once, but now …? I think
it is better for us to part. May you be happy in the life you have
chosen.”
“Spirit,” said Scrooge, “show me no more. Take me home. Why do
you torture me?”
“One shadow more,” said the ghost.
They were in another scene and place; a room, not very large or
handsome, but full of comfort. There was a happy family celebrating
Christmas with all their warmth and heartiness. Scrooge recognised
Belle, his former girlfriend. She was married now and had children.
“Belle,” said her husband with a smile, “I saw an old friend of yours
this afternoon. Mr Scrooge it was. I passed his office window; and as it
was not shut up, and he had a candle inside, I could see him there.
His partner is dying, I hear; and there he sat alone. Quite alone in the
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A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Enclosure 7
world, I do believe.”
“Spirit,” said Scrooge in a broken voice, “Take me back! I cannot bear
it any longer.”
He struggled with the ghost to take him back. And finally Scrooge
found himself in his own bed again. He was very exhausted and sank
into a heavy sleep.
Questions on the text
Circle the correct answers:
When Scrooge
was a boy, he …
Why did Belle
leave Scrooge?
..enjoyed
Christmas
She feared he had
another
girlfriend
..did not enjoy
Christmas
..didn’t know
what Christmas
was
She had another
Boyfriend
He only cared
about money
A Christmas Carol
Chapter 3 – The Second of the Three Spirits
Scrooge woke up in the middle of a snore, just before the clock struck
one again. He sat up in his bed and waited for the second ghost to
come. And there it was – the Ghost of Christmas Present. It had curly
brown hair, sparkling eyes and it wore a simple green robe with white
fur. Its feet were bare and on its head it wore a holly wreath.
The ghost took Scrooge to Bob Cratchit’s house – a very poor little
dwelling. In the kitchen you could see Mrs Cratchit preparing
Christmas dinner. Her children were cheerfully running around. Then
the door opened and Bob Cratchit came in with Tiny Tim upon his
When Marley
was dying,
Scrooge …
celebrated
Christmas with
Belle's family
looked after
Marley
..sat in his office
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A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Enclosure 8
shoulders. Tiny Tim was Bob Cratchit’s youngest son. He bore a little
crutch and had an iron frame around his limbs.
“On our way home, Tiny Tim told me that he hoped the people saw
him in the church, because he was a cripple. It might be pleasant to
them to remember on Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk
and blind men see.” Bob’s voice trembled when he said this.
Then Christmas dinner was ready, and everyone sat down at the
table. As the Cratchits were very poor, it was not much they had for
Christmas dinner. But still everyone was joyful and you could feel that
they all had the Christmas Spirit in their hearts.
“A Merry Christmas to us all, my dears! God bless us!” said Bob
Cratchit.
“God bless us every one!” said Tiny Tim.
He sat very close to his father’s side upon his little stool. Bob held his
little hand, as if he feared to lose him.
“Spirit,” said Scrooge, who felt sorry for the boy, “tell me if Tiny Tim
will live.”
“I see an empty seat,” replied the ghost, “and a crutch without an
owner. If these shadows don’t change in the future, the child will die.”
This made Scrooge very sad, but the spirit went on and took Scrooge
to his nephew’s house. Fred and his friends had a very cheerful party
and played games. Scrooge really enjoyed their party and wanted to
stay for another while but in a second it all faded and Scrooge and the
spirit were again on their travels.
They visited many homes in many places: they saw sick people who
were cheerful; people in foreign lands who were close at home, poor
people who felt rich that day – all because of the Christmas Spirit.
Suddenly, Scrooge noticed something strange about the ghost. Two
children‐like figures were at the ghost’s feet – a boy and a girl. But,
they looked old and dreadful, like little monsters. Scrooge was
shocked.
“Spirit, are they your creatures?” Scrooge asked.
“They are Man’s creatures,” said the spirit “The boy is Ignorance. The
girl is Want. Beware them both, but most of all beware this boy” said
the spirit.
“Have they no place they can go?” asked Scrooge.
“Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?” the spirit turned on
Scrooge with his own words.
The bell struck twelve. The Ghost of Christmas Present disappeared.
And at the last stroke of the bell, Scrooge saw the third ghost coming
towards him.
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Enclosure 9
Questions on the text
Complete the sentences according to the text.
1. Scrooge's clerk ______________________________________
2. Tiny Tim ______________________________________
3. Scrooge ______________________________________
Homonyms are words with the same spelling and sound, but a different meaning.
Find the words in the text:
meaning 1
a measure of time
the time in progress now
a supernatural being
to lose life
the form of something
meaning 2
a certain ordinal number
something you get for free
a certain kind of energy or feeling
a cube you use in boardgames
any number between 1 and 9
A Christmas Carol
Chapter 4 – The Last of the Spirits
Slowly and silently the ghost came nearer. It was very tall and wore a
deep black piece of clothing, which covered its whole body and left
nothing of it visible but one outstretched hand.
“Are you the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come?” asked Scrooge, “I fear
you more than any other spirit.”
The ghost did not say a word, and Scrooge was really scared. They
wandered through the city and Scrooge heard some men talking
about a person who had died. Scrooge knew the men and wanted to
find out, whom they were talking about. But the spirit moved on.
They next stopped in an area where thieves and liars lived. They had
stolen things with them and made fun of the person who once owned
those things.
“Ha, ha!” laughed a woman, “He frightened everybody away from him
when he was alive, to profit us when he was dead! Ha, ha, ha!”
After that, the ghost led Scrooge through streets that were familiar to
him; and as they went along, Scrooge looked here and there to find
himself, but nowhere was he to be seen. They entered poor Bob
Cratchit’s house and found the mother and the children by the fire.
Quiet. Very quiet. The noisy little Cratchits were as still as statues.
When Bob Cratchit came in, the children hurried to greet him. Then
the two young Cratchits got upon his knees and laid their little cheeks
against his face as if to say, “Don’t mind it, father. Don’t be sad.”
“You went there today?” said his wife.
word
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
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A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Enclosure 10
“Yes, my dear,” returned Bob. “I wish you could have gone. It would
have done you good to see how green the place is. But you’ll see it
often. I promised him that we would walk there every Sunday. My little,
little child.” cried Bob. “My little child.”
He broke down in tears. He couldn’t help it. If he could have helped it,
he and his child would have been farther apart perhaps than they
were.
The ghost moved on and took Scrooge to a churchyard. The spirit
stood among the graves and pointed down to one. Scrooge slowly
went towards it and following the ghost’s finger read upon the stone of
the grave his own name, Ebenezer Scrooge.
“Spirit!” Scrooge cried, “hear me. I am not the man I was! I will not be
the man I must have been so far! Why show me this if I am past all
hope? Good Spirit, I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep
it all the year. I will live in the past, the present, and the future. The
spirits of all three shall be within me. I will not ignore the lessons that
they teach. Oh, tell me that I may change my fate!”
Full of fear, Scrooge caught the spirit’s hand. But the spirit suddenly
changed – it shrunk and faded and finally turned into a bedpost.
Questions on the text
Answer the questions according to the text.
Who owned the things that the thieves have now?
_____________________________
Why is the Cratchit family so sad?
_____________________________
What does Scrooge promise the ghost?
_____________________________
Find the opposite for each word in the text:
1. quickly ‐_____________________________
2. cried ‐_____________________________
3. dead ‐_____________________________
4. happy ‐_____________________________
5. seldom ‐_____________________________
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Enclosure 11
A Christmas Carol
Chapter 5 – The End of It
Yes! And the bedpost was his own. The bed was his own, the room
was his own. Best and happiest of all, the time before him was his
own, and he could make the best of it.
“I will live in the past, the present, and the future.” Scrooge repeated,
as he got out of bed. “I don’t know what to do! I am as happy as an
angel! I don’t know what day of the month it is. I don’t know how long
I’ve been among the spirits. Hallo! Hallo there!”
He ran to the window, opened it, and put out his head.
“What’s today?” cried Scrooge, calling downward to a boy in Sunday
clothes.
“Today?” replied the boy. “Why, Christmas Day!”
“It’s Christmas Day!” said Scrooge to himself. “I haven’t missed it! The
spirits have done it all in one night. Hallo, my fine fellow! Do you know
the poulterer’s at the corner? And do you know whether they’ve sold
the big turkey that was hanging up there?”
“What, the one as big as me?” returned the boy. “It’s still hanging
there now.”
“Is it!” said Scrooge. “Go and buy it! I am in earnest. Go and buy it and
come back with the man that I may give them the direction where to
take it. I’ll give you a shilling for it. Come back with the man in less
than five minutes and I’ll give you half‐a‐crown!”
The boy was off like a shot.
“I’ll send it to Bob Cratchit,” whispered Scrooge cheerfully. “It’s twice
the size of Tiny Tim.”.
He dressed himself all in his best, and at last got out into the streets.
He had not gone far, when he came towards the two gentlemen, who
had walked into his office the day before.
“My dear Sir,” said Scrooge, “How do you do? I fear I wasn’t pleasant
to you yesterday. Allow me to ask your pardon. And will you have the
goodness to …”, here Scrooge whispered in his ear.
“Lord bless me!” cried the gentleman, “My dear Mr Scrooge, are you
serious? I don’t know what to say to such generosity.”
Scrooge then went to church, and walked through the streets, and
watched the people. He had never dreamed that anything could give
him so much happiness. In the afternoon he went to his nephew’s
house.
“Fred,” said Scrooge, It’s your uncle Scrooge. I have come to dinner.
Will you let me in, Fred?”
Of course, Fred let him in; it was a very hearty welcome and they all
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Enclosure 12
had a wonderful party.
But Scrooge was early at the office next morning. Oh, he was early
there. If he could only catch Bob Cratchit coming late. And he did it;
yes, he did. Bob was full eighteen minutes and a half behind his time.
Scrooge sat with his door wide open, that he might see him come in.
“Hallo!” growled Scrooge, in his usual way. “What do you mean by
coming here at this time of day? I am not going to stand this sort of
thing any longer. And therefore,” he continued, jumping from his stool,
“and therefore I am about to raise your salary. A merry Christmas,
Bob.”
Bob Cratchit was very
surprised, and so were
many people who found
Scrooge so changed.
Scrooge became a better
person. To Tiny Tim,
who did not die, he was a
second father. Scrooge
became as good a
friend, as good a master,
and as good a man, as the
good old city
knew, or any other good old
city or town in the good old
world.
It was always said of
Scrooge, that he knew how
to keep Christmas
well. May that be truly said
of us, and all of us! And so,
as Tiny Tim
would say, God bless us,
every one!
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Enclosure 13
Questions on the text
According to the text, are the statements true or false?
True
The three ghosts have
visited Scrooge in the
same night
Scrooge buys a big
turkey for Fred's family
Scrooge celebrates
Christmas with his
Nephew
The day after Christmas
Day, Scrooge is angry
with Bob Cratchit
because he is
late for work
In the end, Scrooge still
thinks that Christmas is
‘humbug’.
Find a word in the text for each of the definitions given below.
1. A person with wings that lives in heaven. _____________________________
2. It's the day before today. _____________________________
3. A place where people go to pray. _____________________________
4. A place where people live. _____________________________
5. The money people get for the work they do. _____________________________
False
CFU Hjørring/Ålborg
A Christmas Carol
Tanja L. Christensen
Enclosure 14
Magical Stars
If you could give Mr.
Scrooge a Christmas
presents this year,
what would you
give him and why?
If you could give Mr.
Cratchit a Christmas
present this year
what would you
give him and why?
If you were Scrooge´s
nephew would you
then continue inviting
him for Christmas
every year – why/why
not?
If you met Mr. Scrooge
today what would you
then say to him?
If you could spend a
day with one of the
characters in the
book who should it
be and why?
If you were Mr.
Scrooge what things
would you then
change in your life?