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A Christmas Carol: scheme of learning

AQA GCSE English Literature · Paper 1, Section B

24 lessons across about six weeks, built around one big question: what does Dickens want his readers to change, and how does he persuade them? Every lesson has slides, teacher notes and a student pack at three levels.

Read Lesson 3 freeLicences and prices

Three levels of support in every lesson · 4 Feedback Loop kits · an end-of-unit essay with model answers

Real pages from the scheme

Choose a page to see it larger. Lesson 3 is free to read in full, with its slides and student pages.

Teacher handbookCoverUnit mapTeacher handbook, page 6Lesson notesLesson 3 in the teacher handbookSlidesLesson 3: exploding the quotationSecuringLesson 3 task, aiming for a 4StrengtheningLesson 3 task, aiming for grades 5 to 6SoaringLesson 3 task, aiming for grades 7 to 9Whole-class feedbackFeedback Loop kit 1Model answersA grade 8–9 answer with notesRevision workbookFor students

Five sequences, 24 lessons

Feedback Loop kits and the end-of-unit essay are planned into the sequence. Lesson 3 is free: choose it to read the whole lesson.

Context and Stave 1Lessons 1 to 5

  1. 1Dickens’s LondonWhy was Dickens so angry about poverty in 1843?
  2. 2The surplus populationWhat did some Victorians believe about the poor, and how does Dickens answer them?
  3. 3Meet ScroogeFreeHow does Dickens make us dislike Scrooge, and why does he want us to?
  4. 4Fred and Bob CratchitHow do Scrooge’s visitors show us what he is missing?
  5. 5Marley’s ghostFeedback Loop kit 1What warning does Marley bring, and why does Dickens use a ghost to deliver it?

Stave 2Lessons 6 to 9

  1. 6The Ghost of Christmas PastWhy does Dickens make the first spirit so strange?
  2. 7The lonely schoolboyHow does Dickens make us pity the young Scrooge?
  3. 8Fezziwig’s ballWhat makes Fezziwig a good employer, and why does that matter to Scrooge?
  4. 9Belle and the golden idolFeedback Loop kit 2What did Scrooge lose when he chose money over love?

Stave 3Lessons 10 to 14

  1. 10The Ghost of Christmas PresentWhat does the second spirit teach Scrooge about plenty?
  2. 11The Cratchits’ ChristmasHow does Dickens use the Cratchit family to change how readers see the poor?
  3. 12Tiny TimWhy does Dickens make Tiny Tim so important to Scrooge’s change?
  4. 13Christmas everywhereHow does Dickens show that the Christmas spirit reaches everyone?
  5. 14Ignorance and WantFeedback Loop kit 3What is Dickens warning his readers about through Ignorance and Want?

Staves 4 and 5Lessons 15 to 19

  1. 15The silent spiritWhy is the final spirit silent, and why is it the most frightening?
  2. 16Old Joe’s shopWhat does the scene in Old Joe’s shop reveal about how Scrooge will be remembered?
  3. 17The graveHow does Dickens bring Scrooge to the point of change?
  4. 18Scrooge transformedHow does Dickens present the new Scrooge in Stave 5?
  5. 19Is the change believable?Feedback Loop kit 4Has Scrooge really changed, and how does Dickens make us believe it?

Themes and the examLessons 20 to 24

  1. 20Responsibility and classHow does Dickens use the whole novella to argue that we are responsible for each other?
  2. 21Family and the supernaturalHow do family and the supernatural work together in Dickens’s message?
  3. 22Planning the exam answerHow do you plan a top answer in ten minutes?
  4. 23End-of-unit essayEnd-of-unit essayAssessment: how does Dickens present Scrooge’s change?
  5. 24Feedback and improvementFeedback lessonHow can you move your essay up a level?

Seven folders, ready to teach from

  • 00
    Start here4 pages: how the scheme fits together
  • 01
    Teacher handbook111 pages: intent, unit map, lesson notes, assessment guide, knowledge bank
  • 02
    Slides24 PowerPoint decks with teacher notes, and a PDF copy of each
  • 03
    Student packsSecuring, Strengthening and Soaring, 73 pages each
  • 04
    Deliberate practiceThree booklets, 22 pages each
  • 05
    Feedback Loop kitsFour kits, 6 pages each
  • 06
    End-of-unit assessmentEssay paper and teacher guide with model answers

Both licences also include the model answer pack (20 pages) and the revision workbook (37 pages). Everything arrives as zip files of editable Word and PowerPoint files, with a PDF copy of each.

Choose a licence

Both licences include every file in the scheme, the model answer pack and the revision workbook.

One teacher

For your own classes

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  • Put it on your school’s own secure learning platform
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School

Every teacher and student at one school

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  • Print and adapt for every class in the school
  • Put it on your school’s own secure learning platform
  • Each further school in the same trust pays half

Several schemes together cost less: see the routes. To upgrade a teacher licence, or to license another school in your trust at half price, email hello@btl.education. Please don’t share the files outside your school or upload them to public websites.