A Christmas Carol - Scrooge's Childhood - teaching resource

A Christmas Carol – Scrooge’s Childhood

(20-slide editable PowerPoint with 3 worksheets)

This GCSE English Literature lesson explores Dickens’ presentation of Scrooge’s childhood in Stave Two of A Christmas Carol. The 20-slide fully editable PowerPoint and three accompanying worksheets guide learners through a close analysis of Scrooge’s past, focusing on how Dickens reveals the emotional impact of Scrooge’s early experiences and their role in shaping his character.

In this passage, the Ghost of Christmas Past encourages Scrooge to reflect on the time he was abandoned at boarding school by his emotionally distant father. Learners consider how Dickens uses memory, setting, and imagery to present Scrooge’s childhood unhappiness and its influence on his emotional development.

The resource includes:

• A differentiated Do Now starter task where learners construct three valid sentences about Stave One using selected keywords from three grids, reinforcing prior knowledge

• A close reading of the passage from “Scrooge reverently disclaimed any knowledge…” down to “…and the streets were lighted up”, focusing on:

  • Why Scrooge was unhappy at boarding school

  • How Dickens presents Scrooge’s isolation and longing for connection

  • How these early experiences shape Scrooge’s adult personality and values

• A differentiated analysis task where learners explore the significance of three fictional characters from the stories Scrooge read as a child, developing inference and interpretation skills

• A reflective 3-2-1 plenary, encouraging learners to summarise and consolidate their understanding of Dickens’ presentation of Scrooge’s childhood

Perfect for classroom teaching, revision, intervention, or exam preparation, this resource helps students connect Dickens’ characterisation to wider themes of memory, trauma, and redemption, supporting success in the GCSE English Literature exam.

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