A Christmas Carol activity: a 30-minute Scrooge character study, 6–8

1. Background (3 min): Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol in London in December 1843. He wanted readers to think about poverty and child labor in Victorian England. He called the chapters "staves", like the verses of a song.
2. Give each group of four one stave. Groups find one quote that shows how Scrooge acts or speaks in that part and write it on a sticky note. For stave 1, many groups pick his answer to the men collecting for the poor: "Are there no prisons?"
3. Groups agree on where Scrooge stands on the 1 to 10 line in their stave and why. One member from each group stands at that number, holding the quote.
4. Read the line aloud from stave 1 to stave 5. Ask: "Where is the biggest jump? What causes it?"
5. Challenge a placement: any group can argue that another group's student should move, using a different quote as evidence.
6. Discuss: "Is Scrooge's change believable? What would make it more or less convincing?" and "Which visit changes him most?"

Writing extension: each student writes a paragraph about how Scrooge changes, using quotes from two different staves and the transitions "at first", "however" and "by the end".

Differentiation: for students who need support, give each group two quotes to choose from. For advanced readers, add a second line for another character, such as Fred or Bob Cratchit, and discuss who changes and who stays the same. For English learners, preview stingy, generous, miserly and charity with pictures or gestures, and pair the text with a film clip. For students who need to stay seated, let them place a sticky note on a number line on the board instead of standing.

Quick check: "Give Scrooge a number for stave 1 and for stave 5, and quote one line that proves the difference."

If you try it, share the quote your students argued about most.