A Christmas Carol Unit Study

A Christmas Carol is one of our favorite holiday read alouds! It is such a rich a wonderful piece of literature that it makes a beautiful holiday study. Here are some ideas to have your own holiday school unit study of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

Recommended Resources:

A Christmas Carol- Charles Dickens (This is the only required book listed.)

A Christmas Carol audiobook recorded by Tom Baker

Cracked Classics- Humbug Holiday- Tony Abbott

Charles Dickens: A Life- Claire Tomalin

What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist-the Facts of Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England- Daniel Pool

The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens’ London- Judith Flanders

Christmas Carols: Complete Verses (Dover Thrift Editions)- Shane Weller

Skin Like Milk, Hair of Silk: What Are Similes and Metaphors? (Words are Categorical)- Brian P. Cleary

Mary Cratchit’s Recipes: the Dicken’s Village Christmas Carol Cookbook- Department 56 Inc.

TIME For Kids Big Book of Science Experiments: A step-by-step guide– Time for Kids

Mythology: Daedalus, Echo and Narcissus, the Fortunate King, Atalanta’s Lovers– Olivia E. Coolidge

Who’s Who and Where’s Where in the Bible: An Illustrated A-to-Z Dictionary of the People and Places in Scripture- Stephen M. Miller

 

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 A Christmas Carol Cracked Classics- Humbug Holiday Charles Dickens: A Life What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist-the Facts of Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens’ London Christmas Carols: Complete Verses Skin Like Milk, Hair of Silk: What Are Similes and Metaphors? (Words are Categorical) Mary Cratchit’s Recipes: the Dicken’s Village Christmas Carol Cookbook TIME For Kids Big Book of Science Experiments: A step-by-step guide Mythology: Daedalus, Echo and Narcissus, the Fortunate King, Atalanta’s Lovers Who’s Who and Where’s Where in the Bible: An Illustrated A-to-Z Dictionary of the People and Places in Scripture

Don’t miss out on our Christmas Carol Movie Study!

Vocabulary from A Christmas Carol:

Have your children find the words below in the book for context clues and then look up the ones you don’t quite understand. 

ironmongery

simile

unhallowed

executor

rampart

grindstone

gait

grating

gladsom

bestow

trifle

palpable

morose

veneration

resolute

portly

liberality

destitute

vigour

brazier

misanthropic

poulterer

alderman

livery

fain

balustrade

fettered

cravat

spectre

apparition

dirge

enshroud

preposterous

melancholy

recumbent

proportion

fluctuate

emblem

welfare

reclamation

conducive

jocund

cupola

apprentice

tumult

negus

avarice

dowerless

pillage

prodigiously

parapet

facetious

apoplectic

opulence

declension

ubiquitous

hearth

frousy

sepulchre

milliner

grog

helmsman

beseech

trivial

province

disgorge

illustrious

farthing

endeavour

A Christmas Carol Copywork

See our copywork set for A Christmas Carol in our shop here.

Recommended Activities:

– Read a biography of Charles Dickens. (History, Language Arts)

– “Old Marley was as dead as a doornail,” is an example of a simile. Find out what a simile is and write five of your own. )Stave 1; Language Arts)

– “The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice.” Use the description of Scrooge in this passage to sketch a portrait of him. (Stave 1; Language Arts, Art)

– Using chalk pastels, illustrate how you envision the weather outside Scrooge’s counting house. (Stave 1; Art)

– Write a compare/contrast essay on Scrooge’s attitude towards Christmas vs. his nephew’s. (Stave 1; Language Arts, Critical Thinking, Character)

– Bob Cratchit’s salary is 15 shillings a week. How much is that? Would that be enough to live on today? (Stave 1; Math, Critical Thinking)

– How is fog formed? Browse through some books of science experiments or the internet to find an experiment that produces fog, or experiment a bit on your own to see what you can come up with. (Stave 1; Science, Critical Thinking)

– Learn the carol “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen.” Perform it for friends or neighbors. (Stave 1; Music, Social Studies)

– A Christmas Carol was written in 1843. Stave 1 provides a detailed description of what life was like in England in that era. Do some further research and write a report on 19th century England. (Stave 1; History, Language Arts)

– Scrooge’s large, empty house resonated with echoes. What causes echoes? Go into a large and empty room to try to make some echoes of your own. Consider reading the Greek myth of Echo and Narcissus. (Stave 1; Language Arts, History, Science)

– Find and make a recipe for gruel. (Stave 1; Life Skills, Math, Science)

– Scrooge’s fireplace was decorated with tiles depicting the Scriptures. Read about Cain and Abel, Pharaoh’s daughter, Queen of Sheba, angelic messengers Abraham, Belshazzar, and the Apostles. (Stave 1; Bible, History, Language Arts)

– Create a charcoal drawing of Marley’s ghost. (Stave 1; Art)

– From what you’ve read about Scrooge so far, list the reasons he may have the same fate as Jacob Marley. (Stave 1, Language Arts, Critical Thinking, Social Studies)

– If Scrooge had slept from 2 am until 12 am the next day, how many hours of slumber would he have experienced? (Stave 2; Math)

– How many minutes past the hour is a quarter past? Half past? A quarter to? (Consider making a paper plate clock using brads and card stock for the hands for children needing practice with analog time.) (Stave 2; Math, Art)

– What is holly? Why is it used as a Christmas decoration? (Stave 2; Science, Language Arts, History)

– Scrooge declares he could walk the path to his old school blindfolded. Try walking through your house or yard blindfolded. (Stave 2; Science, Critical Thinking)

– Write about a time you felt lonely or left out, or write about a time you befriended someone who might be feeling that way. (Stave 2; Language Arts, Social Studies, Critical Thinking, Character)

– Listen to some fiddle tunes and dance to them as if you were at Fezziwig’s. (Stave 2; Music, Physical Education)

– Find a recipe for negus and make this hot drink. (Stave 2; Life Skills, Math, Science)

– Draw or paint a picture of how you imagine the Christmas decor of the room where the Ghost of Christmas Present first appears. (Stave 3; Art, Language Arts)

– What are your favorite Christmas foods? Write a list, choose one or two and make them. (Stave 3; Language Arts, Life Skills, Math, Science)

– Why do the poor need Christmas spirit the most? Think of some ways you can help lift the spirits of the less fortunate, and follow through on it. (Stave 3; Social Studies, Character, Life Skills)

– Pudding in the United States is quite different from English pudding. Find out how and make both of them. Have a taste test. Which do you like better? (Stave 3; Social Studies, Life Skills, Math, Science)

– Play a game of Yes and No, as described at Scrooge’s nephew’s (Fred’s) party. (Stave 3; Critical Thinking, Science, Social Studies, Language Arts)

– Paint a picture of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. (Stave 4; Art)

– Charles Dickens never specified what was wrong with Tiny Tim. What do you think he may have had, and why? Research your diagnosis and write a report. (Stave 4; Language Arts, Critical Thinking, Science)

– “Clash, clang, hammer, ding, and dong” are all examples of onomatopoeia. What is onomatopeia? (Stave 5; Language Arts)

– Scrooge buys a giant turkey for the Cratchits. Consider donating a turkey or non-perishable food to a food bank. (Stave 5; Character, Social Studies)

– Volunteer at a food bank or soup kitchen with your family. (Stave 5; Character, Life Skills)

– What is a poulterer? Why do you think they’re called that? (Stave 5; Social Studies, Language Arts)

– Do you know of a family in need? How might you help them this holiday season? (Stave 5; Character, Social Studies)

– How would you like to be remembered when you’re gone? Are you living in a way that supports that? If not, how could you change for the better? Write an essay. (Stave 5; Character, Critical Thinking, Language Arts)

– Write an additional stave describing the Cratchit family’s reaction to learning of their new circumstances. (Stave 5; Character, Language Arts, Critical Thinking)

– Read Cracked Classics- Humbug Holiday, a fun spin-off of this book. Compare the two. (Stave 5; Language Arts)

 

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