Odds are that most middle school students already know who Scrooge is and that he was visited by the three ghosts of Christmas. This could make reading A Christmas Carol difficult in your English class. However, so many great discussions can come from this book so we found twenty-two scary good activities to help you make A Christmas Carol more enticing for your students.
Pre-Reading
1. Book Trailer
A classic pre-reading activity is a book trailer. This gives your students a better look into what happens in the book and brings the ideas to life in front of them.
Learn more: John Marshall
2. Time Travel Adventure
Another way you can get your students ready for reading is by taking them back in time to the Victorian Time Period. The Geek Chic Teacher created a free activity that will have your kids exploring Victorian society and learning more about what life was like in the days of Charles Dickens and Ebenezer Scrooge.
Learn more: The Greek Chic Teacher
3. Background of The Christmas Carol
Showing a video on the background of the story can also help set the stage for when you read the book. Have students write the facts they learned after watching the video as an exit ticket.
Learn more: The British Library
4. Fact or Fiction?
Who doesn’t love games? Play a Deal or No Deal style game using background information on the book. The students have to guess whether the information is fact or fiction. This is a pre-reading activity students will love and it’s available in both print and digital format.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
During Reading
5. Writing Prompts
Start your class period with some silent writing time. This Christmas Carol bundle includes 33 task cards with prompts based on the reading.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
6. Skits
I think having students act out scenes from the book is one of the most helpful activities for them. Not only will the scenes cement more in their memory, but they also may find ways to relate to the characters or gain a better understanding of the scene.
Learn more: KQED
7. Storyboard
Another way we can see our student’s comprehension of texts is through their own creation of storyboards. This is an opportunity for students to use their creativity to depict a scene of their choosing. I like to have my students create a storyboard set to summarize a chapter.
Learn more: Storyboard That
8. Plot Diagram
A plot diagram is a great way to visualize the chain of events of the story. While reading, let your students know when a rising action has occurred, and let them summarize what happened. Continue this throughout the plot diagram. Guide the students but let them summarize on their own.
Learn more: Aaron Bezant
9. Audiobook Time
All students appreciate a break from “working”. Choose to listen instead of reading one day and allow the students to take notes, draw, or even print out coloring pages for them. Even middle school students love a chance to rest and color at times.
Learn more: Greatest Audiobooks
10. Character Sketch
Another great help for reading comprehension is a character sketch. Your students analyze the characters’ behaviors, words, and even their looks. These help boost student understanding of who the characters are and what they are going through.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
11. Figurative Language Hunt
The Christmas Carol is a great opportunity for your students to become more familiar with figurative language. Send them on a hunt through a passage for a particular form of figurative language and have them highlight the phrases.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
12. Charles Dickens Glossary
The language used in A Christmas Carol can be confusing for any grade level. Give your students access to the Charles Dickens glossary while they’re reading to help make understanding easier.
Learn more: The Charles Dickens Page
Post Reading
13. Create a Retelling
While A Christmas Carol is set in the Victorian period, we have modern students. Many students begrudge reading classics because they feel they’re not relatable. Help your students see the timeless message in this story by creating their own modern retelling. Assign different scenes to students and have them recreate them as if the scene happened today. Show clips of the above video for inspiration.
Learn more: Fear HQ
14. Watch the Movie
All students love to walk into language class and find out its movie day. A fun experience for students after completing the novel is watching the movie. There are many different versions available from the classic version to the 2009 version with Jim Carrey or even the version that centers on the Muppets.
Learn more: Screen Rant
15. Film Adaptation Proposal
After watching the movie, give your students a chance to adapt the book into their own film. Students have to think about who they want in the movie, which scenes to keep and get rid of, what the setting will be, and so much more.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
16. Escape Room
Another activity students love is an escape room. With this activity, students will compare and contrast, evaluate arguments, and analyze characters. This escape room will be a challenge for students but one they will enjoy!
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
17. ZAP
Zap is a fun review game that will keep your students engaged while testing their memory and comprehension of the book.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
18. Write a Letter to Scrooge
There are many potential writing activities when a novel is complete but one of the most popular is writing a letter to a character. Have your students write a letter to Ebenezer Scrooge convincing him to celebrate Christmas.
Learn more: Teach It
19. Visit From Ghosts
Another great writing opportunity is to write as if you received a visit from each of the ghosts. This gives the students a chance to connect with the characters and the themes.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
20. Question Grid
When you want the students to review the essential questions, give them a question grid. They have to roll the dice to determine which comprehensive questions they must answer.
Learn more: Teach It
21. Scrooge’s Timeline
Another great revision tactic is a timeline for students. Give them Scrooge’s timeline and make them place the important events in his story in order or let them make their own timelines with what they believe are the important events.
Learn more: Teach It
22. Class Debate
One of my personal favorite revision tactics is a class debate. You get to see how well your students really comprehended the story, and discuss differing viewpoints and the student talk time and interaction are high. Provide questions such as; is the story a fairy tale or a ghost story?
Learn more: Collins
20 AVID Activities for Middle School