12/3/07 9th A Christmas Carol

Happy December!

We started our day with a spelling test. Your new list is in the bar to the right.------>

Today I passed out journal prompts, a book report form and a study guide. You are to work on these things as we read A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. They will all be due on December 20 (that's two weeks from Thursday).

We will have a quiz at the end of each stave (chapter). Remember, if you bought a book, you can highlight important bits of information. All quizzes and the final test will be open book. However, you will need to know your book well enough to find the answers quickly in order to have enough time to complete each quiz/test.

Also due on December 20 is a reflection about a service project of your choice:

Final Project
A Christmas Carol

To go along with learning the plot and details of A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, we are going to do a project that will reinforce the theme of the book. Scrooge learned about the importance of helping the needy and the less fortunate through his experiences with the three Christmas Spirits. Your project will be to participate in a service project to help someone who is poor and/or needy during the Christmas season. You may combine your efforts by getting a group together for your service project, you may do your own individual service project, or you may enlist your family to perform your act of service.

You will choose your own service project (we’ll talk about some ideas in class), but be sure to focus on helping the needy in some way. This doesn’t always mean buying things or donating items. You could, for example, donate some time by working in a soup kitchen or homeless shelter with your family. You could shovel the snow from an elderly person’s sidewalk and driveway. There are many ways besides money to help those in need.

After you have completed your act of service, your assignment is to write a 1-2 page typed (double-spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman font) reflection about your project—what was it, how did it make you feel, did you enjoy it, did it help you learn about helping others, etc.

Today we read page 1-9 of Stave 1. Highlights: Scrooge is always described as being cold--icy beard, icy clothes, icy demeanor. As a contrast, Scrooge's nephew comes in warm and red-cheeked from his brisk walk across town. The city is filthy with soot (thanks to the industrial revolution). Scrooge's employee gets only a very small fire (one coal) to warm his freezing hands. Scrooge is approached by a charitable foundation asking for donations to the poor. Scrooge says:

"Are there no prisons?"

"Plenty of prisons," said the gentleman, laying down the pen again.

"And the Union workhouses," demanded Scrooge, "Are they still in operation?"

"Both very busy, sir."

"Oh. I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course," said Scrooge. "I'm very glad to hear it."

This reveals Scrooge's heartless attitude toward the poor.