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A Dickens of a PartyDesigned by Patricia E. Carbone
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IntroductionYou have been invited to a Victorian New Year's Day Party, honoring Ebenezer Scrooge, the protagonist of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and celebrating the changes that he has made to his life in response to the visits by the three spirits on Christmas Eve.If you accept this invitation, you must be prepared to leave behind the 21st Century blue jeans, technology, music, and fast food. Attending a party during this time period was very different from today. Prepare yourself well! The more knowledge you have, the more fun you'll have at the party. |
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TaskScrooge's nephew, Fred, is hosting a New Year's Day Party to celebrate his uncle's new outlook on life. The revelations of his miserly, miserable past have left Scrooge eager to learn more about those who have helped him to change. In order to accomplish this, Scrooge hopes to understand the values and customs of people he meets in this day-to-day life in Victorian society. Your group will assume the persona of one of Dickens' characters from the story and investigate daily life in Victorian London.Your preparation will be divided into three stages:
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ProcessStage One: Group Investigative RolesIn order to connect with the people and places of Dickens' time, you'll investigate four aspects of Victorian life using role cards: history, fashion, etiquette, and entertainment.Stage Two: Individual Characterizations It's time to get ready for the party! You'll choose a character from A Christmas Carol to attend as and using the information you gathered in Stage One with details about the Victorian period that we have viewed and discussed in class, you need to begin making your plans.Stage Three: Presentations On the day of the party, bring your page for Scrooge's scrapbook and come to class prepared to portray the character you've chosen. Your presentation can include costumes and props, but must be realistic and believable. After everyone has been introduced to Scrooge and shared a presentation, we'll play Victorian parlor games and listen to traditional Victorian music. |
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EvaluationYour work on this project will be evaluated with three rubrics, one for each stage of the process:
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ConclusionBravo! The Sunday edition of the London Times reports Fred's New Year's Day Party to have been the "social event of the holiday season." The reporter noted that the guest list included society's elite as well as its downtrodden.The guest of honor, Ebenezer Scrooge, is said to have had such a good time that he will be hosting a New Year's Day Party at his house next year. The Times quoted Scrooge as admitting, "At last, I have learned that to understand mankind requires going beyond the physical appearance and financial means. To really understand people, I need to listen to what they say, watch their actions, and cautiously listen to what others say about them." You've had a chance to explore these ideas during this WebQuest. By playing one of Dickens' characters, you learned and applied the elements of characterization. You studied what your character looked like, how the character behaved, what the character said, and what others said about your character. Well-done! |
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Credits & ReferencesImages © 2003 www.clipart.com.Rubrics Made Using RubiStar. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page and the information from the WebQuest Design Patterns page. |