Never underestimate the power of an intriguing start. When analyzing the literary greats like Charles Dickens and Kurt Vonnegut, be inspired by their craft and learn how to write a tantalizing introduction and strong thesis for your...

Pupil outcome: I can discuss the author and context of ‘A Christmas Carol’. Key learning points: - Charles Dickens lived during the Victorian era. - He was a very popular author who often represented the contrast between the rich and the...

Pupil outcome: I can understand the context of 'Oliver Twist'. Key learning points: - Oliver Twist is set in Victorian England. - Charles Dickens is a key author for our cultural heritage; ‘Oliver Twist’ is considered a children’s...

Pupil outcome: I can carefully select verbs and adverbs to describe a malevolent character. Key learning points: - Careful selection of verbs and adverbs are key in description as they strongly impact meaning. - Changing a verb or adverb...

Pupil outcome: I can confidently understand and use pathetic fallacy. Key learning points: - Pathetic fallacy is a literary technique in which emotions are ascribed to non-human objects and things. - Pathetic fallacy helps to show the...

Pupil outcome: I can create a written response which meets a success criteria. Key learning points: - An excellent introduction could start with a brief summary of the text and its overarching message. - It should then have a specific...

This video explores allusion, a literary technique that briefly mentions well-known references to convey deeper meanings. It emphasizes the importance of audience knowledge for effective allusions, using examples from Charles Dickens,...

This video focuses on anaphora, a literary technique involving the repetition of words or phrases at the start of successive clauses. It highlights its emotional impact, with examples from "A Tale of Two Cities," the Declaration of...

With close to 400 filmed adaptations and countless stage performances, A Christmas Carol is one of the most adapted works of all time. And so it should be no surprise that many of these versions draw harsh criticism from viewers and...

Miss Havisham is a wealthy and reclusive character in Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations. As a young woman, she was left at the altar, leading her to become bitter and manipulative. She raises her adoptive daughter, Estella, to...

Abel Magwitch is a captivating character in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. Initially a fearsome convict, he evolves into a compassionate and paternal figure for the protagonist, Pip. Through his journey of redemption, Magwitch...

Pip is the main character of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. He is a young orphan who dreams of becoming a gentleman. While working as a blacksmith's apprentice, he learns that an anonymous benefactor has bestowed him with...

A video overview of part II of Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations. Using excerpts from the 1946 version of the movie, this video summarizes the ending of the story. Pip discovers that Jaggers knows much more about Magwitch and...

A video overview of part II of Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations. Using excerpts from the 1946 version of the movie, we review important events and interactions in part II of the book. Pip has moved to London and is adjusting...

A video overview of part I of Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations. Using excerpts from the 1946 version of the movie, this video introduces the main characters and explores the key events in part I. We meet Pip and his family,...

National Archives: This video explores primary sources that tell us more about life as a Victorian child criminal in Britain. It also gives insight as to many of the characters found in Charles Dickens novels, especially including Oliver...

Food varies wildly from place to place and from culture to culture; since humans are such sensory creatures, using words to evoke the experience of eating is an excellent way to bring a text to life. Hosted by Lindsay Ellis...

Year 10 and 11 students learn about using commas Inspiring teacher Phil Beadle leads Year 10 and 11 English students through the five uses of commas, in this CPD resource full of lesson ideas. In this energetic and lively masterclass,...

National Archive: A Christmas Carol, published 19 December 1843 is one of Charles Dickens’ most beloved works and did much to create our image of an archetypal Victorian Christmas. But its success immediately caused its author trouble,...

In part 1 of this INET interview, Sylvia Nasar talks about her book, Grand Pursuit: The Story of Economic Genius. She suggests that Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol was an early work of economics. Dickens realized that the old view of...

If you've ever said, "Christmas has gotten too commercial!" well, you're not the first. How did a religious observance turn into a national spending spree?

SchoolOnline's Secondary English videos are brilliant, bite-size tutorial videos delivered by examiners. Ideal for ages 13-17, they cover every key skill in English Reading and Writing that students need to master in clear and easy to...

Mythology & Fiction Explained retells the classic Christmas story, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

In this video, we learn about the life and work of the famous writer Charles Dickens. The video covers his early years, including his family's struggles with debt and his own experience working in a factory as a child. We also learn...