Curriculum Guide to: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Great Expectations can prove to be a challenge for instructors who choose to use Dickens's novel as required reading. Here's a curriculum guide that includes lessons that address some of these challenges. The first lesson in critical thinking asks readers to compare Dickens' descriptions with two movie versions of the same scenes. Class members also keep an empathy journal where they make personal connections to Pip's experiences. Groups track different characters, recording information and impressions. At the same time, other lessons focus on the rich vocabulary in the text and the dialect used by some characters—a great way to keep readers engaged.