A Christmas Carol

Student Activities

(World built in collaboration with Pure Imagination)

1. Students will spawn in front of Charles Dickens (the map narrator).
2. Let students know that their goal is to:
   • Determine why and how various characters affect the plot of the story. We have included character cards so students can write down various character actions and quotes as they explore the story.
3. Have students explore the story. The entire text is found throughout the narrative and they are directed through the story by Charles Dickens. Encourage students to use their character cards to write down important details about the main characters as they are going to use this information in their essays. You may want to collect these with their writing.
4. It will take a while for students to explore the complete narrative, approximately 1-3 hours from start to finish, depending on a student’s reading level.
5. After students have completed the narrative, read all of the staves presented through various characters, and collected information about the characters along the way (whether through the character cards or their camera and book & quill), it is time for students to begin their writings. The following are suggested essay prompts:
   • Grade 4 (Age 9-10): Describe what happens to Scrooge in A Christmas Carol and how changes during the story. Be sure to include details from the story in your description.
   • Grade 5 (10-11): Compare and contrast Scrooge with any other character in A Christmas Carol. Be sure to include details from the story in your description.
   • Grade 6-7 (11-13): Describe how at least four different characters move the narrative forward to a resolution. Be sure to include details from the story to prove your characters do cause the story to unfold.
   • Alternatives to essays- students create a Sway and use photos taken with their camera (placed and exported in their portfolio) while exploring the narrative to answer the prompts above. Students could also us Flipgrid to record their thoughts on the narrative as they explore the world of A Christmas Carol.
6. As students visit each NPC you might want them to take photos of the characters (using their in-game camera) and give a summary of what they learn from each NPC (using their portfolio or book and quill) instead of or in addition to the character cards. The camera, portfolio, and book & quill are given to the students after they speak to Charles Dickens at the beginning of the narrative.
   • After students have explored A Christmas Carol and have their portfolios full of photos and summaries, they should then export their portfolios and submit them in addition to their essays/projects.
7. Once students have submitted their essays/projects use the attached rubrics to grade the projects. Each checklist corresponds to the appropriate rubric so students can self-check as they progress on their essays/projects.

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