MUELLER
12th Grade Curriculum: Literature of Britain
 The Anglo-Saxons 449-1066
o Beowulf
 The Middle Ages 1066-1485
o The Canterbury Tales; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
 The Renaissance 1485-1660
o Shakespeare’s Othello; poetry/sonnets
 The Restoration and the 18th Century 1660-1800
o Jonathon Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels; TBD
 The Romantic Period 1798-1832
o TBD; poetry
 The Victorian Period 1832-1901
o Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol; Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
 The Twentieth Century 1901-TODAY 
o TBD
Monday-Tuesday, December 7-8, 2015
Background: The Victorian Period 1832-1901 (Textbook, pp.782-800)
[Take notes on the following sections; be prepared to “teach” a section!]
1. Peace and Economic Growth: Britannia Rules
2. The Idea of Progress: An Acre in Middlesex”
3. The “Hungry Forties”
4. The Movement for Reform: Food, Factories, and Optimism
5. Decorum and Authority
6. Intellectual Progress: The March of Mind
7. Questions and Doubts
8. From Trust to Skepticism and Denial
9. Revealing Reality, Creating Coherence
ALSO:
10.Who were the Victorians? [“box” on page 795]
ALSO:
11.A Closer Look—An Age in Need of Heroines: Reform in Victorian Britain
12.A Closer Look—The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood: Challenging Artistic
Authority
13.A Closer Look—Victorian Drama: From Relief to Realism
Wednesday-Friday, December 8-19, 2014
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol—details TBA
NOTE: Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is available online.
MUELLER
The Victorian Period [1832-1901]
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol [published 1843]
UNIT FOCUS:
 Topic: Self-reflection and selflessness
 Themes: Explore how characters teach life lessons and achieve redemption through
selflessness and valuing people over material possessions.
 Text Use: Character point of view/perspective and development, influence of setting and
characters on theme, influence of text on society
UNIT TASK(S)—Reading Log—Annotations & Dialectical Journals:
CLASSWORK:
ANNOTATIONS [organize by Stave]:
 Record brief quotations and page numbers that show Scrooge’s character
development/transformation over the course of the text. Be sure to indicate when Scrooge is
interacting with new characters or ghosts so that you can use the notes later for analysis of
the impact each interaction had on the development/transformation of Scrooge’s character.
[Characterization=appearance, words, actions, thoughts, other characters]
 Record additional brief quotations and page numbers that reveal the setting, atmosphere,
mood, and related images (sensory details).
[Setting = when & where in general (19th century London; Victorian Period) AND also
specific details: class divisions, social conditions, cultural traditions.]
 Also use the reading log to document the following literary elements:
Plot; Conflict; Point of View; Figurative Language; Irony; Theme; Symbolism
Themes to consider:
True goodness does not come from social station or wealth.
Change is possible even for the most hardened soul.
Law and justice are not always the same thing.
It is never too late for reflective change.
Other
Symbols to consider:
Ghosts/Spirits; Marley’s Chains; Weather; Children; Food
HOMEWORK:
DIALECTICAL JOURNALS [organize by Stave; “5” per Stave]:
1. Specific quotations, i.e. about setting and character, and page numbers from the text;
2. Brief objective summaries to provide context for the quotations; and
3. Analysis of the impact of the quotations on theme development.
READING SCHEDULE:
W/TH Stave 1 (p 1-29)—Whole Group Read/Discuss
[Stave 1 establishes the setting and resulting mood through Dickens’ use of
descriptive language. Many of the main characters are introduced and developed,
including the greedy Scrooge. This section of the text prepares the reader to study
Scrooge as a character, take note of his changes, and then draw conclusions about
how those changes develop a theme.]
F
Stave 2 (p 30-56)—Independent/Partnership/Whole Group Read
M
Stave 3 (p. 57-91)—Independent/Partnership/Whole Group Read
T
Stave 4 (p. 92-115)—Independent/Partnership/Whole Group Read
W
Stave 5 (p. 116-125)—Independent/Partnership/Whole Group Read
TH
Annotations & Dialectical Journals; Summative Assessment(s)
F
Film Adaptation(s)—George C. Scott/Jim Carrey/Mr. Magoo
NOTE: Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is available online.