A Christmas Carol

Several of the 4th graders had heard of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol or had seen the movie. A few had even seen the Disney cartoon featuring Scrooge McDuck as Ebenezer Scrooge. We read the abridged version of the story, which was illustrated by Brett Helquist (who also illustrated Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events). We read about miserly Scrooge and saw how he treated his worker Bob Cratchitt and how he scoffed at his nephew Fred for wishing his uncle a Merry Christmas. When he was visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, we learned what his life was like when he was younger, and found some evidence about why he acted so miserable all the time. The Ghost of Christmas Present showed his family celebrating and despite his lack of Christmas spirit and never showing love to his family, they were toasting Scrooge and wishing him well. He also saw the inadequate Christmas meal the Cratchitts were eating, and noticed how sickly their son Tiny Tim was looking. When the Ghost of Christmas Future showed him his lonely life ahead, Scrooge vowed to change his ways. And he did! We talked about some of the themes of the book, including family and forgiveness, and how it is never too late to change your ways. This version of the story was a great way to introduce Dickens' classic, and with Christmas a week away, the timing was perfect.