A Christmas Carol is a timely text for Christmastime, though it can work in other places as well– especially given Scrooge’s new-found desire to “Keep Christmas all year.” There are lots of options for related culminating projects to expand on or analyze the text. Projects can get students into analyzing and reviewing the text, but still have some creativity and fun to it.
Here are several Culminating Project ideas to use with A Christmas Carol:
- Scrooge makes reference to the workhouses as an option for the poor. Students can research Victorian workhouses. In addition, students can analyze the impact of poverty on the story.
2. Another research topic is Dickens’ own past and how that may have influenced the story. It’s always interesting to explore an author and their experiences. This research topic is a good candidate for a multimedia project, using pictures to accompany the text.
(Purchase the resources: A Christmas Carol Victorian Workhouse Research Project OR Charles Dickens Author Research Project)
3. Create a Christmas Ornament or Christmas Sweater. Decorate it with symbols or motifs from the story, or items related to a character. Great for a decoration. It’s nice to let the kids color with crayons, but it could also be done on the computer as well.
(Purchase the resource: A Christmas Carol Ornament or Christmas Sweater Activity)
4. Compare A Christmas Carol with How the Grinch Stole Christmas (either movie or book work well). How are they similar? Why is this theme of a grouch getting reformed at Christmas so appealing? Write an essay, or create a multimedia project.
(Purchase the resource: A Christmas Carol Two Text Comparison Essay)
5. Retell the story from Bob Cratchit’s point of view. What does he know about his misery boss’s sudden and drastic change of heart? Does Scrooge tell him anything? Good for reviewing the story and practicing taking an alternate point of view.
(Purchase the resource: A Christmas Carol Bob Cratchit’s Story Alternate POV Writing)
6. Create an Infographic about the story and the literary elements in it. These are a fun way to review, and it’s a medium that is very prevalent these days.
(Purchase the resource: A Christmas Carol Create an Infographic Activity)
Culminating projects can be a great way to warp up a text with tasks like researching, retelling, reflecting, examining or going beyond the story. Projects also provide hands-on learning, and can be student-directed, with options like Choice Boards or Task Cards. Plus, they can help stretch time and budget by spanning several days.
(Purchase the resource: A Christmas Carol Culminating Projects Set Task Cards Choice Board)
Check out Activities for Teaching a Christmas Carol or Winter Reading for the Secondary Classroom for more ideas.