Languages and literacy
Compare Scrooge and Fezziwig
Compare two employers in A Christmas Carol, then use evidence to track Scrooge’s change across the story. This two-page A4 organiser combines a Venn diagram, quotation analysis, a stave-by-stave arc and a comparison paragraph frame.
Use the overlap to compare Scrooge and Fezziwig. The source supplies one example and leaves the rest to pupils.
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Compare two employers in A Christmas Carol, then use evidence to track Scrooge’s change across the story. This two-page A4 organiser combines a Venn diagram, quotation analysis, a stave-by-stave arc and a comparison paragraph frame.
Activity. Use the preview for diagrams and layout.
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NAME CLASS DATE LEARNING GOAL Compare two characters and back up each point with evidence. SUCCESS CRITERIA I can sort differences and similarities in a Venn diagram. I can explain what a quotation shows about a character. I can write a comparison paragraph with a connective. THE STORY SO FAR In Stave Two of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol (1843), the Ghost of Christmas Past shows the miser Scrooge his first employer, Mr Fezziwig. Look through four lenses. Start each point with its letter. E As an employer M With money C At Christmas O How others see them SCROOGE FEZZIWIG O N LY O N LY B OT H M hoards his money Scrooge: solid ring Fezziwig: dashed ring A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens, 1843 IN THIS ISSUE 1 VENN 2 EVIDENCE E N G L I S H L I T E R AT U R E AG E S 1 1 TO 1 4 A C H R I S T M A S C A R O L Two bosses, one Christmas Compare Scrooge and Fezziwig as employers, then track how Scrooge changes. ISSUE 05 1 Fill the Venn diagram T H I N K 12 points Page 1 of 2
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NAME CLASS DATE Row A is done for you. Name the trait, then explain the words in rows B and C. TRAIT QUOTATION WHAT IT SHOWS A Scrooge: scornful of Christmas "Bah!" said Scrooge, "Humbug!" SCROOGE, STAVE ONE Two short exclamations: he waves Christmas away without a second thought. B "Yo ho, my boys!" said Fezziwig. "No more work to-night. Christmas Eve, Dick. Christmas, Ebenezer!" FEZZIWIG, STAVE TWO C "The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune." SCROOGE, ABOUT FEZZIWIG, STAVE TWO Under each stave, write how Scrooge acts or feels there. STAVE ONE A miser who refuses to celebrate Christmas. STAVE TWO The Ghost of Christmas Past shows him Fezziwig. STAVE THREE Your note from your reading: STAVE FOUR Your note from your reading: STAVE FIVE Generous and kind. Use one quotation and one comparing word. Both men ... However, ... whereas ... This shows that ... Dickens wants us to see ... Character comparison Venn diagram · Evidence desk I S S U E 0 5 A C H R I S T M A S C A R O L E V I D E N C E D E S K Find the evidence, then compare 2 What does each quotation show? R E A D 4 marks 3 How does Scrooge change? T H I N K 4 Write your comparison paragraph W R I T E 6 marks Page 2 of 2
A teaching sequence
Compare Scrooge and Fezziwig as employers using textual evidence, then explain how Scrooge changes across the five staves.
Compare through four lenses
Add points to the Venn diagram using the employer, money, Christmas and reputation lenses; label each point with the prompt letter.
Does each Venn point address the same lens for both characters?
Explain the quotation's words
Analyse the three quotations by naming a trait and explaining what the words show about the speaker or subject.
Which words support the trait you named?
Track change through the staves
Track Scrooge through the staves using the text, adding notes where the page asks pupils to draw on their reading.
Where in your class edition is the evidence for this change?
Write a supported comparison
Write a comparison paragraph with a quotation, a connective and a claim about Dickens’s presentation of the characters. Check the evidence in the text.
What does Fezziwig's happiness help the comparison show about money and generosity?
Before you teach
Look for the thinking behind an answer, choose the support your class needs and leave room for an independent response.
What to look for
Look for a comparison that uses evidence from both characters and a clear account of Scrooge’s development. Ask: “What does the description of Fezziwig’s happiness help Dickens show about money and generosity?” Check extracts against the class edition and invite pupils to draw on staves not reproduced here.
Give a little support
Provide a stave summary and a small set of verified quotations. Model one Venn entry and one sentence that compares both characters, then let pupils add evidence before drafting the paragraph.
Take the idea further
Ask pupils to compare the Fezziwig episode with Scrooge’s later actions and decide which change matters most. They can test a reading by considering whether a quotation supports more than one interpretation.
Things to keep in mind
The two-page pack does not reproduce the full novel or include an answer key. Pupils need the class text for later staves and should verify quotations against their edition. The Venn diagram organises comparison but does not decide which interpretation is correct.
Keep the idea. Make it yours.
Bring your topic, learning goal and class context to PLAI™, then review what you create.
Ideas to try with your class
Sample teaching perspectives on what to try, what to adapt and what to watch for.
Meet The Creators
Meet a creator whose teaching interests connect with this template.
Bright Margins
The two-page sheet compares Scrooge and Fezziwig through employer, money, Christmas and others’ views, then asks pupils to explain three quotations and track Scrooge across five staves. The completed first entries model both a Venn point and quotation analysis.
Storytime Sidekick
The tasks connect Fezziwig’s Christmas Eve treatment of workers with Scrooge’s earlier and later conduct. Requiring a connective in the comparison paragraph asks pupils to explain the relationship between characters rather than list two profiles.
Good Question
Begin with the “Bah! Humbug!” example, then model how Fezziwig’s “No more work to-night” changes the picture of a generous employer. The stave notes provide checkpoints for pupils who need to plan the character arc before drafting.
Helpful Highlighter
The worksheet cannot substitute for reading the relevant scenes, and its later stave spaces rely on the class text. Confirm quotations and act on edition wording, then ask pupils to support any judgement with textual evidence.