Michelle Hohenfeldt-Spethman

Teacher Applicant: Michelle Hohenfeldt-Spethman
Project Title: A Christmas Carol: A Mosaic of Lessons
School: Scott Middle School
Grade: 7

Project Description:
Bah Humbug! That was the initial reaction of 135 seventh grade students to the news that we would be reading Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol. However, their minds quickly changed as we ventured each day into their own pasts, presents and futures. Their attention was immediately captured as we embarked on an on-line scavenger hunt searching for information about Victorian England. We visited many sites that allowed them to appreciate art, listen to music, examine architecture, and study the historical implications of this time period. The students were allowed to play on-line dress up with Victorian clothes and take tours of actual houses via PBS’ 1900 House. By the time we left the computer lab, they knew exactly what the setting of our book would be, and were intrigued by what they had discovered. The students interests were especially piqued when they realized how much of Charles Dickens’ own life, dreams and struggles were represented in his own writing, and in particular, A Christmas Carol. The idea of the Victorian Christmas came to life for us via cable programming that introduced us to the rich history and taste of wassail and the décor during this time period. By the time we were finished with all of the pre-reading exercises, they were dying to finally turn the pages of the novel.

As the books flew open, the students were constantly pushed to make connections between their lives and the lives of the characters in Dickens’ novel. Upon reading the first stave we were introduced to Jacob Marley and his chains. These chains represented greed, wealth, and all of the things that Marley valued when he was alive, in place of humanity. To help us think more about the life lessons we were learning, we created our own chains that represented the good we had been a part of in the past week. While a few students stumbled with this and asked, “What if we can’t think of any?” (and I said, “Then this is a timely book for you, isn’t it?”), more often students were saying that they had more than one to choose from, and asked if we could do it each Monday during the unit. We had red and white paper chains everywhere! The further we delved into the book, the more students were doing for others, giving of themselves, and truly being able to articulate the importance of these feelings they were experiencing.

Despite the many vocabulary lessons, the language in the book was difficult, and I wanted to make sure that students were still able to understand and recall the many events of this timeless classic. So, for each stave we read, the students were put into small groups and challenged to come up with a song sung to the tune of a familiar song (Mary Had a Little Lamb) or a Christmas carol (Jingle Bells). The students sparkled! They wrote, performed, and in many cases, choreographed their performances for us as I digitally videotaped these performances and burned them onto a DVD so we could all watch them. Not only did this assignment provide hours of active, hands-on learning, but when we took the final test, many students were humming their tunes to help them remember the many places the spirit(s) took Ebenezer Scrooge. I found myself humming “A Scrooga Matata” and “These Chains Were Made for Rumbling” when I went home at the end of the day. Groups also recorded just the audio portion of their performances and podcasts were created as a link from our school web page .This was a fantastic way for students to again review for our test as well as a powerful avenue for parents to sneak a peek at their students completing an assignment in an engaging way.

The end of the book was in sight when the opportunity arose to see A Christmas Carol performed onstage for us by the Lincoln Southwest High School theater department, the high school that many of our students would be attending. To further push the message of giving and philanthropy, we collected items for “Mrs. Cratchit’s Cupboard” in collaboration with the high school. Our students donated over 500 items, which we took with us to the performance.

We reviewed for our final test by playing Cash Cab- a review game inspired by the Discovery Channel’s own program. The students loved the concept of getting in a cab, being given “chocolate gold coin cab fare” and being asked questions. It was fun and provided a thorough review of the book and its many lessons.

In the words of Charles Dickens ,when we had reached “The End of It,” our focus turned to the future, which is the most important component in Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation. We had previously discussed the many layers and themes to this novel, but the ultimate question is, “Now what? What are you going to do now? How can you live your life as Charles Dickens would have wanted?” It seemed only fitting as Scrooge celebrated with his nephew Fred for the holidays that we continue that  celebration in the form of a Victorian New Year’s Gala where we could showcase all of our hard work and unveil a lasting mosaic that mirrored the lasting impressions and lessons we learned.

As we brainstormed the many themes and lessons of A Christmas Carol, students were asked to select one that they believed was the most important for them. They thought about how they could take this larger lesson and apply it in a practical way to their own lives everyday. We took those ideas and created pictures that symbolized this lasting lesson. Students painted 4”x4” tiles with these pictures and symbols on them and then we created a 4 foot by 4 foot tile mosaic that melded all of our themes and lessons. It was breathtaking.

As the students wrapped their creative hands around the invitations, I was unsure of the response the event would receive. Would parents really get off of work and venture out on a cold Friday in January to see their cherubs in English class for an open house? They did! They came, they saw and they were captivated. The turnout was overwhelming! We had 90-100 parents and siblings perusing our hard work throughout the day. Students signed up for responsibilities and were in charge of greeting, refreshments, seeking resolutions from our guests, recording new good deeds on chains reserved for parents, explaining the details of the mosaic, and providing the background information as well as playing the stave song performances.

The entire day had a warm and glowing feel to it. Parents commented on how nice it was to be invited into school for a good reason. Students wanted their parents there; they weren’t embarrassed to see them .They pointed out to their particular tile they’d painted, they wanted them to see them dancing and singing about Scrooge. I felt like a proud parent each time the bell rang and a new flock of parents arrived. And the best part of all? The students ran the show. They could articulate why we had done the activities and explain what they had learned if asked by a parent, administrator, or district official. At the end of the day, I felt truly “illuminated.”

Learning Objective:
The learning objective for this unit was to truly help students understand the past, present, and future, much like Ebenezer Scrooge. I wanted them to understand the past- the setting, Victorian England, and Charles Dickens. I wanted them to understand why Charles Dickens wrote this book and why it was such an important book during that time period. I wanted them to look at the present. Why is this book still read today? What makes it a timeless classic, and what connections to this book , Victorian England, and Charles Dickens do we see around us in the year 2008? As they look at themselves, how are they benevolent? Philanthropic? How is this book relevant to them today, as seventh grade students in Lincoln, Nebraska? And finally, the future. Why will this book go on? What is our lasting lesson? How can we highlight that lesson and pass it on to others? Are they changed like Ebenezer, and if so, how? How can they apply these lifelong, life changing lessons to their current lives in a practical manner? The Victorian New Year’s Gala was a perfect way to showcase these powerful learnings about our future, and bridge the gap between home and school and adolescent and parent.

Use of cable programs or technology in the classroom:
The use of cable programming and/or technology in the classroom helped me to meet these objectives in many exciting ways. There weren’t more than two days that went by where we weren’t online, watching a video clip, recording performances, making podcasts, or learning via PowerPoint. Taking a book that is 165 years old and trying to create a buzz around it is made much easier with the amazing resources I utilized. Not only did it help bring the story to life for some students, but continued to reinforce the importance of multiple intelligences that I find so essential.

Evaluation:
The project was amazingly effective. The students walked away with such a vast awareness of the time period and why Charles Dickens wrote the book. They understood why this is such a widely read book and why the lessons themselves are timeless. The students genuinely looked within themselves to see how they could give and be more to those around them, especially those that were in need. As our school did other kinds of charity drives, the students on our team jumped in with both feet. Whether it was the March of Dimes or a used cell phone drive, I heard our students talking about giving what they have to others, just like Ebenezer .When we read other novels, such as The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton or Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah, comparisons were made to Ebenezer Scrooge. They discussed characters being static and dynamic and always came back to our beloved protagonist from A Christmas Carol and the amazing changes he endured.

Benefits:

• Students gained a complete understanding of the Victorian time period from history to culture
• Students realized the relevance and accessibility of historical literature
• Students used their multiple intelligences throughout the unit as we researched, read, wrote, performed, played and created artistic masterpieces over the 6 ½ week adventure
• Students dazzled themselves, parents, administrators and district officials with their tile mosaic, singing, resolutions, and articulate knowledge of the time period and book
• Students demonstrated their increased awareness of the importance of giving themselves and their talents to others in need of the unit and outside of the holiday season
• Students explored the many facets of technology via podcasts, digital video, the internet, cable programming and streaming video on a daily basis