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New Standpoints - 51 - February 2012 21

Victorian society — Dickens worksheet

IntroductIon

The year 2012 is the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens's birth. Not only was Dickens a brilliant storyteller, but he was also an invaluable witness of his time. This episode of Oliver Twist, adapted as a comic strip, will give pupils a glimpse of orphanages and workhouses in Victorian England. No doubt they will empathise with the character.objectIves

culture: Charles Dickens • Oliver Twist • workhouses, child labour and regulations in the19th century. vocabulary and Grammar in context: making hypotheses • be going to + V • the simple past • passive voice • vocabulary related to living and working conditions.

MaterIal

A transparency of the comic strip and an OHP An Internet access for pupils New Standpoints Live, Tracks 25-28 A copy of the worksheet per pupil Copies of the full comic strip www.newstandpoints.com

Procedure

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speaking - Production a2: recapitulating, making sentences from keywords, giving opinions. Interaction a2: role-playing an interview on a specific topic. listening a2: catching the main points from a short recording. reading a2: reading a short comic strip. a2+: reading for information on the Internet. Writing a2: adapting a comic strip into the pages of a diary.FInal Project

After listening to the beginning of an episode of Oliver Twist, pupils complete the speech bubbles and banners in a comic strip; in groups they read short texts from the web about Charles Dickens, child labour and workhouses. Then, they re-order the last frames of the comic strip and imagine the end of the episode. Finally, they perform an interview and write a page from Oliver Twist’s diary.

cécile clavilier teaches at collège La nacelle, corbeil-essonnes (91). she is also a teacher trainer and a regular contributor to new standpoints.

activity 1. the beginning of the story – classworka. Getting acquainted with oliver – listeningHand out copies of the worksheet. Have the class listen to Tracks 25 and 26 and say as much as they can. It’s about a novel by Charles Dickens. The story takes place in England, north of London, in 1833. A baby is born, but his mother dies. There's no father. The man who is speaking must be a doctor. The doctor calls the baby Oliver Twist.• As pupils recap, write on the board: “Oliver Twist – mother dies – no father: Oliver is an ? boy” and play track 25 again to help them spot and understand “orphan”.• Project the first two frames of the comic strip. Pupils listen to Track 26 again and complete the bubbles. TASK 1A

b. What’s Going to Happen next? – brainstormingElicit guesses about what is going to happen next. I think Oliver is going to live in an orphanage. Perhaps he is going to be adopted. He is probably going to die...

c. From the orphanage to the Workhouse – listeningPlay Track 27 and let pupils say as much as they can. Project Frames 3 to 8. Play Track 27 again and have pupils listen and complete TASK 1B.

activity 2. end of the story – reading – Group WorkProject the last six frames, jumbled. TASK 2A In pairs, pupils re-order the frames. They will have to reconstruct the logical sequence of the narrative as they link the frames together: ex. “The boy makes fun of Oliver, so Oliver is mad at him.

But Mr Sowerberry catches Oliver and he is furious at Oliver so he decides to...”TASK 2B provides some reading help.• Have the class focus on the last frame and anticipate what may happen next. I think Oliver is going to find/be adopted by a nice family. Maybe he’s going to be caught by the police and sent to prison...

reading and listening to the whole episodeDistribute copies of the complete comic strip from our website. Pupils read the text silently while they listen to it.

activity 3. charles dickens, Workhouses and children in victorian times – Group Work on lineDivide the class into three groups. Group A works on a biography of Charles Dickens, Group B on children in Victorian times and Group C on workhouses. TASK 3 Go from group to group to help as needed. Groups report to the class.

FInal tasks

a. an interview – Pair WorkPupils work in pairs to role-play an interview with a woman aged 45 in 1874, just after the Factory Act (that declared child labour under 10 illegal) was passed. TASK 4A

b. Writing a diaryPupils imagine the page of Oliver's diary recording the episode they studied. TASK 4B

oliver twistteacHer’s PaGe Lower intermediateLower intermediate

Lower intermediate

Document prepare pour

22 New Standpoints - 51 - February 2012

worksheet Victorian society — Dickensstudent WorksHeet TASK 1a. Listen and write the dialogue in the speech bubbles.

b. listen and write or circle the correct answer. Frame 31. Oliver's age: ____________2. the woman says:a. You’re not old enough to go to work.b. You’re old enough to go to work.c. You’re tall enough to go to work.3. the woman wants oliver:a. to walk to a new house.b. to work in her house.c. to go to a workhouse.4. complete: Oliver accepts /doesn’t accept because he says: “_______ ________ __________________”

Frame 41. oliver is at: a. the orphanage. b. the workhouse. c. the hospital2. oliver is there to:a. give people food and drink.b. work with people.

Frame 51. “I’m still hungry.” means:a. I haven't eaten enough. b. I’ve eaten enough.c. I’ve eaten too much.

2. The other children’s situation: _________________________________________________________________

Frames 6 and 71. a. Oliver is going to _________________________________ .b. One of the children thinks Oliver is __________

2. Mr bumble says: “You’re in double / trouble / table.” It means:a. You are going to have problems.b. You are trembling.c. You are hungry.

Frame 81.a. Place where Oliver is: _______________________b. How long for: ________________c. Reason: ________________ ________________ d. There, Oliver has nothing to _______________________e. Mr Sowerberry works in a __________________________

2. complete:Oliver went to a cell _______________ he asked for more food.3.a. Write two words with the /sel/ pronunciation: _____________ _____________Which word is a verb? ________________Which word is a noun? ________________



Victorian society — Dickens worksheetb. complete with the correct words:A ________________ is a small room in a prison.Florists ________________flowers.b. complete the sentences about oliver, using the verbs (in the passive voice) first in the present, then in the past.

sell • send • put • be born

1.a. Oliver ______________ in a small town north of London.

b. _________________________________________________

2.a. Oliver ________________ in an orphanage.

b. _________________________________________________

3.a. Oliver ________________ to a workhouse.

b. _________________________________________________

4.a. Oliver ________________ to Mr Sowerberry.

b. _________________________________________________

TASK 2a. Put the frames back into the correct order. be ready to narrate the different events using: first, then, so, because.

b.1. What is a coffin? un couffin un coffre un cercueil un lit d’appoint2. Who says: “Oliver has no mother! Oliver has no father!”?

one of Oliver’s friends a boy working in Mr Sowerberry’s shop Mr Sowerberry’s son3. List three facts showing that Oliver was badly treated at Mr Sowerberry’s.

a. __________________________________________________ b. __________________________________________________

c. __________________________________________________4. the workhouse or Mr sowerberry’s house: which place is worse? How do you know?_____________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________



worksheet Victorian society — DickensTASK 3Work in groups and visit the following webpages. Get ready to report to the class.a. Go to: http://charlesdickenspage.com/fast-facts.html. Choose four interesting events from Dickens's life.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Find a fact showing that Dickens was famous both when

he was alive and after he was dead.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What happened to Dickens when he was a child? How did

that influence his works and ideas? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________b. Go to: www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory, then click on “Children in Victorian Britain”, then on “Children at work” and “Children in factories”.

Give examples of differences between rich and poor families in Dickens's days.

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

Choose a picture that illustrates children's conditions. Be ready to explain why.

Examples of jobs?

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

New laws to protect children?

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________c. Go to: www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/homework/victorians/workhouses.html.

What was a workhouse?

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

Describe the living conditions there.

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

Draw a picture or find one and explain the different parts of the building.

TASK 4a. an interview.1874: the Factory Act that declared child labour illegal under 10 has just been passed. A journalist interviews a woman aged 45 who was an orphan and who lived in a workhouse until she was 14.Work in pairs, read your Id cards and get ready to role-play the interview.

Id card 1 – the journalistIntroduce the topic.ask questions about:

the reason why the woman was sent to a workhouse.

the kind of work she did.

the food she had.

the clothes she wore.

her working hours.

the most difficult thing in the workhouse.

her opinion about the Factory Law.

Id card 2 – the Womananswer the questions about your past life:

workhouse at 9; parents died in a coal mine • older brother (aged 11) was sent to the same workhouse.

cleaned the road, worked in shops and textile factories.

same food every day: soup, bread, sometimes carrots and potatoes • but not enough • hungry all the time.

a uniform: an old black dress, shoes that were too small.

working hours: 7:00 am • 7:00 at night • a 15-minute break for lunch.

everything was difficult: no family (couldn’t see your brother), no comfort, no food, no water, no sleep • often diseases and epidemics • many people died.

how children should be treated: work • school • to learn • 10 hours' work a day is still too much.

b. Writing a diaryImagine Oliver Twist went to school and learned to read and write. Choose an episode and write his diary in the first person. Explain what happened to you (the transfer to the workhouse, the work, the request for food, the punishment to the cell, the stay at Mr Sowerberry’s, the fight, and finally the escape). Describe how you felt and what your hopes were.



Victorian society — Dickens worksheetsolutionsTASK 1a. Frame 1Congratulations, Agnes, it’s a boy.I want to see my baby before I die.I love you, my baby. Good-bye!Frame 2: She’s dead. Take the baby. Let’s call him Oliver. Ol-iver Twist.b. Frame 31. 9 2. b 3. c 4. accepts: “Yes, Ma'am. Good-bye”Frame 41. b 2. b Frame 51. a 2. hungry too.Frames 6 + 71.a. ask for more b. crazy 2. trouble / aFrame 81.a. in a cell b. a week c. he asked for more d. eat e. shop 2. because3. a. sell (V) – cell (N)b. cell – sellb.1. was born 2. was put 3. was sent 4. was sold

TASK 2a. Top row: 6, 3, 2 Bottom row: 5, 1, 4 First Oliver arrives at Sowerberry's shop. Then a boy makes fun of him. Oliver is mad at him but Mr Sowerberry catches Oliver and he wants to send him back to the workhouse because he's furious at him. So Oliver goes away, at night because he doesn't want to go to the workhouse.b.1. un cercueil2. A boy working in Mr Sowerberry’s shop (also accept “Mr Sowerberry’s son,” a reasonable interpretation). 3.a. Mrs Sowerberry gave him the food the dog didn’t finish.b. He slept in a coffin.c. In the shop, a boy was nasty to him.4. The workhouse is worse because Oliver says, “Oh no, sir! Not the workhouse, please! I’m sorry.” Besides, he prefers run-ning away, thinking, “I don’t want to go to the workhouse!”

TASK 3Group a1. (Any four): Charles (John Huffam) Dickens. Born: 1812, died: 1870.

At age 12, his father was imprisoned for debt and he was forced to work in a factory to support his family. Largely self-educated after age 15. His first book, Sketches by Boz, was published in 1836, Oliver Twist in 1837-39. He had 10 children.2. Buried in the poet's corner in Westminster Abbey.3. Aged 12 he had to leave school and go to work in a fac-tory to support his family because his father was in prison for debts.

Group b1. Children from richer homes were well fed, wore warm clothes and had shoes on their feet. They did not work, but went to school or had lessons at home.Poor children looked thin and hungry, wore ragged clothes, and some had no shoes. Poor children had to work. They were lucky if they went to school.2. Depends on group’s choice of picture.3. “Piecers” and “scavengers” in cotton mills.4. 1841: The Mines Act: it stopped children under the age of 10 to work underground in a coal mine.1847: The Ten Hour Act: it limited children’s work to 10 hours in a day.1874: The Factory Act: no child under the age of 10 could be employed anywhere.Group cA workhouse was a place for poor people who had no job or home. They lived and worked there. It was also for orphaned (children without parents) and abandoned children, the physi-cally and mentally sick, the disabled, the elderly and unmar-ried mothers.A workhouse was large and there were different parts (see picture) because women, children and men had different liv-ing and working areas in the workhouse, they didn’t live to-gether. People in the same family were separated. They could be punished if they tried to speak to one another.The poor wore a uniform and the food was very bad and the same every day.(very often: soup, bread and cheese)Children could be sold to factories or mines.



worksheet Victorian society — Dickenstranscript track 25 :11Oliver TwistOliver Twist is a famous character from the novel about an orphan boy, by Charles Dickens. Listen to this story.

track 26 :43can I Have some More?A small town 75 miles north of London, England. 1833doctor: Congratulations, Agnes, it’s a boy.agnes: (to the doctor): I want to see my baby before I die.agnes: I love you, my baby. Good-bye!doctor: She’s dead. Take the baby. Let’s call him Oliver. Oliver Twist.

track 27 1:26narrator: An orphanage, 9 years later.Foster mother: Well, you’re 9 years old now, Oliver. Old enough to go to work. Go with Mr Bumble to the workhouse. You can work there, and live there too. oliver: Yes, Ma’am. Good-bye.bumble: Here you are boy, now get to work.narrator: That night, at dinner.oliver: I’m still hungry.another boy: We all are!oliver: I’m going to ask for more.the other boy: Are you crazy????oliver: Please sir, can I have some… more?bumble: More??? MORE???? Never!!!! You’re in trouble now! narrator: Bumble puts Oliver in a cell for a week with nothing to eat. Then, he sells Oliver to a man called Mr Sowerberry, to work in his shop.

track 28 1:05

narrator: At the Sowerberry's house.Mrs sowerberry: Here boy, the dog didn’t finish his dinner. You can eat that. Mr sowerberry: You can sleep in my shop. There’s lots of room! I sell coffins! Ha ha ha!oliver: I’m so scared. I hate it here!narrator: The next day. an apprentice: Oliver has no mother! Oliver has no father! His parents don’t love him. His parents don’t want him. oliver: Shut up, you!!!Mr sowerberry: I’m sending you back to the workhouse tomorrow!oliver: Oh no, sir! Not the workhouse, please! I’m sorry! I don’t want to go back to the workhouse!



Victorian society — Dickens worksheet


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