Charles Dickens

Victorian school desks

Exploring Childhood in Hard Times

‘If we can only preserve ourselves from growing up, we shall never grow old and the young may love us to the last,’ declared Dickens.  This call to protect the magic and wonder of childhood concluded his New Year’s Day essay, published in his magazine Household Words, almost exactly a… Read More

Primary – Using Dickens in History

Activity One – What Happened During Dickens’ Lifetime? Year 2 to Year 6 So much of history is difficult to understand because the context is difficult for children to grasp. As teachers we often try to give the children an idea by saying, ‘back when your grandparents were born’… Read More

Primary – Using Charles Dickens in Drama

Activity One – Speaking and Listening Year 4 to Year 6 The works of Dickens can seem inaccessible to many, adults included, but by taking them bit by bit, children can get an understanding of the characters and the plot. Select some passages from Dickens’ novels and discuss what… Read More

Primary – Using Charles Dickens in PSHE

Activity One – Child Poverty Year 3 to Year 6 Child poverty was a major problem in the Victorian era, something that Charles Dickens knew all too well for himself having been sent to a workhouse after his father was put in a debtor’s prison. Many of his works… Read More

Primary – extract from Oliver Twist

For use with the Literacy activity in the previous blog post The room in which the boys were fed was a large stone hall, with a copper at one end; out of which the master, dressed in an apron for the purpose, and assisted by one or two women, ladled… Read More

Primary – Literacy Activities for Dickens

Activity One – Beat the Deadline Year 2 to Year 6 This activity helps pupils to write to a deadline including structuring and editing. It encourages them to take notes and then expand upon them. Charles Dickens early career was as a journalist and like journalists throughout history, he… Read More

Primary – Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens is one of the most easily recognised English authors, both physically and from the style and content of his work. Born 200 years ago this month, he raised the profile of the appalling conditions that Britain’s poor lived in through his novels and plays. Whilst the quality… Read More