This engaging lesson focuses on teaching personification through A Christmas Carol, helping students understand how writers use figurative language to create mood, meaning and vivid imagery.

The resource introduces personification in a clear, accessible way before guiding students to identify and analyse examples from Dickens’ text. Key quotations are explored in detail, including how descriptions such as “the cold within him froze his old features” bring abstract ideas to life and deepen understanding of character and atmosphere.

The PowerPoint uses a structured approach, beginning with prior knowledge recall before moving into explicit teaching of key terminology such as personification and figurative language. Students are then supported through guided tasks, vocabulary matching activities and discussion prompts that develop both understanding and confidence.

Students are given opportunities to apply their learning through independent writing, where they create their own examples of personification linked to the text. This helps reinforce both analytical skills and creative language use.

What’s Included;
Clear explanation of personification and figurative language
Vocabulary development and matching tasks
Model examples from A Christmas Carol
Guided discussion and analysis activities
Independent creative writing task
Retrieval and recap opportunities

How to Use;

Deliver as a standalone language lesson
Use within a KS3 unit on figurative language
Use as part of a KS4 A Christmas Carol scheme or revision

Ideal for:

Teaching language analysis skills
Exploring writer’s methods
Supporting creative and analytical writing
Suitable for:
Whole-class teaching
Revision sessions
Intervention or skills-focused lessons

Curriculum Links:

KS3 English:
Understanding figurative language
Analysing writer’s methods
Developing descriptive and creative writing
KS4 English Literature (AQA / Eduqas):
Analysis of language and writer’s methods
Exploring how Dickens presents character and atmosphere
Responding to texts using evidence
This resource supports students in developing key skills needed for both literature analysis and creative writing at GCSE level.
Important.

Note
All images used within this resource are not the author’s own and have been sourced online.