Great expectations body biography posters

Heralded as one of the best—if not the best—novelists of the Victorian era, Charles Dickens longed for fame from an early age. And, after a difficult childhood beset by financial troubles, he set out to make his name and fortune as a writer. Here, we will take a closer look at the extraordinary life of the man behind such great novels as David Copperfield, Bleak House, and Great Expectations.

Early Life

Charles John Huffam Dickens was born on February 7, 1812 at what was then 1 Mile End Terrace (now 393 Commercial Road), Landport in Portsmouth, Hampshire, to Elizabeth and John Dickens, a clerk in the Navy Pay Office. In January 1815, the family moved to Norfolk Street, Fitzrovia, in London, and then on to Sheerness and Chatham, Kent.

In 1822, the Dickens family—barring Charles, who remained at school—left Kent and the number of steadily rising debts they had accrued there for Camden Town, London. These debts, however, caught up with John Dickens, who was incarcerated at the Marshalsea debtors’ prison in Southwark, London, in 1824.

Aged 12, Dickens left school and began working ten-hour shifts at Warren’s Blacking Warehouse, Hungerford Stairs (later relocating to Chandos Street in Covent Garden). Here, he was paid to paste labels onto pots of boot-blacking, earning six shillings a week.

Upon his mother’s death, John Dickens inherited £450, freeing him from the Marshalsea. Despite this, Charles’ mother was not initially in favor of Charles leaving behind his employment at the boot-blacking warehouse, which, it has been argued, had an adverse effect on Dickens’ later attitudes towards women.

Dickens was, however, removed from the boot-blacking warehouse and sent to the Wellington House Academy in Camden Town. He

Description

Have your students create a collaborative poster and learn about Charles Dickens in a new and engaging way!

Your students will create an author biography by researching Charles Dickens and establishing his profile on a poster.

Students will learn about Charles Dickens’s life and his body of work as a legendary author.

This is perfect for any unit on Dickens’ novels, to include:

A Tale of Two Cities

Great Expectations

Oliver Twist

David Copperfield

Additionally, your students will discover the importance of collaboration and effective communication.

PROJECT STEPS:

1) To construct the author study poster, your students will work in groups to conduct research on Charles Dickens.

2) Students will then transfer their findings to boxes on the poster.

3) Next, they will work together to color or paint the pieces of the poster.

4) Lastly, students will tape together the final product.

The poster is made up of six pieces of paper, which can be printed on regular copy paper or card stock.

Once taped together, the final product will be roughly 28″ x 15″ and can last a lifetime if you laminate it!

This resource includes the following:

• Student Directions (PDF & editable word document)
• Rubric (PDF & editable word document)
• Graphic Organizer for Students (PDF & editable word document)
• 6 Blank Coloring Pages that come together as one beautiful poster (PDF)
• Charles Dickens Answer Key (PDF)
• Example of Final Project (PDF)

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