Welcome to Victorian England! For the remainder of the semester we will be reading and studying the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. To aid your understanding of the novel, you will be completing a research project on various topics related to Victorian England, the period in which Great Expectations takes place. The project will be completed in groups of 2 or 3. In our group you will be researching your assigned topic and creating an informative brochure which will be distributed to the class. Because we are relying on each other for help in understanding the background information of the novel, all of us must present are information in a clear, detailed format.

Research Expectations

• Students will keep track of the sources utilized during research (author, title, page #’s, and publication date)
• Students will rewrite the information they obtain from research into their own words (you plagiarize; you fail!)
• Information will be obtained from at least 4 different sources.
• Group will answer all the questions posed under their specific topic.

Brochure Expectations

• Group will keep information organized. (Hint: use the questions to divide up your information.
• Group will include illustrations in their brochure (can be from the computer, copied and pasted from a book, or can be hand drawn)
• Brochure must have a bibliography (works Cited Section)
• Brochure must be neat, creative, and informative.
• Information in the brochure must be put in the group’s own words.

Final Product -Brochure (Group Grade)

• Accuracy and variety of information included in the brochure.
• Clarity of ideas and use of own words to explain the information within the brochure.
• Neatness and creativity of the brochure’s layout
• Use of illustrations or graphics
• Use of parenthetical citation
• Conventions
• Works Cited Section

• Use of time during library and work time.
• Group member evaluation on your participation with in the group.
• Individual student notes on the information for your brochure.

Charles Dickens

Suggested questions and ideas for inquiry:

A. Develop a biographical sketch of Charles Dickens.

B. How is his own life paralleled in his writing?

C. What was his appeal to the reader in the nineteenth century?

D. Who were his friends?

E. Where did he live?

F. Describe his life after his marriage.

G. Tell about his time in America and his "meeting of the minds" with Mark Twain.

H. Why do you think people read Dickens' novels today?

I. Provide a time line of his life.

J. Provide a time line of his writings.

K. Other questions.

¨ ¨ Brochure ideas: a day in the life of Charles Dickens, a timeline of his writing and/or of his life.

Queen Victoria

Suggested questions for inquiry:

A. Who was Queen Victoria? (Provide a well-developed biography.)

B. What important events preceded her reign?

C. When did she reign?

D. What were the major political events during her reign (in England)?

E. What important international political events occurred during her reign?

F. How did the people view Queen Victoria?

G. Provide a summary or time line of her reign and significant events.

H. What contributions did she make to British society, literature, politics, etc.?

I. How is Queen Victoria remembered today?

J. Other questions.

¨ ¨ Brochure ideas: A timeline of events in her life and important achievements

Roles of Society

Suggested questions and ideas for inquiry:

A. Describe the various levels of society during the nineteenth century.

B. What rules governed these levels?

C. What kinds of movement between these levels were possible for a man or woman?

D. How did adults address each other in the various levels of society?

E. How did children address adults in the levels of society?

F. Look at nineteenth-century clothing as a reflection of the various levels of society.

G. Explain the roles of men and women. How were they alike, different?

H. What was acceptable behavior and employment for men and women?

I. How did men and women interact?

J. Who could be a lady or gentleman in nineteenth-century England?

K. Explain the importance of one's birthright in Victorian England.

L. What role did a person's past play in his/her life?

M. Compare the importance of roles in society then and now.

N. Other questions?

¨ ¨ Brochure ideas: a diagram and/or list of rules for the different social classes or an invitation including some people and excluding others.

Prison System

Suggested questions and ideas for inquiry:

A. Develop an in-depth study of the penal system during the nineteenth century.

B. What is debtors' prison?

C. Find pictures and then draw a map of a typical debtors' prison.

D. What were prison conditions like?

E. Who was sent to debtors' prison? Why?

F. Look in Pickwick Papers at chapters 41-45 for more information on prisons.

G. What did a prison look like?

H. What were other types of prison? What were they used for?

I. How were convicts treated after their release from prison?

J. How do twentieth-century penal systems compare to those of the nineteenth century?

K. Other questions.

¨ ¨ Brochure ideas: Flier with criminals, crimes committed, and punishment received, mock newspaper article with the above information.

Economics: Factories and the Trades

Suggested questions and ideas for inquiry:

A. Define the Industrial Revolution.

B. What was happening to the working person during the Industrial Revolution?

C. How did the factories operate?

D. What problems did they present for people?

E. What was it like to work in factories?

F. How much money did the average worker make? Research the economic levels of other members of society during the nineteenth century.

G. Look at the economic picture of England during the reign of Queen Victoria. What were the prosperous years, the lean years?

H. Investigate the trades.

I. What role in the economics of society did the trades play?

J. What view did society hold toward factories, trades, and the workers of each?

K. How do the factories and trades of nineteenth-century England compare with those of today?

L. Find pictures of equipment and tools used in the factories and trades. Explain the use of trade tools.

M. How were the tools in use during this time period similar to or different from those used today?

¨ ¨ Brochure ideas: a help-wanted ad for a factory.

Everyday Life: Family and Education

Suggested questions and ideas for inquiry:

A. What is the basic structure of the family during the nineteenth century?

B. What kind of issues or struggles did families have to deal with?

C. What were the living conditions?

D. How were children's destinies affected by their place in society?

E. How would the families of the nineteenth century compare with the families of today?

F. What types of problems did the youth of Dickens' time face?

G. What solutions do you see to some of the problems of youth in that society?

H. How do they differ from the problems of youth today?

I. How did society at large look at children and youth during Dickens' time?

J. What attitudes did adults hold toward youth?

K. What was the educational structure in Dickens' time?

L. Who went to school? How many years of education did people receive?

M. What was the focus of the school curriculum?

N. Compare the educational systems of the nineteenth century and the twentieth century.

O. Other questions.

¨ ¨ Brochure ideas: A list of chores for each family member, a few "Dear Diary" pages

Everyday Life: Recreation and Cuisine

1. What did people do for fun in Victorian times? (games, sports, etc..) Does it vary between social classes?
2. To what kind of music did they listen? What types of dances were done to the music?
3. What were some of the favorite recipes of the time?
4. What foods were used?
5. How was food preserved or cooked during this time?
6. When meals were served?
7. The importance of tea time.
8. Other questions?
9. Idea!! For extra credit you could bring a sample of one of the recipes to class. Just OK it with me first.

Victorian Fashion

1. What was the clothing like during the Victorian period?
2. What were some of the garments called and what did they look like?
3. Find examples of pictures , or create your own based on designs to put in your brochure or share with the class
4. Did the clothing differ between social classes? What did d the peasants wear what did royalty wear?
5. How comfortable do you think the clothing would be?
6. Other questions?