About this unit

Expectations

Resources

This unit centres on the portrayal of poor, Victorian children. While factual knowledge about conditions in workhouses is an essential component of the unit, the main focus is on contrasting portrayals of one fictional Victorian child, Charles Dicken’s Oliver Twist. The unit creates opportunities to analyse examples of films based on Dickens’s novel and a documentary exploring reasons for differences between the way they portray poor, Victorian children. It also invites pupils to create a trailer for their own documentary and justifying why such a programme is needed. This unit was originally taught in a day of school time but could also be taught across a sequence of lessons.

There is scope to adjust some of the teaching activities to take account of time constraints in different schools.

By the end of this unit

Most pupils will have: shown knowledge of Victorian workhouses and cited some examples of why Victorians could both support or criticise the workhouse system; analysed contrasting interpretations of poor, Victorian children by comparing film versions of Oliver Twist; identified some possible influences on particular filmmakers that might explain their portrayal of poor, Victorian children; suggested some specific resources why a fictional film and documentary might differ in their interpretation of poor, Victorian children; selected, organised and developed information to plan a trailer for a documentary and draft a structured letter justifying the need for such a programme.

Some pupils will not have made so much progress and will have: shown some knowledge of Victorian workhouses and an awareness that Victorians could both support and criticise the workhouse system; pointed out some differences in the portrayal of poor Victorian children when comparing film versions of Oliver Twist; suggested some general reasons why such films might differ; suggested general reasons why a fictional film and documentary might differ in their interpretation of poor, Victorian children; produced a rudimentary plan for a documentary trailer and a skeletal letter attempting to justify the need for such a programme.

Some pupils will have progressed further and will have: shown detailed knowledge of Victorian workhouses and cited many examples of why Victorians could both support or criticise the workhouse system; analysed contrasting interpretations of poor, Victorian children in depth by comparing film versions of Oliver Twist; clearly identified influences on particular filmmakers that help explain their portrayal of poor, Victorian children; identified specific reasons why a fictional film and documentary might differ in their interpretation of poor, Victorian children, taking into account their purposes and audiences; selected, organised and deployed information with flair to plan a trailer for a documentary and draft a fluent, well structured letter justifying the need for such a programme.

Resources include:

• An image of the
  Victorian painting “The
  Homeless” by Sir Luke
  Fildes.
   
• Layers of inference
  diagram.
   
• Various data capture
  sheets and writing
  frames.
   
• Images of Charles Dickens and the original cover of Oliver Twist.
   
• The Film “Oliver Twist”
  (1948), “Oliver” (1968)
  and “Oliver Twist” (2005)
   
• A documentary including poor, Victorian children

It is helpful if pupils:

• Have studied Victorian Britain before completing this unit.
• Are familiar with the idea that historical interpretations can vary depending on their purpose and audience e.g. films, documentaries etc.