Hard Times – Teacher Guide

Sample

From the publisher:

Charles Dickens’ Hard Times is set in Coketown, where school owner Mr. Thomas Gradgrind dominates as a model of Utilitarian success. Feeding both his pupils and his family with facts, he bans fancy and wonder from young minds. As a consequence his daughter marries a loveless businessman, and his son rebels to become embroiled in gambling and robbery.

And, as their fortunes cross with those of a free-spirited circus girl and a victimized weaver, Gradgrind is eventually forced to recognize the value of the human heart in an age of materialism and machinery.

The Hard Times Student Guide is written in such a way that it can be used for grades 8-12. If you are using it with grades 8-9, additional guidance, assistance, and adaptation from the Teacher Guide are helpful.

Our upper-school literature guides train students to read actively and lead students through a trivium-based continuum to the acquisition and expression of the Central One Idea of the text. Students read and think through the grammar, logic, and rhetoric stages toward the essence of the story. The guide features helpful reading notes for background information and difficult words, vocabulary training, comprehension questions, discussion questions, and more. This prepares students for sophisticated literary analysis and future study.

Companion Resources:

Hard Times – Student Guide
Hard Times – Teacher Guide
Hard Times

Hard Times Set