Provide the students with the appropriate history before starting the book. Talk about the life of Dickens, how the serial novel is similar to a television program in format and explain life in 19th century London, including debtor's prison and the stark differences between social classes.
Introduce the class to Pip, who meets the convict in the graveyard in the novel's opening chapter. Talk about the first person narrative mode, its benefits and limitations. Demonstrate how Dickens inserts his own beliefs via the technique.
Encourage the students to determine at what point of time Pip is narrating the story. Allow them to recognize that much of the novel is told in the past tense and that Pip is able to look back at his childhood and recognize his naïveté.
Focus on aspects of the novel that appeal to young readers. Examples include meeting the convict in the graveyard, the sad life and gruesome fate of Miss Havisham and the murder of Pip's sister. Show your students that Dickens can be just as sensational and violent as any modern writer.
Discuss the different characters, allowing your students to talk about and learn about each of them in-depth. By creating interest in the characters, your students will be able to identify with Pip's adventures more.
Talk about the feelings Pip experiences throughout the novel. Focus on his first feelings of love for Estella, emotions your students may be experiencing. Talk about the social themes in the book and Pip's feelings about rising from one class to another.
Encourage your students to identify the book's reoccuring motifs and symbols. Examples include rivers, mists and wedding dresses. Ask your students to look for subtextual clues about these symbols.