Thomas Gradgrind believes that facts and money are more important than feelings and imagination. After Cissy Jupe - a circus child - is left alone in the world, Gradgrind takes her into his house, looking after her and teaching her facts with his own children Tom and Louisa. Some years later the Gradgrind family meets hard times. Louisa becomes a prisoner in a loveless marriage, and Tom has problems at work.
In the end, Thomas Gradgrind learns the importance of feelings and imagination.
If you need lively supplementary reading material, take a look at Oxford Dominoes - the readers series with integrated activities, ideal for individual study or for reading practice in class.
The activities in Dominoes keep students engaged in the stories and help to reinforce their understanding of the key language. They can be completed at home or in class. The project activities in Dominoes build on the themes from the story and encourage students to draw on their own experiences. Activities include note-taking and language tasks, leading to extended writing, poster-making, and class presentations. They are ideal for group work in class or individual assignments.