Abusing Power: Animal Farm and Wicked History

Lesson 10
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ELA

Unit 3

8th Grade

Lesson 10 of 32

Objective


Explain how Orwell uses descriptive language to develop Old Major’s perspective and make connections between Old Major’s speech and real-world economic systems.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: Animal Farm by George Orwell  — Chapter 1

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

How is the current farm system (pp. 7-8) that Old Major describes similar to capitalism? Provide evidence from these pages to support your answer.

How is the system that Old Major imagines (pp. 7-10) for the future of the farm similar to communism? Provide evidence from these pages to support your answer.

Sample Response

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Key Questions


Close Read Questions

  • How does Old Major describe the lives of farm animals in England? What specific words and phrases does Orwell use to develop Major’s perspective? Select at least three examples from pages 6-9 to support your answer. 

  • What is Old Major’s perspective of human beings, and what is his tone when describing them? What specific words and phrases does Orwell use to develop Major’s perspective and tone? Select at least three examples from chapter one to support your answer.

  • What specific words and phrases does Orwell use in the song "Beasts of England" to develop the tone of this song? Select at least three examples from pages 12-13 and explain how they develop the tone.

Discussion Questions

  • Orwell once described Animal Farm as "a fairy story." What elements of this book remind you of a fairytale story for children?

Vocabulary


Text-based

benevolent

adj.

(p. 4)

well-meaning and kind

laborious

adj.

(p. 6)

difficult; requiring significant physical energy and work

Academic

tone

n.

an author/speaker’s attitude toward a topic or an audience, which is often conveyed through word choice and/or literary devices.

connotation

n.

the social, cultural, and emotional associations words have, beyond the dictionary definition (denotation).

Homework


To ensure that students are prepared for the next lesson, have students complete the following reading for homework. Use guidance from the next lesson to identify any additional language or background support students may need while independently engaging with the text.

  • Book: Animal Farm by George Orwell  — Chapter 2

While reading, answer the following questions.

  • What event finally sparks the rebellion?

  • How do Mr. Jones and the other humans respond when the animals begin to rebel?

  • What rule do the animals make about clothing?

  • What rule do the animals make about the farmhouse?

  • What do the pigs reveal that they have been learning?

  • What is the purpose of the Seven Commandments?

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Common Core Standards


  • RL.8.2 — Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
  • RL.8.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.

Supporting Standards

L.8.5
L.8.5.a
L.8.6
RL.8.1
RL.8.4
RL.8.10
SL.8.1
SL.8.6
W.8.1
W.8.1.a
W.8.1.b
W.8.4
W.8.9
W.8.9.a
W.8.10
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Lesson 9

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Lesson 11

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