Curriculum / ELA / 8th Grade / Unit 3: Abusing Power: Animal Farm and Wicked History / Lesson 10
ELA
Unit 3
8th Grade
Lesson 10 of 32
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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.
Book: Animal Farm by George Orwell — Chapter 1
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Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved
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.
An example response to the Target Task at the level of detail expected of the students.
Questions about the text that will help guide the students understanding
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.
Orwell once described Animal Farm as "a fairy story." What elements of this book remind you of a fairytale story for children?
Literary terms, text-based vocabulary, idioms and word parts to be taught with the text
benevolent
adj.
(p. 4)
well-meaning and kind
laborious
(p. 6)
difficult; requiring significant physical energy and work
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
the social, cultural, and emotional associations words have, beyond the dictionary definition (denotation).
Reading and/or task to be completed at home in preparation for the next lesson.
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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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.
Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit
L.8.5 — Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
L.8.5.a — Interpret figures of speech (e.g. verbal irony, puns) in context.
L.8.6 — Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
RL.8.1 — Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.8.10 — By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 6—8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
SL.8.1 — Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL.8.6 — Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
W.8.1 — Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
W.8.1.a — Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
W.8.1.b — Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
W.8.4 — Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.8.9 — Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
W.8.9.a — Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new").
W.8.10 — Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Lesson 9
Lesson 11
Define and articulate the differences between capitalism and communism.
RI.8.2 RI.8.3
Explain the events, ideas, and social conditions that began to shape Stalin’s behavior and beliefs about the world.
Identify the events, ideas, and social conditions that led to the Russian Revolution, and explain Stalin’s role in the establishment of a new communist society and government.
Explain the purpose of Stalin’s Five-Year Plan, its impact on the people of the Soviet Union, and how author McCollum uses specific text features to develop key ideas about this time period.
RI.8.2 RI.8.5
Writing
Define propaganda and gather evidence about a specific propaganda technique in preparation for creating an informational poster.
RI.8.2 W.8.2 W.8.9
Draft a paragraph and create a poster that informs classmates about a propaganda technique.
W.8.2 W.8.2.a W.8.2.b W.8.5
Identify ways that Stalin used propaganda to control the people of the Soviet Union.
Determine the central idea of individual chapters of Joseph Stalin (A Wicked History) and the text overall, and explain how the author develops and supports these ideas.
RI.8.2
Define the literary genres of satire and allegory, and explain their purposes.
RL.8.2 RL.8.4
Identify specific events and lines of dialogue that reveal character traits, and explain the impact of events on the plot of Animal Farm.
RL.8.3
Explain the impact of different propaganda techniques the pigs use in Animal Farm.
RL.8.3 RL.8.4
Explain how George Orwell has interpreted individuals and events from the Russian Revolution and portrayed them in his allegorical text, Animal Farm.
Explain how the pigs use propaganda techniques to manipulate the other animals, and how the author uses this manipulation to develop dramatic irony.
RL.8.4 RL.8.6
Explain how George Orwell has interpreted events of the Russian Revolution and portrayed them in his allegorical text Animal Farm.
Explain how the pigs have betrayed the original principles of Animal Farm, and how their betrayal and manipulation of the other animals creates dramatic irony.
RL.8.3 RL.8.6
Explain how Squealer uses language and propaganda techniques to manipulate the other animals, and how the author uses this manipulation to develop dramatic irony.
RL.8.3 RL.8.4 RL.8.6
Explain the significance of specific lines and events in Animal Farm and what they reveal about characters and the plot.
Determine what Orwell wants the reader to understand about the Russian Revolution and human nature more broadly, and explain how he develops these ideas in Animal Farm.
RL.8.2
Identify places where the film version of Animal Farm differs from the original text and evaluate the choices that the director made.
RL.8.7
Unpack a narrative writing prompt, study a Mentor Text, and begin to outline their "rewrites."
RL.8.2 W.8.3 W.8.5
Complete a full draft of narrative "rewrites."
W.8.3 W.8.3.a W.8.3.d W.8.3.e
Engage in peer feedback with a partner and present narratives to the class.
SL.8.4 W.8.3 W.8.5
Socratic Seminar
Engage in a Socratic Seminar with peers, demonstrating a deep understanding of the text and topic by posing and responding to questions and providing evidence to support ideas.
SL.8.1 SL.8.1.a SL.8.1.c SL.8.4
Unpack a Writing Prompt and begin to gather evidence for a literary analysis essay.
W.8.1 W.8.9
Draft a claim statement and create an outline for a four-paragraph literary analysis essay.
W.8.1 W.8.1.a W.8.1.b
Draft two strong body paragraphs and revise them to contextualize and introduce evidence.
W.8.1 W.8.1.c W.8.1.d
Outline and draft introduction and conclusion paragraphs.
W.8.1 W.8.1.a W.8.1.e
Revise essay for linking words and tone, and experiment with verb moods.
L.8.1 L.8.1.c W.8.1 W.8.1.c W.8.1.d
Assessment – 2 days
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