Ms. Stivala

October 2019 -->

Students just finished reading 1984 by George Orwell as their first whole-class novel. Students quickly realized that the society and world of Oceania was not quite like our world today! Students have been tracking dystopian characteristics such as dehumanization, lack of freedom, and social-class disparity. In addition to students making connections to the text, they are making connection to relevant world societal issues and current events.

Currently, students are working on their first major essay of the semester which asks them to articulate on dystopian characteristics and how they are seen in 1984. Students have been chunking their writing pieces to seek peer and teacher feedback to improve on their writing skills!

Our next class novel is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood which will be paired with the hit Hulu series, The Handmaid's Tale. Students will continue tracking dysopian characteristics, but will be focusing their attention to femininity, women's right movements, and current real-world issues that are present in our modern day society. I look forward to seeing them make these connections!