Animal Farm Unit

Do you prefer to listen to the book?

December 16 and 17, 2019

Targets:

Literacy standard 3: Expressive writing, Literacy standard 6: Language, TS4: Working collaboratively, TS1: Creative and Practical Problem Solving

1. Time to work on your game-- FOCUS TODAY SHOULD BE WRITING INSTRUCTIONS and making sure your game makes CLEAR CONNECTIONS to Animal Farm and tells a story similar to or replicating that of Animal Farm (this is where I am seeing the biggest gap in your game creations)

Also, you can put Mary to work today-- tell me what you want me to do to help you complete your game today. I can do graphic design work, I can help with instructions, I can print and cut stuff, I can only print in black and white during class.

****Before you leave today, tell me what it is that you want me to print in color and be sure to save it in your LA folder (I can't guarantee we can print more than just the gameboard in color)

Proficient:

LS3: My game creates scenarios or narratives similar to or replicating those in Animal Farm and communicates them clearly to the players

LS6: All written material in and on my game uses correct grammar, spelling and punctuation

TS4: I work collaboratively by making useful contributions to my group on a daily basis. I am engaged and helpful in creating the game.

TS1: My game is unique, fun to play, easy to follow (but a fun challenge to play) with clear instructions, and has clear connections to Animal Farm.

Beyond Proficient: My game attempts to demonstrate the critical lens which my group viewed Animal Farm from in our research (showing the elements of a fairytale or a fable, the political message, the allegory or the satire).

My game is polished and professional-looking.

2. Return books

December 12, 2019

Targets:

Literacy standard 3: Expressive writing, Literacy standard 6: Language, TS4: Working collaboratively, TS1: Creative and Practical Problem Solving

1. Time to work on your game

Proficient:

LS3: My game creates scenarios or narratives similar to or replicating those in Animal Farm and communicates them clearly to the players

LS6: All written material in and on my game uses correct grammar, spelling and punctuation

TS4: I work collaboratively by making useful contributions to my group on a daily basis. I am engaged and helpful in creating the game.

TS1: My game is unique, fun to play, easy to follow (but a fun challenge to play) with clear instructions, and has clear connections to Animal Farm.

Beyond Proficient: My game attempts to demonstrate the critical lens which my group viewed Animal Farm from in our research (showing the elements of a fairytale or a fable, the political message, the allegory or the satire).

My game is polished and professional-looking.

2. Return books

3. Preparing for Conferences

December 9, 2019

Targets:

LS 2: Expository writing: Produce clear and coherent writing for a range of informative and analytical tasks, purposes, and audiences.

1. Star 360 during SSR

2. Scores for work on slideshow and slideshow assignment-- a lot of you said that the main political message of Animal Farm is that communism is bad. I disagree that that is what Orwell is saying. I feel that he is saying that any government that results in power lying with one small faction of the populace, has the potential to turn bad. Have you ever heard the phrase "Absolute power corrupts absolutely"? What does it mean?

3. Complete your expository paragraph, some of you have not yet made a copy and saved it in your LA folder! See Dec. 5th's agenda for quotes you can use in your paragraph

4. Return books

5. When you finish, start planning your game!

December 5, 2019

Targets: LS1b: Critical Reading: understand that there are many different ways to read this book because it can be viewed with many different lenses

LS 2: Expository writing: Produce clear and coherent writing for a range of informative and analytical tasks, purposes, and audiences.

1. Inspirational video!

2. Did you complete the Slideshow assignment?

3. Complete your expository paragraph, make a copy and save it in your language arts folder

Some examples of persuasive speech in Animal Farm... there are a lot more!

“Squealer was sent to make the necessary explanations to the others. ‘Comrades!’ he cried. ‘You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organisation of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come back! Surely, comrades,’ cried Squealer almost pleadingly, skipping from side to side and whisking his tail, ‘surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back?” (36)

“Comrades,’ he said, ‘I trust that every animal here appreciates the sacrifice that Comrade Napoleon has made in taking this extra labor upon himself. Do not imagine, comrades, that leadership is a pleasure! On the contrary, it is a deep and heavy responsibility. No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be? Suppose you had decided to follow Snowball, with his moonshine of windmills--Snowball, who, as we now know was no better than a criminal?... as to the Battle of the Cowshed, I believe the time will come when we shall find that Snowball’s part in it was much exaggerated. Discipline, comrades, iron discipline!- That is the watchword for today. One false step, and our enemies would be upon us. Surely, comrades, you do not want Jones back?” (55-56)

“That evening Squealer explained privately to the other animals that Napoleon had never in reality been opposed to the windmill. On the contrary, it was he would had advocated it in the beginning, and the plan which Snowball had drawn on the floor of the incubator shed had actually been stolen from among Napoleon’s papers. The windmill was, in fact, Napoleon’s own creation. Why, then, asked somebody, had he spoken so strongly against it? Here Squealer looked very sly. That, he said, was Comrade Napoleon’s cunning. He had seemed to oppose the windmill cimply as a manoeuvre to get rid of snowball, who was a dangerous character and a bad influence. Now that Snowball was out of the way, the plan could go forward without his interference. This, said Squealer, was something called tactics. He repeated a number of times, ‘Tactics, comrades, tactics!’ skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh. The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions” (57-58).

“You have heard then, comrades,’ he said, ‘that we pigs now sleep in the beds of the farmhouse? And why not? You did not suppose, surely, that there was ever a ruling against beds? A bed merely means a place to sleep in. A pile of straw in a stall is a bed, properly regarded. The rule was against sheets, which are a human invention. We have removed the sheets from the farmhouse beds, and sleep between blankets. And very comfortable beds they are too! But not more comfortable than we need, I can tell you, comrades, with all the brainwork we have to do nowadays You would not rob us of our repose, would you, comrades? You would not have us too tired to carry out our duties? Surely none of you wishes to see Jones back?” (67)

4. Return books

5. When you finish, start planning your game!

November 25, 2019

Targets: LS1b: Critical Reading: understand that there are many different ways to read this book because it can be viewed with many different lenses

LS 2: Expository writing: Produce clear and coherent writing for a range of informative and analytical tasks, purposes, and audiences.

1. Permission slips DUE!

2. Slideshow assignment

3. Start writing your expository paragraph, make a copy and save it in your language arts folder

Some examples of persuasive speech in Animal Farm... there are a lot more!

“Squealer was sent to make the necessary explanations to the others. ‘Comrades!’ he cried. ‘You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organisation of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come back! Surely, comrades,’ cried Squealer almost pleadingly, skipping from side to side and whisking his tail, ‘surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back?” (36)

“Comrades,’ he said, ‘I trust that every animal here appreciates the sacrifice that Comrade Napoleon has made in taking this extra labor upon himself. Do not imagine, comrades, that leadership is a pleasure! On the contrary, it is a deep and heavy responsibility. No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be? Suppose you had decided to follow Snowball, with his moonshine of windmills--Snowball, who, as we now know was no better than a criminal?... as to the Battle of the Cowshed, I believe the time will come when we shall find that Snowball’s part in it was much exaggerated. Discipline, comrades, iron discipline!- That is the watchword for today. One false step, and our enemies would be upon us. Surely, comrades, you do not want Jones back?” (55-56)

“That evening Squealer explained privately to the other animals that Napoleon had never in reality been opposed to the windmill. On the contrary, it was he would had advocated it in the beginning, and the plan which Snowball had drawn on the floor of the incubator shed had actually been stolen from among Napoleon’s papers. The windmill was, in fact, Napoleon’s own creation. Why, then, asked somebody, had he spoken so strongly against it? Here Squealer looked very sly. That, he said, was Comrade Napoleon’s cunning. He had seemed to oppose the windmill cimply as a manoeuvre to get rid of snowball, who was a dangerous character and a bad influence. Now that Snowball was out of the way, the plan could go forward without his interference. This, said Squealer, was something called tactics. He repeated a number of times, ‘Tactics, comrades, tactics!’ skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh. The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions” (57-58).

“You have heard then, comrades,’ he said, ‘that we pigs now sleep in the beds of the farmhouse? And why not? You did not suppose, surely, that there was ever a ruling against beds? A bed merely means a place to sleep in. A pile of straw in a stall is a bed, properly regarded. The rule was against sheets, which are a human invention. We have removed the sheets from the farmhouse beds, and sleep between blankets. And very comfortable beds they are too! But not more comfortable than we need, I can tell you, comrades, with all the brainwork we have to do nowadays You would not rob us of our repose, would you, comrades? You would not have us too tired to carry out our duties? Surely none of you wishes to see Jones back?” (67)

4. Return books

5. When you finish, play a game

November 21, 2019

Targets: LS1b: Critical Reading: understand that there are many different ways to read this book because it can be viewed with many different lenses

LS4: Conduct short and sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation

1. Warm up: What was your part in the Battle of the Windmill

--> Okay to work together or to answer independently

--> Be ready to share out

2. Notes about your characters and some specific questions to answer, while you are working I will check in on how you are doing with your reading

3. Continue work on google slideshow, share with everyone in your group and Mary

Step 1: Create a title page with your analysis lens and group member names

8.1 Jaden, Sonny, Sage= allegory, Kearsten, Kaydence, Michael= fairytale, Aurelia, Alyce, Olivia, Cecelia= fable, Paige, Yolanda, Marcelo, Kendall=political message, Seanna, Logan, Peighdon, Cam= fairytale

8.2 Lillian, Aidan, Nora, Rokes=satire, Hayden, Bella, Mena, Lilly=fairytale, Cole, Selah, Kameron= allegory, Alex, Dylan, Tiahna, Rhys=fable, Natalie, Grace, Aaren, Kaiden= political message

Step 2: Research your analysis lens and keep track of your sources on a sources slide at the very end of your slideshow

Fairytale and Fable groups= what are the elements of a fairytale and fable? Designate a slide for each element and then use that slide to explain how that element is present in Animal Farm

Satire, political message and allegory group= what is the satire, political message or allegory of the story?

Satire group, you may point out specific elements of the story on each slide that show the satire of the story, explain what is being poked fun at on each slide for the specific element. What is the comparison?

Political message group, you will probably want to start with slides that explain what communism is and how it is shown in the book, you may want to designate one slide for every part of the development of the story and how it shows the development of Orwell's message about communism. You may also want to research about Orwell and his background as well as his politics and how they developed over his lifetime.

Allegory group, you will want to research how each of the characters represents actual people in history, how certain events in the story represent actual events in history and how places in the story represent actual places in the history in which this book is supposed to represent with the allegorical lens. Designate one slide to each of these characters, events and places and use the slide to explain the comparison.

November 14, 2019

Targets: LS1b: Critical Reading: understand that there are many different ways to read this book because it can be viewed with many different lenses

LS4: Conduct short and sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation

1. Warm up: The 1st windmill: what was your part in it?