Title of Unit Animal Farm Developer Christine Love

Curriculum Area Language Arts Theme/s used Conflict, power, political

in unit systems, change, justice
Grade Level 7th Time Frame 4 weeks
Identify Desired Results/Established Goals (Stage 1)
By the conclusion of this unit, students will . . .

 Listen effectively in formal and informal situations to gain meaning and critically analyzes what is heard
or seen.
 Apply reading strategies to improve understanding and fluency.
 Understand how literary elements and techniques are used to convey meaning.
 Compose well-organized and coherent writing for specific purposes and audiences.
 Communicate ideas in writing to accomplish a variety of purposes.
 Apply acquired information, concepts and ideas to communicate in a variety of formats.

Understandings Essential Questions (overarching/topical)

Students will understand that . . .

 History is made up of cause and effect,
with one event leading to another.
 Justice and political systems don’t
automatically come hand in hand.
 By bringing conflicts to the surface,
literature encourages justice and social
change.
 Literature reflects conflicts within
society and political systems.
 Literature doesn’t always have a happy
ending, but it makes the reader
consider events and ideas from
different perspectives.
 Power is difficult to control.
 By telling stories and allegories, we can
reflect on the past and make changes
for the future.
Overarching (global—can Topical (specific to the
apply to many topics) topic)
 How can one event  What is the allegory in
“snowball” out of control? Animal Farm?
 Is conflict necessary in  How are symbols used
order to bring about in the story?
change?  Why is this a valuable
 Must literature be just? story to read in between
What if there is no happy studying WWI and
ending? WWII?
 How do we change as a
result of what we read?
 What does an ideal
political system look like?
 Who has a right to power?
 How much power is too
much?

Skills
Students will be able to . . .

 Demonstrate ways (e.g., ask probing questions, provide feedback to a speaker, summarize and
paraphrase complex spoken messages) that listening attentively can improve comprehension.
 Identify text structure and create a visual representation (e.g., graphic organizer, outline, drawing,
compare/contrast chart, cause and effect list) to use while reading to improve comprehension.
 Read aloud narrative and expository text fluently and accurately and with appropriate pacing,
intonation, and expression.
 Analyze and evaluate the effective use of literary devices (e.g., figurative language, allusion, dialogue,
description, symbolism, word choice) within classical and contemporary literature representing a variety
of genre, form, and media (e.g. newspapers, magazines, internet material).
 Identify events that advance the plot and determine how each event explains past or present action(s)
or foreshadows future action(s).
 Analyze characterization as delineated through a character’s thoughts, words, speech patterns, and
actions; the narrator’s description; and the thoughts, words, and actions of other characters.
 Produce, edit, and revise work for word choice, organization, consistent point of view, comparison and
contrast, order of importance, and transitions among paragraphs using contemporary technology and
formats suitable for submission and/or publication.
 Compose narrative, informative, and persuasive writings (e.g., in addition to previous writings, literature
reviews, instructions, news articles, formal and informal correspondence) developing the topic with
supporting details and precise language for a specified audience
 Take notes, conduct interviews, organize and report information in oral, visual and electronic formats.

Assessment Evidence (Stage 2)

Performance Tasks:

 Each student will create a unique project from the following choices:
- Illustrate four scenes from the novel, choose quotes to accompany each scene, and write about its
importance.
- Write 5 journal entries from a character’s perspective and design a unique journal cover for it.
- Turn the novel into a board game, incorporating events, characters, and themes
- Create a PPT presentation on the symbolism of Animal Farm, including six people, places, or events.
 Students will present their projects to the class and will evaluate each others’ presentations.

Key Criteria/Authentic Assessment:

 Projects and presentations will be based on a rubric that is shared at the outset of the project.

Other Evidence:

 Nightly reading assignments (choice between answering study guide questions, analyzing an important
quote, or illustrating an important scene)
 Whole class discussions
 Literature group discussions
 Signs of power (class activities)
 Invent an “ism” group activity
 Compare/contrast list between book and movie
 Learning Plan (Stage 3)

 Discussion on power: where does it come from? How much is too much? (W)
 Who has power over you? Over whom do you have power? (W)
 Tie-in from WWI unit, Russian Revolution (W)
 Date drawn on board, Mango in classroom for the day (H)
 Choice between study guide questions, quote discussion, and scene illustration for each chapter (E)
 Symbolism of animals (E)
 Read aloud in class, lit circle discussions (E)
 Invent an ‘ism’ (E)
 Watch the movie “Animal Farm” and compare to the book (E)
 Discussion questions, writing assignments (R)
 Display final projects and ‘isms’ (E)
 Offer choices for class work, homework, and projects (T)
 Use a variety of techniques for assessment – illustrations, writing, quizzes, games, projects (T)
 Assess student work based on individual capabilities (T)
 Give out study guide packet at the beginning of the unit (O)
 Share clear expectations for projects, class work, and homework (O)

Integration:

 Unit parallels SS study of World War I and World War II.

 Students will be aware of and share news items relating to power.

Materials Needed:

Books (with extras in the classroom)

Cat
Study Guides
Literature Group handouts
“Animal Farm” movie
TV or projector
Signet Classics teacher’s guide