ELA, Office of Curriculum Development Page 4 of 4

ELA Unit Overview Grade 10, Quarter 1, 3-5 Weeks Animal Farm: Arguing for Justice Unifying Concept: Complexity of Justice Overview: The novel, Animal Farm by George Orwell, is an allegory for what happens when a society’s quest for equality turns into a brutal dictatorship. By learning about the origins, and causes and effects of communism, students will have the opportunity to think about the concepts of equality, law, right and wrong, and justice. Students will be able to draw conclusions by learning about allegory: looking for similarities between the historical events Russian Revolution, Civil War, and the era of Stalin and the story of animals who overthrow their master for the good of their society. Students will gain experience by creating their own laws for a ‘totally equal’ society and attempt to convince others of its validity through propaganda.

Purpose:  To examine how literature can act as propaganda and how political unrest can produce criticism in the disguise of literature.  To examine the use of rhetoric and its role in propaganda.  To analyze how George Orwell based his characters off of political figures and commented on their leadership.  To evaluate the concepts of ‘law’ and ‘justice’ and ‘right’ and ‘wrong’.  To create an argument using the novel and informational texts to substantiate claims. Enduring Understandings: Essential Questions: 1. Literature and informational texts provide us with varying types 1. What happens when ‘law’ and ‘justice’ are not the same things? of justice and what justice can mean to us. Different types of texts 2. How do we determine right from wrong? can teach us about the facets of justice and who determines that justice has been met. 2. By reading about different points of view, we are able to then decide on our own POV, and write arguments to defend that viewpoint.

Target Standards are emphasized every quarter and used in formal assessment to evaluate student mastery Highly-Leveraged1 are the most essential for students to learn because they have endurance (knowledge and skills are relevant throughout a student's lifetime); leverage (knowledge and skills are used across multiple content areas); and essentiality (knowledge and skills are necessary for success in future courses or grade levels). 10.RL.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. 10.RL.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone). 10.W.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. a. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns. c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims. d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing. e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented. 10.L.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text. b. Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.

Supporting are related standards that support the highly-leveraged standards in and across grade levels. 10.RL.5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise. 10.RI.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper). 10.W.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. a. Apply grades 9–10 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work [e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare]"). 10.SL.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence. 10.SL.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task. 10.L.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Use a semicolon (and perhaps a conjunctive adverb) to link two or more closely related independent clauses. b. Use a colon to introduce a list or quotation. c. Spell correctly.

Constant Standards are routinely addressed every semester 10.RL.2,10 10.RI.1,10 10.W.4,5,6,10 10.SL.1,2, 6 10.L.1,6

Selected Readings of Complex Texts

ELA, Office of Curriculum Development © Page 2 of 4 Extended/Short Texts: Animal Farm, George Orwell “The Musicians of Bremen” http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm027.html http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0130.html Selections from Aesop’s Fables http://aalbc.com/authors/Aesops_Fables.htm

Additional Instructional Resources Electronic Resources and Alternative Media Rhetorical speeches: Stalin- 1941 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IGbjPqFFvA Hitler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV9kyocogKo JFK- 1/20/61 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSZSbIAZlpQ Obama DNC speech 2004 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFPwDe22CoY Obama “Yes, We Can” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoFqV3qVMGA FDR 12/8/41 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhtuMrMVJDk Malcom X “By Any Means Necessary” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhg6LxyTnY8 Articles: “ Harsh Justice: Comparing Prisons Around the World” http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/pdf/animal_farm.pdf http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/animal-farm-allegory-and-art-persuasion http://www.teachingcompanion.com/Teaching%20Companion%20Ebooks/Animal%20Farm%20Teaching%20Guide.pdf http://www.teachwithmovies.org/guides/animal-farm.html http://iteachicoachiblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/teaching-animal-farm-common-core-style.html http://www.webenglishteacher.com/animal-farm-lesson-plans.html

Performance Assessments

ELA, Office of Curriculum Development © Page 3 of 4 Formative Assessments: Summative Assessments: 1 Chapter Quizzes 1 Argumentative essay using text and other resources to defend an 2 Propaganda poster/”Totally Equal” government project argument. 3 Battle of the Cowshed battle log analysis 2 Rhetorical speech using rhetorical devices in order to argue their 4 Found Poem opinion. 5 Quotes analysis 3. School City Answer Key Only Assessment 6 Close Reading of Squealer’s speeches

This definition for highly-leveraged standards was adapted from the “power standard” definition on the website of Millis Public Schools, K-12, in Massachusetts, USA. http://www.millis.k12.ma.us/services/curriculum_assessment/brochures