Who was George Orwell?
In this lesson, we will learn about George Orwell and explore his life.
Unit Overview: Animal Farm
For next step we recommend the unit: Blood Brothers.
For next step we recommend the unit: Jane Eyre.
Lessons:
24 lessons
Orwell's writing
In this lesson, we will look at the writing of George Orwell and how his life affected his writing.
Allegory
In this lesson, we will learn what an allegory is and explore how 'Animal Farm' is an example of an allegory. We will also learn about the Russian revolution and consider how it is connected to 'Animal Farm'.
Animal Farm as an allegory
In this lesson, we will revise allegory and look at the plot of 'Animal Farm' in detail. We will consider why Orwell decided to use an allegory when writing 'Animal Farm'.
Introducing Animal Farm
In this lesson, we will be introduced to the major characters in the novel and learn the word 'omniscient'. We will read the opening of the novel and consider how and why Orwell uses an omniscient narrator in the novel.
Old Major's speech
In this lesson, we will learn about rhetoric. We will read Old Major's speech and consider how language can persuade people to act.
Tyranny
In this lesson, we will be introduced to Mr. Jones and we will explore his role as a tyrant in the story.
The pigs take charge
In this lesson, we will learn about how the pigs start to take charge on the farm. We will learn the word hierarchy, consider what important skills Squealer has and then explore how we know the animals are now in charge.
The Rebellion
In this lesson, we will read and analyse the animals' rebellion on the farm. We will learn the word 'overthrow' and consider how the animals' rebellion is similar to the Russian Revolution.
Animalism
In this lesson, we will see how the clever pigs turn Old Major's teachings to their advantage and create Animalism.
Snowball and Napoleon
In this lesson, we will look at Snowball and Napoleon and find out how they keep their power on the farm.
Deceit on the farm
In this lesson, we will learn the word deceit and consider how Squealer manipulates the animals on the farm to make them think their life is better than it really is.
Battle of the Cowshed
In this lesson, we will see what happens in the Battle of the Cowshed. We will also revise the Russian revolution and the allegory of Animal Farm.
The power struggle
In this lesson, we will explore the differences between Napoleon and Snowball. We will look at how they both stuggle for power and learn about Trotsky, a significant figure from the Russian revolution.
Snowball's expulsion
In this lesson, we will discover how Napoleon gets rid of Snowball and how this reflects events in the Russian Revolution.
Naivety and manipulation
In this lesson, we will see how Napoleon and Squealer take advantage of the naïve animals and manipulate them to believe everything they say.
Napoleon and the farmhouse
In this lesson, we will learn about corruption and dramatic irony. We will see how Napoleon and Squealer manipulate the animals on the farm.
Squealer's rhetoric
In this lesson, we will look at examples of Squealer's rhetoric and consider how he uses rhetoric to manipulate the other animals on the farm.
The executions
In this lesson, we will learn about executions and see how Napoleon uses executions to prevent disagreement and control the other animals. We will then consider whether Napoleon is a tyrant and cruel dictator.
Napoleon's leadership
In this lesson, we will learn the word narcissit and consider how Orwell presents Napoleon as a narcissist.
Betrayal
In this lesson, we will learn the word betrayal and see what happens when Napoleon starts trading with the humans Pilkington and Frederick.
Boxer
In this lesson, we will see how Boxer is betrayed and then consider what his betrayal represents within the novel.
The power of propaganda
In this lesson, we will revise propaganda and consider what happens when the 7 commandments are replaced with "all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others".
Animals or men?
In this lesson, we will learn what a cyclical structure is and consider how 'Animal Farm' has a cyclical structure. We will then explore why Orwell might have chosen to use a cyclical structure in 'Animal Farm'.
Units in English
- The Oral Tradition
- Epic Poetry
- The Canterbury Tales: 'General Prologue'
- The Refugee Tales: 'Prologue', ed. Anna Pincus and David Herd
- The Canterbury Tales: 'The Knight's Tale', Chaucer
- Telling Tales, Patience Agbabi
- A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare (Introduction and Act 1)
- A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare (Act 2)
- A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare (Act 3)
- A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare (Act 4&5)
- Contemporary Short Stories (1/2): The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
- Contemporary Short Stories (2/2): Sweetness by Toni Morrison
- Introduction to poetry
- The sonnet through time: Introduction to the sonnet
- The sonnet through time: 'Sonnet 18', Shakespeare
- The sonnet through time: 'Death, be not proud', Donne
- The sonnet through time: 'If thou must love me', Barrett-Browning
- The sonnet through time: 'If we must die', Claude McKay
- The sonnet through time: 'The sonnet-ballad', Gwendolyn Brooks
- Creative writing: short stories
- Creative writing: poetry
- Recapping the basics: simple sentences, statements, paragraphs, capital letters and past simple verbs
- Complex sentences, avoiding fragments and run-ons, capital letters
- Past simple tense, subordinate clauses, punctuating conjunctions and lists
- Writing accurate, correctly punctuated and paragraphed dialogue, using personal pronouns
- Avoiding fragments, fused sentences and comma splices. Using capital letters and writing in the past tense. Using multiple subordinate clauses, punctuating lists correctly when in a complex sentence.
- Paragraphing narratives for clarity, using possessive pronouns, using apostrophes accurately, structuring, writing and editing genre-specific narratives
- Introduction to Tragedy
- Julius Caesar, Shakespeare, Act 1
- Julius Caesar, Shakespeare, Act 2
- Julius Caesar, Shakespeare, Act 3
- Julius Caesar, Shakespeare, Act 4 and 5
- Romantic poetry and paired texts: Introduction to the Romantics
- Romantic poetry and paired texts: Romanticism and Nature
- Romantic poetry and paired texts: Nature poetry
- Romantic poetry and paired texts: Romanticism and Revolution
- Romantic poetry and paired texts: Revolutionary and Protest poetry
- Oliver Twist: Oliver and the Workhouse
- Oliver Twist: Oliver Heads to London
- Oliver Twist: Oliver is Caught
- Oliver Twist: Oliver, Bill & The Maylies
- Oliver Twist: Oliver and the Consequences
- Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid
- Creative writing: memoir
- Rhetoric: Introduction to rhetoric
- Rhetoric: Injustice: Pankhurst & Sojourner Truth
- Rhetoric: Change: Michelle Obama & Lennie James
- Rhetoric: Motivate: Churchill & Gandhi
- Rhetoric: Writing rhetoric
- Shakespearean Comedy - The Tempest
- Language Skills - Fiction - Reading
- Language Skills - Fiction - Writing
- Language Skills - Non-Fiction - Reading
- Language Skills - Non-Fiction - Writing
- Grammar for Writing
- The Short Story
- Gothic Literature
- Fiction: Reading and descriptive writing
- Non-Fiction texts and view point writing
- Jane Eyre
- Animal Farm
- Paragraphing non-fiction writing, including presenting a balanced argument