8th GRADE: IDENTITY AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
UNIT 2: Knowledge and Power
ANCHOR TEXT: Animal Farm
Essential Question:
 Should power be challenged?
 Does responsibility come with knowledge?
Enduring Understandings:
 Satire is used to call attention to and ridicule the vices of man.
 Orwell’s works were a vehicle for social understanding.
 Knowledge, like power, is sometimes abused.
 It is necessary to challenge government.
 Language is used as an instrument of control.
Guiding Questions:
1. How can satire give people a different perspective on the vices of man?
2. How can an author’s experiences inspire his/her writing?
3. How are people empowered by knowledge?
4. How does a topic sentence focus our writing?
5. How can the meaning of a quote be understood?
6. When is knowledge a dangerous thing?
7. How do I organize my writing?
8. How does power change people?
9. Why is it important to cite evidence to support ideas when writing?
10. What kinds of conflict arise out of an imbalance of power?
11. How can we connect the ideas of one person to something we have read?
12. How do we choose evidence to support ideas?
13. How does the writing process help us to improve our writing?
NYS Common Core Standards for English Language Arts Assessed:
Reading Standards for Literature (Grade 8)
RL8.1, RL8.11
Reading Standards for Informational Text
RIT8.1
Writing Standards (Grade 8)
W8.1.a-e
See alignment of standards and indicators to authentic task.
Teacher Designed Standards Assessed:
1. Students will reflect upon their work by:
a) identifying strengths.
b) identifying struggles.
c) setting goals to improve their work.
d) revising their work to make it better
e) asking questions to improve their understanding.
1
ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE
Authentic Performance Task(s):

Alignment to Common Core Standards for
Literacy:
1. At the end of Chapter 3 we have
started to learn about the different
animals. Using the chart below,
rank the characters in order from
most powerful to least powerful.
Describe what trait determines
their power and cite specific
evidence from the text to support
your explanation.
1. RL8.1 – Cite textual evidence that most
strongly supports an analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn
from the text.
W8.1.b – Support claims with logical
reasoning and relevant evidence, using
accurate, credible sources and understanding
of the topic or text.
2. We have discussed the positive and
negative character traits of the
animals. Furthermore, we have
learned that Snowball and
Napoleon “were never in
agreement: whatever suggestion
either of them made, the other
could be counted on to oppose it.”
In approximately one page, explain
whether or not Orwell believed
Snowball would make a better
leader than Napoleon. Cite specific
evidence from the text to support
your explanation.
2. RL8.1 – Cite textual evidence that most
strongly supports an analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn
from the text.
RL8.3 – Analyze how particular lines of
dialogue or incidents in a story or drama
reveal aspects of a character
W8.2b – Develop the topic with relevant, wellchosen facts, definitions, concrete details,
quotations or other information and
examples.
L8.2 – Demonstrate command of the
convention of standard English capitalization,
punctuation and spelling when writing.
3. Though all of the animals are
affected by Napoleon’s decisions as
Leader of Animal Farm, none of
them successfully protest the
changes he makes. In
approximately one page, explain
how both Squealer’s techniques of
propaganda and the animals’ lack
of knowledge contributed to
Napoleon’s rise in power. Cite
specific evidence from the text to
support your explanation.
3. RL8.1 – Cite textual evidence that most
strongly supports an analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn
from the text.
RL8.3 – Analyze how particular lines of
dialogue or incidents in a story or drama
reveal aspects of a character
W8.2b – Develop the topic with relevant, wellchosen facts, definitions, concrete details,
quotations or other information and
examples.
L8.2 – Demonstrate command of the
convention of standard English capitalization,
punctuation and spelling when writing.
2
Diagnostic and Pre/Post Assessments:
1. Students will respond to the essential question at the start of the unit and
at the end of the unit. (pre/post)
2. Students will respond to a hierarchy chart at the start of the unit, during
the unit and after the unit.
Formative Assessments:
1. Daily journal entries based on reading
2. Class work
3. Homework assignments
4. Performance tasks
5. Drafts of essay
6. Notebooks
Summative Assessments:
1. Critical Lens Essay
2. Portfolio
3. Quizzes (graded)
4. Unit test
Summative Task: Critical Lens Essay
Write a critical essay in which you discuss the connection between events and
themes in George Orwell’s Animal Farm and a chosen quote. In your essay,
compose an argument to defend your interpretation of the quote, agree or
disagree with the quote as you have interpreted it, and support your argument
citing specific evidence from the novel.
3
TEACHING AND LEARNING PLAN
Teaching and Learning Activities:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Administer pre-reading task to determine students’ point of view.
Use the essential question as a pre-assessment. (journal entry)
Read literature together.
Introduce unit vocabulary and have students use vocabulary strategies
to learn the words.
5. Have students make predictions as they are reading the text and later
examine if their predictions were correct or not. (journal entry)
6. Have students make inferences based on events from the text and
support them with textual evidence. (class discussions and journal
entries)
7. Have students recall and question information from the text to deepen
their understanding.
8. Have students examine specific literary elements, such as plot,
character, theme etc. through analysis of the text. (class discussions and
journal entries)
9. Use unit guiding questions to frame lessons and class activities
10. Have students examine and interpret quotes using textual evidence in
order to practice for final essay.
11. Have students work independently to complete the authentic task
(critical lens essay) for the unit.
12. Use essential question as a post-assessment.
13. Have students self-select pieces for the portfolio, reflect on selections
and set goals for improvement.
Resources Needed:
Animal Farm Background Power Point
Body Paragraph Exemplar for Essential Question
Characters and Russian Revolution Key Figures
Manipulation Chart for Task 3
Quotes for Animal Farm
Short Story: A Very Proper Gander
Article: Middle School Student Offends Monkey at Zoo
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Animal Farm
UNIT 2: Knowledge and Social Order
Week
WEEKLY CALENDAR (Jan. 7, 2013 – March 1, 2013)
Guiding Questions
Topics/Lessons
Assessments
Key Vocabulary
(diagnostic, formative,
summative, interim)
1
Ch. 1
1. How can satire
give people a
different
perspective on the
vices of man?
2. How can an
author’s
experiences
inspire his/her
writing?






Examining satire
Orwell’s biography
Time period when
the novel was
written
Setting
Description of
hierarchy
Finding main idea
and supporting
details (evidence)
1. Individual response
to essential
question. (pre)
2. Hierarchy chart
Satire, rebellion,
revolution, hierarchy,
social order,
empowered
Standards RL8.1, W8.1.b, L8.2
Assessed:
Week
Guiding Questions
Topics/Lessons
Assessments
Key Vocabulary
(diagnostic, formative,
summative, interim)
2
3. How are people
empowered by
knowledge?
4. How does a topic
sentence focus
our writing?




Description of
characters
Topic sentences
Interpreting a
quote
Inference
1. Performance Task 1 benevolent, devoted
– hierarchy chart
comrade,
using textual
laborious, vices,
evidence
cynical, contrary
2. Quiz (summative)
Ch. 2-3
Standards RL8.1, W8.1.b, L8.2
Assessed:
5
Week
Guiding Questions
Topics/Lessons
Assessments
Key Vocabulary
(diagnostic, formative,
summative, interim)
3
Ch. 4
5. How can the
meaning of a
quote be
understood?


Propaganda
Questioning
1. Performance Task
2-Explanation of
whether Orwell
believes Snowball
would make a
better leader than
Napoleon.
Utopia, propaganda
N: obstinate
Standards RL8.1, W8.1.b, L8.2
Assessed:
Week
Guiding Questions
Topics/Lessons
Assessments
Key Vocabulary
(diagnostic, formative,
summative, interim)
4
6. When is
knowledge a
dangerous thing?
7. How do I organize
my writing?
Ch. 5-6


Conflict
Compare and
Contrast
1. Performance Task 3 Conflict
- Explanation of
P: eloquent, imposing
how Squealer’s
N: indifferent, indignant
techniques of
propaganda
contributed to
Napoleon’s rise in
power.
2. Quiz (summative,
graded)
Standards RL8.1, W8.1.b, L8.2
Assessed:
6
Week
Guiding Questions
Topics/Lessons
Assessments
Key Vocabulary
(diagnostic, formative,
summative, interim)
5
8. How does power
change people?
9. Why is it
important to cite
evidence to
support ideas
when writing?




Allegory
Symbolism
Russian
Revolution
Author’s purpose
1. Assessment of
accountable talk
from Seminar
2. Quiz (summative,
graded)
Symbolism , scapegoat
P: unanimously
N: spite, conceal,
treachery
Chapters 78
Standards RL8.1, W8.1.b, L8.2
Assessed:
Week
Guiding Questions
Topics/Lessons
Assessments
Key Vocabulary
(diagnostic, formative,
summative, interim)
6
Chapters 910
10. What kinds of
conflict arise out
of an imbalance
of power?
11. How can we
connect the ideas
of one person to
something we
have read?




Theme
Choosing a quote
Creating an
outline
Citing textual
evidence
1. Unit test
(summative, graded)
2. Outline of essay
with evidence
selected
P: dignity, diligently
N: haughty
Standards RL8.1, W8.1.b, L8.2
Assessed:
7
Week
Guiding Questions
Topics/Lessons
Assessments
Key Vocabulary
(diagnostic, formative,
summative, interim)
7
12. How do we
choose evidence to
support ideas?
13. How does the
writing process
help us to improve
our writing?





Writing a first
draft
Peer editing
Revision
Use of language
Publishing
1. First draft of
Critical Lens Essay
2. Subsequent drafts
of Critical Lens
Essay
3. Peer editing
4. Final draft of
Critical Lens Essay
Outline, draft, edit,
revision
Standards W8.1.b, W8.5
Assessed:
8
Appendix
I. Daily Journal Entries
 Example:
Directions: Write a detailed response to the following question, using transition phrases. (7 sentences
minimum.)
Napoleon and Snowball are competing for leadership over the farm. Who would you vote for – Napoleon
or Snowball? Why would your candidate make a better leader for the animals? Give evidence from the
story
II. Classwork
 Citing evidence as support
1. How are the pigs becoming different from the other animals? Cite examples from pages 23 and 27
to support your ideas.
 Response to questions based on reading
1. What changes does Napoleon make after his dogs chase Snowball off the farm?
2. Why don’t the other animals protest Napoleon’s decisions?
 Notes based on reading
 Group Work
1. Example:
Directions: Work with a partner to complete an analysis of Squealer’s speech beginning on page 69.
On one side of the page, list Squealer’s words, and on the other, translate what he really means.
III. Homework
 Questions from the reading
1. Do you believe the seven commandments of Animalism have helped to create a utopia for the
animals? Why or why not?
 Assigned reading
IV. Notebooks
 Completed work from class activities
9