Digital Unit Plan Template

Unit Title: 1984 Unit Plan Name: Katie Kea

Content Area: English Language Arts Grade Level: 12th
CA Content Standard(s)/Common Core Standard(s):
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2
Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact
and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of
specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or
beautiful.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.5
Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of
findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

Big Ideas:
1. How does literature reflect the sociopolitical context of a time period?

2. What are some instruments of power that governments employ to maintain social control?

3. In what ways can a literary work function as social commentary? How do the elements of dystopian fiction serve to critique the social
norms and power structures that exist within society?

4. What is the role of language in society, and how can it be used to reflect or distort reality?

5. What does it actually mean to be free, and how do we know if we are?

Unit Goals:

1. Students will perform a series of close readings, analyzing how the authors word choice and structure contribute to the meaning of a
passage and advance a theme in the novel.

2. Students will write a formal paper that analyzes the development of a central theme and articulates a compelling claim about the novel,
citing substantial textual evidence to support their arguments.

3. Students will create a comprehensive digital/ multimedia presentation that highlights one of the central themes and draws modern-day
connections in order to understand the relevance of the novel to todays world.

Unit Summary:
dystopia (n): an imaginary place or condition in which everything is as bad as possible; opp. utopia (OED)

George Orwells 1984 is more than just a work of fiction in the words of literary critic Erich Fromm, it is the expression of a mood, and it is a
warning. What the novel warns us against is extremely telling about the historical context in which it was written. Published during the onset of
the Cold War, 1984 encapsulates a world of perpetual warfare, of constantly shifting alliances, of invasive government surveillance, and of
complete political control by a totalitarian government. In other words, Orwells dystopian vision takes the reality of Soviet communism an
ideological and physical menace to the Western world during the Cold War to its logical extreme and denounces the ways in which totalitarian
governments legitimize their own power.

In this unit, we will explore the elements of dystopian literature, examining the ways in which it can function as social commentary and reflect
the sociopolitical context of a particular time period. We will analyze how the elements of dystopian fiction serve to critique the social norms and
power structures that exist within society, as well as evaluate the claims that Orwell makes about the themes of power, language, and freedom
within the novel. Written as a warning against political oppression, 1984 demonstrates that the best literature does not simply seek to reflect
reality but to transform it.

Students will situate their analyses within the historical context of the novel, as well as extrapolate from these themes to make relevant
connections to some of the issues facing us today. By the end of this unit, students will be able to perform a series of close readings, analyzing
how the authors word choice and rhetorical strategies advance the larger themes within the novel. Students will also collaborate with their peers
to create a multimedia presentation that focuses on one central theme, utilizing digital technologies to access and integrate information about the
topics of media, technology, privacy and surveillance, and more.
Assessment Plan:
Entry-Level: Formative: Summative:

Class discussion: The entry-level assessment
will include a video on the Cold War and a brief
overview of the historical/sociopolitical context
to activate prior knowledge that students may
have from U.S. history, followed by a class
discussion that extends this knowledge.
Critical thinking questions: In small groups,
students will answer the three questions posed
in the Power & Politics lecture.
Quizzes: Reading quizzes will check for
comprehension and general understanding.
Close reading activities: Students will select
a short passage and analyze how the literary
devices contribute to the overall meaning and
advance a theme in the novel.
Essay: Students will write an in-class essay
that analyzes and evaluates one of the major
themes in the novel.
Presentation: Students will create a digital
presentation that highlights a central theme
and draws modern-day connections in order
to demonstrate the relevance of the novel to
todays world.

Graphic organizer: Students will use a

graphic organizer to help them structure a
thesis and identify supporting details to
support and sustain this thesis.

Lesson 1 (Teacher Lecture)

Student Learning Acceptable Evidence Lesson Activities:
Objective: (Assessments):

Students will learn the
characteristics of dystopian
fiction and frame their
understanding of 1984 using
the novels historical and
sociopolitical context.
Students complete guided Think-pair-share: In pairs, students will answer the three in-depth discussion
notes and make valuable questions throughout the lecture presentation. Then, they will share their findings
contributions to class with the class in a larger group discussion.
discussion.
Students will perform a
series of close readings,
analyzing how an authors
word choice and structure
contribute to the meaning of
a passage and advance a
theme in the novel.
Students create PowerPoint
presentations that showcase
close reading and thorough
analysis of key passages.
Close reading: In small groups, students will select a short passage (no longer than
20 lines) and analyze the authors language and rhetorical strategies. Students will
have 25 minutes to carefully analyze their passage and create a brief PPT
presentation that explains how the literary devices contribute to its overall
meaning. Afterwards, students will present their passage analyses to the class.

Lesson 2 (Webercise/ iPad Lesson)

Student Learning Acceptable Evidence: Lesson Activities:
Objective:

Students will analyze the Students complete the Webquest: For this activity, students will answer a series of questions related to
development of two or more webercise activity and the thematic study of 1984. This webercise will focus on exploring the authors
central themes in the text. formulate thematic ideas background, as well as some overarching themes in this novel. There are three
The online resources from the questions. main categories, and each category includes a corresponding website for students
included in this activity will to use as a reference point to answer these questions.
extend their understanding
of the novel to help them
craft their own arguments
for the in-class essay.

Lesson 3 (Graphic Organizer)

Student Learning Acceptable Evidence: Lesson Activities:
Objective:

Students will learn how to
construct an effective thesis
and cite textual evidence to
support their arguments.
This activity will prepare
them for the in-class essay.
Students successfully
complete the graphic
organizer, which includes a
thesis and supporting details
from the text.
Main idea graphic organizer: Students will complete a Main Idea graphic
organizer that will help them identify a central theme in the novel and write a
tentative thesis for their essay. After they craft their thesis, they will identify three
sub-ideas that support the main idea. Then, they will provide supporting details
in the form of quotes from the novel that substantiate their argument.
Unit Resources:
1. Two Minute Hate clip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvGmOZ5T6_Y

2. Cold War overview - http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-postwar/6037

3. George Orwell bio - https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Orwell

4. New York Times review - https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/26/books/why-1984-is-a-2017-must-read.html

5. Soviet Photoshop - http://www.openculture.com/2017/08/long-before-photoshop-the-soviets-mastered-the-art-of-erasing-people-from-

photographs-and-history-too.html

6. Predictive Policing - https://medium.com/@gamesetmax/person-of-interest-chicagos-predictive-policing-how-does-it-work-f3ec382fa3b1

7. Fact Check - http://www.factcheck.org/2016/11/how-to-spot-fake-news/

8. Map of 1984 world - http://bigthink.com/strange-maps/66-the-world-in-george-orwells-1984

9. Politics and the English Language - http://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/politics/english/e_polit/

10. Dystopian elements http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson926/DefinitionCharacteristics.pdf

Useful Websites:
1. Prezi - http://www.prezi.com/

2. JSTOR - https://www.jstor.org/

3. Project MUSE - https://muse.jhu.edu/

4. Google Books - https://books.google.com/