UMF Unit-Wide Lesson Plan Template

Name: Abigail Hanson Program: Secondary Education - Course: CCP11 -

English English
Lesson Topic / Title: Animal Farm by George Orwell.

Lesson Date: 2/29/24 Lesson Length: 50 minutes. Grade/Age: Grade 11. Ages
16-17.
Learning Objectives & Content Standard Alignment - Selects, creates, and sequences learning
experiences and performance tasks that support learners in reaching rigorous curriculum goals
based on content standards.
Learning Objective(s) Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

L1. Students will analyze how themes are developed - These objectives encourage
throughout a novel by examining the events, students to engage in close
characters, and symbols contributing to their reading and critical analysis
exploration. of the text “Animal Farm” by
L2. Students will compare and contrast the themes in George Orwell. By
"Animal Farm" with similar themes found in other examining specific elements
literary works or historical events, fostering a deeper such as events, characters,
understanding of universal themes in literature. and symbols, students gain
L.3 Students can identify multiple themes present in a deeper understanding of
a given text. how themes are developed
L4. Students can provide evidence from the text to and reinforced throughout
support their interpretations of themes. the narrative.
- This approach helps
students see the interplay
between different aspects of
the text and how they
contribute to the
exploration of key themes.

Content Standard(s) Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-R.4. This standard fits this lesson as

Read various texts closely to determine what each
text explicitly says and to make logical inferences;
cite specific textual evidence to support conclusions
drawn from the texts.
Assessment - Uses assessment flexibly to expand and deepen understanding of learner performance
and determines best supports for continued learner growth.
students will understand the concept
of theme in literature. Along with
understanding the theme, students will
then apply their knowledge to their
current class novel “Animal Farm” and
connect the novel to another story by a
different author.

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Assessment
● Animal Farm/Harrison Bergeron Theme Quote
Quest:
Directions: In this activity, you will be identifying and
defending themes in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”
as well as the prolific short story “Harrison
Bergeron.”by Kurt Vonnegut. Identify themes in the
two texts.
1. Choose a quote from the text (“Harrison
Bergeron”) that shows your identified theme.
2. Explain IN YOUR OWN WORDS, how the
quote you chose supports your theme.
3. Find a theme that applies to BOTH works.
Find a quote from each to support your
identified theme.
Instructional Materials and Resources - Stays current in content knowledge and expands expertise in
reviewing instructional materials from the perspectives of both the discipline and individual learner
needs.
Materials, Resources, and / or Technology
- Google Classroom: For class assignments,
materials, exit tickets, and unit slideshows.
- Google Slides.
- Promethean smart board.
Materials (for students):
- Student laptop, copy of Animal Farm by George
Orwell, pen/pencil, note
- Access to Google Classroom.
- Hard copies of the story “Harrison Bergeron”.
- Hard copies of the Animal Farm/Harrison
Bergeron Theme Quote Quest.
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
The theme quote quest activity will
allow students to apply their
knowledge to both “Animal Farm” and
“Harrison Bergeron” both by George
Orwell. Students will be able to make
connections between the two stories as
there are several different thematic
connections to each other. Students will
have to identify three themes in total
for the activity. They are allowed to
have their copy of the novel and they
will have the entire short story of
“Harrison Bergeron” which is 5 pages,
front and back.
The theme quote quest will be used to
assess students' current understanding
of the theme and its relevance to the
class novel at the end of the lesson. If
their answers indicate they do not
understand the content and the book,
this allows me to reassess and try
another approach in the future.
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
- The school uses Google as
the primary platform where
all teachers can organize
and share resources,
assignments, and
announcements.
- Google Classroom is used by
the school to integrate with
other Google tools such as
Google Docs, Google Slides,
and Google Forms. This
integration makes it easy
for students and teachers to
access and collaborate on
various types of content.
- All of these materials are
necessary for all students to
meet the objectives and
complete the tasks for class.
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Instructional Methods: Selects, creates, and sequences learning experiences and performance tasks
by using a variety of instructional approaches, strategies, and technologies that make learning
accessible to all learners and support learners in reaching rigorous curriculum goals.
Teaching and Learning Sequence
1. Attendance/Daily Question. (5 minutes)
2. Overview of “Animal Farm” and theme. (5
minutes)
● Use Google slides on the smart board to guide
students through the instructional portion.
- Review the definition of the theme in
literature, and ask for a student to
provide a definition.
- Ask students to identify some themes
they identified in the theme quotes quest
from yesterday's class.
Proceed to the next slides and transition to
introduce Harrison Bergeron (10 minutes).
- Watch the story trailer as a class. Prompt
students to pay attention to any
similarities they may see between the
two stories. (3 minute video).
3. After the video, follow up with students on the
prompted questions. Allow students time to think
about what they just watched and guide them into
making connections.
- Read the slide that introduces the story
and explain to the class how it connects
to our current class novel: Both are
written by the same author and are
dystopian.
4. I will hand out copies of Harrison Bergeron. Then
proceed to read it out loud. (10 minutes).
5. Animal Farm/Harrison Bergeron Theme Quote
Quest Activity. (25 minutes)
- On-paper or digitally in Google
Classroom.
● Directions: In this activity, you will be
identifying and defending themes in George
Orwell’s “Animal Farm” as well as the prolific
short story “Harrison Bergeron.”by Kurt
Vonnegut. Identify themes in the two texts.
- Choose a quote from the text (“Harrison
Bergeron”) that shows your identified theme.
- Explain IN YOUR OWN WORDS, how the
quote you chose supports your theme.
- Find a theme that applies to BOTH works.
Find a quote from each to support your
identified theme.
● Students will have the remaining period of class
to complete this activity.
● I will be available to students during class if they
need help.
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
1. Every class begins with taking
attendance and there is a
question prompt on the smart
board for students to view as
they come into the room. This
allows for me to engage with
each student right at the
beginning of class.
2. This lecture covers all of the
foundational elements of what
a theme is in literature, how to
identify one, and how to put it
into a sentence, rather than
having one-worded themes.
The students will have
multiple opportunities to
answer questions asked by me
as a means for checking of
understanding.
3. I am using another story that is
not written by the same author
because it connects well with
the class novel as both are
commenting on government,
society, and more in Russian
history. Students will gain
more understanding as to why
the author writes about this
and how there are similar
themes that can be identified
through the activity.
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 ● Students will turn in at the end of class or at the
beginning of tomorrow’s class if they do not
finish.
Meeting students’ needs (differentiation, extensions, Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
modifications, accommodations)

- Paper and digital copies of the reading, and
in-class activity will be provided.
- For the video students will be watching in class,
closed captions will be on for those who find them
helpful visually.
- Students will be allowed to take home and
complete if they do not finish the theme quote
quest in class.
- Absent students will have the opportunity to do
the work the following day or at home if they have
a computer available. They are expected to make
up any work they miss within three days of the
assignment being given to the student.
● Having these late periods and
extensions helps the students
have the support they need to
finish the work on time.
Especially in this instance, I
want every student to practice
identifying and forming
themes in their own words.
● I know some students like to
do their work on paper, and
most like to do it online, so
letting them have the option to
do either one is important.

Field Courses Only – Post lesson

Reflection
Block 3: 15/17 students were present.
Many of my students participated when asked questions through the lecture.
Students showed that they understood the purpose of themes in literature, their
importance, and how to identify one through class discussions. I could tell
throughout the lecture portion of the lesson that students were paying attention,
making eye contact with me, minimal side conversations. I had to stop three male
students from talking during my lesson and they responded well and stopped
talking until I was done. One student, who is a repeated phone user in class (which
is forbidden per class and school expectations) was spoken to twice about using his
phone during lecture and the video portion of the lesson.

The students who were present engaged with the in-class activity well and showed
that they understood how to identify themes in multiple choices of literature
through a second theme quote quest. I created the activity with the end goal in
mind. I wanted to see how students would engage with a short story, written by a
different author but have very similar literary elements, such as theme, setting, and
historical reference.

From the theme quote quest, these two students demonstrated they understood the
concept of theme in literature and how to identify themes in both Animal Farm and
Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut.

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Student A.

Student A demonstrated that they do understand how to identify a theme and form
it in their own words. As well as explain and defend their theme and paired quote.
For Animal Farm, while the self-identified theme can be true, this is more of a
subjective theme rather than a factual theme. We had discussed in the introductory

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lesson the day prior, that themes could be biased or subjective, it just depends on
the reader and their interpretation of the content.
Some issues arise in the quote section of this student's work. As well as some
spelling errors which will be commented on in the feedback on Classroom. They
were asked to provide a citation with their quote and this student did not do so.
Feedback and an example of a citation will be provided to the student in Google
Classroom.
For the Harrison Bergeron theme, student A has demonstrated that they can identify
and state a theme for the excerpt of Harrison Bergeron. I knew that identifying a
theme with just a short story that’s about 5 pages front to back would be somewhat
of a challenge for the class, but this student was capable of forming a theme in their
own words.

Student B.

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Student B demonstrated that they do understand how to identify a theme and form
it in their own words. As well as explain and defend their theme and paired quote.
For the Animal Farm section, they were asked to provide a citation with their quote
and this student did not do so. Feedback and an example of a citation will be
provided to the student in Google Classroom.
For the Harrison Bergeron theme, student B has demonstrated that they can identify
and state a theme for the story. They provided a quote that supported their theme
well, missing the citation as well. Their explanation for the theme and quote is
well-thought out and they connect it all together, demonstrating again that they
understand how themes work and how authors use them.

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 Standard and Indicator Instructional Reasoning and
Rationale

Standard 6 - Assessment I chose this standard and indicator for

The teacher understands and uses
multiple methods of assessment to
engage learners in their own growth, to
document learner progress, and to
guide the teacher’s ongoing planning
and instruction.
Indicator - 6 (i) Continually seeks
appropriate ways to employ technology
to support assessment practice both to
engage learners more fully and to
assess and address learner needs.
this lesson plan because I used multiple
methods of assessment when engaging
my students in the lessons I have
created. These assessments allow me to
track my student's progress and
understanding of the content.
Rationale - This lesson plan
appropriately fits the standard and
indicator because as a teacher, I am
continuously looking for appropriate
ways to employ multiple ways of
assessment to meet the needs of every
student. For example, I have used verbal
assessments and technologically based
assessments (using Google Forms). As
well as allowing students to
demonstrate their work either by hand
or digitally through their devices.

TWS - TEACHER WORK SAMPLE LESSON PLAN

Topic - “Animal Farm” by George Orwell.
Assignment - Understanding theme by guided/prompted class discussion.
Formative assessment titled “Theme Quote Quest #2”.
How - A class discussion will be used as a pre-assessment before the second
comprehension activity sheet. Students will be able to: Identify multiple themes
present in a given text. Students will be able to provide evidence from the text to
support their interpretations of themes.
Why - This lesson is important for students can continue to identify multiple
themes present in a given text and provide evidence from the text to support their
interpretations of themes.

Standard and Indicator Instructional Reasoning and Rationale

Standard 8 - Instructional Strategies
The teacher understands and uses a
variety of instructional strategies to
encourage learners to develop a deep
understanding of content areas and their
I chose this standard and indicator for this
lesson plan because as a teacher I understand
that every student has different needs when
learning. But in order for them to develop a
deeper understanding of the content, I have to

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connections, and to build skills to access
and appropriately apply information.
Indicator - 8 (g) Engages students in
using a range of learning skills and
technology tools to access, interpret,
evaluate, and apply information.
be able to create a lesson/assignment where
students can practice and implement their
knowledge.
Rationale - This lesson plan fits the standard
and indicator because, this lesson allows
students to engage in the content by using
technology (their laptops, Google Docs, etc) to
access, and interpret the content they are
reading and apply their information to an
assignment.

TWS - TEACHER WORK SAMPLE LESSON PLAN

Topic - “Animal Farm” by George Orwell.
Assignment - Understanding theme by guided/prompted class discussion.
How - Class discussion as the pre-assessment. A formative assignment where students
have to identify multiple themes in literature and form connections.
Why - This lesson is important for students can identify multiple themes present in a given
text and provide evidence from the text to support their interpretations of themes. This is
there last informal practice before they are tested on their knowledge of the content in the
fifth and final lesson of the teacher work sample.

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