George Orwell's 1984 Book Club
In this 6-week book club, students will read and discuss George Orwell's dystopian satire, 1984
Janelle Fila
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4.6
Number of reviews:(903)
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What's included
6 pre-recorded lessons
6 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentHomework
1-2 hours per week. Students will read between 50-60 pages a week on their own time. Each lesson, students will have access to the new video and a corresponding one page worksheet with discussion questions and places for fill-in-the blank answers. Each week, I assign a short writing assignment focused around that week's discussion questions and ask the students to share their responses in the classroom. There are also activities like vocabulary words and a Kahoot! review quiz to test their comprehension from the weekly chapters.Assessment
The more questions, comments, and posts that students share in the classroom, the more I can understand their knowledge and comprehension of the topics we are discussing.Grading
Please let me know if you require a grade for this class.Class Experience
US Grade 11 - 12
1984 by George Orwell is a grim look into a "future" full of government oversight and few personal freedoms. This novel is often required reading for a lot of high school students. It is the perfect book for group discussion and analysis because Orwell's use of allegory and symbolism can be hard to appreciate and understand when reading alone. We will also tie into historical references regarding the year 1984 in comparison to Orwell's predictions. Students will read between 50-60 pages a week on their own time. Each week a new video will discuss the pages that the students have previously read. This class does not meet live. The prerecorded sessions will emphasize characters, their motivations, theme, story plausibility, and inferences about what might come next. We will also refer to any symbolism within the story and discuss what the author intended to represent with those symbols. Each lesson, students will have access to a video that covers the important elements of the week's reading and a corresponding one page worksheet with discussion questions and places for fill-in-the blank answers. The worksheets will also address/remind the students of some of the important topics from each chapter. Each week, I assign a short writing assignment focused around that week's discussion questions and ask the students to share their responses in the classroom. I also ask students to submit any vocabulary words the students didn't recognize or passages the students did not understand. The more questions the students ask, the more "discussion" we can have in the classroom after each chapter. Lesson breakdown: Students will receive a worksheet and discussion questions for each weekly video. There is one weekly writing assignment to complete after the weekly readings. I will post a vocabulary word from the weekly reading for the students to use in a sentence that showcases their understanding of the definition. I will add an optional Kahoot! review quiz for the students to further immerse themselves in this world.
Learning Goals
Week One: Section One Chapters 1-4
Week Two: Section One Chapters 5-8
Week Three: Section Two Chapters 1-7
Week Four: Section Two Chapters 8-10
Week Five Section Three Chapters 1-3
Week Six Section Three Chapters 4-6
Syllabus
6 Lessons
over 6 WeeksLesson 1:
Section One Chapters 1-4
Video Lesson, worksheet, vocabulary words, writing assignment, optional Kahoot! review quiz Lesson 2:
Section One Chapters 5-8
Video Lesson, worksheet, vocabulary words, writing assignment, optional Kahoot! review quiz Lesson 3:
Section Two Chapters 1-7
Video Lesson, worksheet, vocabulary words, writing assignment, optional Kahoot! review quiz Lesson 4:
Section Two Chapters 8-10
Video Lesson, worksheet, vocabulary words, writing assignment, optional Kahoot! review quiz Other Details
Parental Guidance
According to commonsensemedia.org: Parents need to know that 1984, one of the great dystopian satires of the 20th century, is a dark and violent story that presents an unblinking portrait of life lived under constant surveillance. In a dystopian future where nuclear war has divided the world into three repressive superstates, middle-aged Winston Smith works for the Ministry of Truth in the superstate of Oceania, in the city called Airstrip One (formerly London). He has no hope of escaping the watchful eye of Big Brother until he meets Julia, a younger woman who persuades him to sneak away with her and become her illicit lover. Winston fantasizes about Julia multiple times throughout the story. He also considers killing her and wishes he had murdered his wife. He cannot imagine what awaits him once he is captured and taken to the Ministry of Love for interrogation. The torture is long lasting (nearly one-third of the story). Winston often wishes for a weapon to end his life. Suicide is a topic he contemplates often, especially as a way to end the physical and mental suffering from his torture. Narrated with infinite precision, 1984 is one of the most famous dystopian satires in the English language. Its vocabulary -- "doublethink," "Big Brother," "down the Memory Hole," "Thought Police," "unperson" -- has become part of popular culture. Winston Smith's quest for freedom under the gaze of all-seeing, all-knowing Big Brother still resonates strongly today, when privacy is hard to come by and governments adopt intrusive policies, supposedly to keep their citizens safe. Students believe this book can be read and understood at age 14, with parents waiting until the age of 15.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined June, 2019
4.6
903reviews
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Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Spalding University
I have a Master's Degree in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults. I was a substitute teacher for three years before teaching full-time on Outschool for multiple years. I currently teach English Composition at a local nursing college. I have been blessed to discuss George Orwell's other classic novel, Animal Farm in the classroom many times, including my own high school reading experience! I particularly love this book, 1984, because I find it fascinating to discuss a view of the "future" that took place when I was three years old! I believe students will also enjoy discussing which of Orwell's fears and worries actually came true. This is an excellent book to discuss because privacy (from the government, on the Internet, from teachers and parents, etc.) is a topic that everyone has opinions about! Even though Orwell's descriptions may seem far-fetched to us now, there is enough truth in his predictions to warrant discussing them and seeing how his concepts apply to us today. I am excited to read 1984 alongside your student to see what emotions, feelings, and gut reactions this story stirs up for them.Reviews
Self-Paced Course
$7
weekly or $40 for all content6 pre-recorded lessons
6 weeks of teacher support
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1 year of access to the content
Completed by 11 learners
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Ages: 16-18
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