AF chapter 5

Big Idea: What does it mean to be human?

After today I should be able to: 

Reading: If you finish Animal Farm early, read 1984.

Lesson Materials:

1. Menu of activities with AI prompt.
2. Calendar of Groups.

Agenda:

1. Read Animal Farm for fifteen minutes.
2. Thinking about chapter 5:
1. Propaganda Techniques: Analyze Squealer's speech justifying Napoleon's actions after Snowball's departure (e.g., taking over the windmill plans, abolishing Sunday meetings). What specific techniques does he use to persuade the other animals and discredit Snowball?
1. Fear: Warning the audience that disaster will result if they do not follow a particular course of action.
2. Name-Calling: Attaching negative labels or insults to an opponent or idea to discredit them without evidence.
3. Glittering Generalities: Using vague, emotionally appealing virtue words (like freedom, democracy, justice, patriotism) that are associated with valued concepts but aren't explained.
4. Bandwagon: Suggesting that "everyone" is doing it or supports it, encouraging people to join the crowd.
5. Plain Folks: Presenting oneself (or one's leader) as an ordinary person who understands the concerns of common people.
6. Testimonial: Using endorsements from respected figures, famous people, or authorities (even if not experts on the topic) to promote an idea.
7. Transfer: Associating the positive qualities of a respected person, symbol, or idea with the propagandist's own cause, or associating negative qualities with an opponent.
8. Scapegoating: Blaming an individual or group for problems, distracting attention from the real issues or those truly responsible.
9. Repetition: Repeating a message, slogan, or image over and over again so that it becomes accepted as truth.
10. Loaded Language: Using words with strong emotional connotations (either positive or negative) to influence the audience's feelings.
11. Rewriting History (Historical Revisionism): Altering the record of past events to support a current political agenda or viewpoint.
12. Slogans: Using short, catchy, and memorable phrases to implant an idea in the audience's mind.
13. Assertion: Making bold statements as facts, even without supporting evidence or explanation.
14. Card Stacking (Selective Omission): Presenting only information that is positive to an idea or proposal and omitting information contrary to it.
2. Symbolism: What do Napoleon's nine dogs represent? Where were they first mentioned in the book? Think about Cause and Effect. What caused Napoleon to bring the dogs out now? How do they effect the mood on the farm?
3. Big Question: Does Napoleon need Squealer and the dogs? Would either one work on its own? If both are needed, why?
3. Quiz on chapter 5.

Homework:

1.    Animal Farm Vocabulary for chapters 3-4 on Gimkit.

Animal Farm Reading Schedule

1. Week 1: Chapters 1 and 2, Old Major's Speech, his death, the planning and execution of the Rebellion
2. Week 2: Chapters 3 and 4, The establishment of Animal Farm, early successes, the Battle of the Cowshed
3. Week 3: Chapters 5-6, Power struggle between Snowball and Napoleon, Snowball's expulsion, the windmill
4. Week 4: Chapters 7-10, The purges, windmill's fate, further corruption, and the novel's conclusion