Lesson 4: Animal Farm, Chapter I

Turn-and-Talk

Directions: Take out Animal Farm and your annotations from the previous lesson’s homework. Consider the events and characters you read about in Chapter 1 of Animal Farm. Orwell has introduced the farmer and multiple animal characters in this first chapter. Turn and talk to discuss the following questions:

• Which characters besides Old Major stood out to you in Chapter 1? How does Orwell develop those characters?

Introduce New Words Using Morphology Target Words: comrades, rebellion

Directions: Read this excerpt from Old Major’s speech to the animals of Manor Farm:

• “What then must we do? Why, work night and day, body and soul, for the overthrow of the human race! That is my message to you, comrades: Rebellion! I do not know when that Rebellion will come, it might be in a week or in a hundred years, but I know, as surely as I see this straw beneath my feet, that sooner or later justice will be done.”

Turn and discuss these questions with a partner:

• What context clues in this excerpt help you figure out what a comrade might be?

• How do context clues indicate the meaning of rebellion?

• How might the capitalization of the word “Rebellion” be a context clue?

Part A: Determine a Theme

Think-Pair-Share

Directions: Review Old Major’s speech in Chapter 1 of Animal Farm (pp. 6–13). Use the questions below to analyze the text and then discuss with a partner.

• What idea about the animals’ living conditions does Old Major mention repeatedly? What specific examples does he provide to support this claim within his speech?

• What conflict does Old Major address in his speech? Who is the enemy, and why are they the enemy?

• How does Old Major propose that the Animals approach the conflict?

• What theme or central idea do Old Major’s claims and examples develop? How can you broaden the idea to make a statement about real life?

Part B: Analyze Dialogue

Turn-and-Talk

Directions: Learn that dialogue and events move the plot forward. Dialogue can also reveal character traits and lead to important decisions.

• Authors use dialogue and events to move the action forward in a story. Dialogue—the words that characters speak—can create tension, build conflict, and challenge other characters to make decisions and act upon them. When a character gives a speech like Old Major does in Chapter 1 of Animal Farm, pay attention to what he says and what his words say about him. Consider the impact that his dialogue has on the characters to whom he speaks. This speech is important because it sets up the rest of the book.

Use Old Major’s speech (pp. 6–13) and the questions below for a turn-and-talk discussion.

• Which lines from Old Major’s speech might appeal to the animals’ emotions (fear, hope, anger)?

• What are some actions Old Major urges the animals to take? What impact do you think his speech will have on the animals?

3–2–1 Summary

Directions: Use the graphic organizer to develop a 3–2–1 Summary focused on Old Major’s speech and the ideas it contains. Make sure to record:

• 3 important words/phrases (emphasis, repetition, etc.)

• 2 key details or ideas

• 1 sentence explaining what the speech is mostly about (gist sentence)

Use specific evidence from the text in your response.