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Lesson 1

We will preview the Culminating Task before we begin reading the novel 1984. We will also begin to examine differing perspectives on an individual’s rights to privacy.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I explain what I need to know and be able to do to succeed on the Culminating Task?

  • Can I use morphology and reference guides to determine the meaning of unknown words?

Texts

Core

  • Digital Access
    • “Privacy and Information Sharing,” Lee Rainie and Maeve Duggan, Pew Research Center, 2016

Optional

  • Digital Access
    • “What is Dystopian Fiction?,” Masterclass, Masterclass, 2019

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss – Write

We will discuss the unit’s Central Question and reflect on its significance by completing a quick-write in our Learning Logs.

Step 1

Review the Central Question of the unit:

How can stories send messages to societies?

Use the following questions to guide a discussion with a partner or small group:

  1. What is the Central Question asking?

  2. What might you already know in relation to the Central Question?

  3. What about the question piques your curiosity?

  4. How do you think this question relates to the texts or topic of the unit?

  5. If you were to provide an answer to the Central Question today, what would it be?

Step 2

In your Learning Log, write a response to Question 5. You will return to this initial response in later lessons to examine how your understanding of the Central Question has evolved.

Activity 2: Read – Discuss

We will read and analyze the Culminating Task checklist and identify specific knowledge we are expected to learn throughout the unit and specific skills we will need to succeed on the Culminating Task.

In a small group, read and discuss the Culminating Task Checklist. Determine what skills and knowledge you need to succeed on the Culminating Task. Respond to the following questions:

  1. What do I need to know to succeed on the Culminating Task?

  2. What do I need to do to succeed on the Culminating Task?

Discuss the questions as a whole group. Use the Culminating Task Progress Tracker to determine what you need to know and do to succeed on the Culminating Task. For each knowledge and skill identified, assess how prepared you are.

Activity 3: Read – Discuss

We will review the Unit Text List to familiarize ourselves with the texts we will analyze and discuss throughout the unit.

Step 1

Access and review the Unit Text List. Note the information that is included about each text. These texts are also listed in the activities in which they appear, under the Materials tab. You will notice that each text has an icon by it. These indicate where the text is located, which corresponds to the Location column in the Unit Text List.

Text locations are below:

  • Tradebook: These texts are full-length novels or nonfiction books you will most likely have copies of.

  • Digital Access: You can find these texts online. Use the information provided in the Unit Text List or on the Texts tab for the activity to conduct a web search for the resource. Digital Access resources include online articles, videos, podcasts, and other web sources.

  • PDF Texts: These are formatted PDFs of texts that are available for download on the Materials tab.

  • CD/DVD: These materials are available on CD or DVD and might also be available through online content providers.

Step 2

Review the Independent Reading Text Options. Here, you will find suggested options for independent reading related to the unit.

Activity 4: Read – Write – Discuss

We will examine the meaning and morphology of the term dystopian.

The novel 1984 falls into the dystopian literature genre.

With your small group, respond to the questions below. Use a reference guide as needed.

  1. What does the Greek root word topia mean?

  2. What does the Greek prefix u mean?

  3. What is the literal definition of utopia?

  4. What is the meaning of utopia as we use it today?

  5. What does the prefix dys mean?

  6. What is the literal meaning of the word dystopia?

  7. What is the meaning of dystopia as we use it today?

Write down the words and definitions in your Vocabulary Journal.

Activity 5: Read – Discuss

We will be introduced to common motifs of dystopian literature.

Dystopian fiction is a way for authors to take aspects of our current society and speculate about possible adverse—or even terrifying—results if these aspects are taken to the extreme. In this way, dystopian fiction can serve as a warning about how seemingly benign social structures can be used for ill.

As a class, discuss what aspects of our current society could become dystopian if taken too far.

Common focus areas for dystopian literature include the following:

  • government control

  • devastation of the natural world

  • social upheaval

  • technological dominance

  • survival

  • loss of individualism

Discuss the following question in your small group:

  1. What novels have I read that fall into the dystopian genre?

Activity 6: Read – Listen – Write – Discuss

We will explore current-day dilemmas, focusing on privacy rights in a hypothetical scenario.

A common motif of dystopian literature is government encroachment on the privacy of its citizens.

Your teacher will pose a series of scenarios to the class. If you believe the scenario is acceptable, move to one side of the room. If you believe the scenario is unacceptable, move to the other side.

Be prepared to justify your answer when called upon.

If you decide to change your mind after listening to a peer’s reasoning, move to the side of the room that corresponds with your new opinion.

Activity 7: Read – Write

For homework, we will read and annotate an excerpt from the Pew Research Center’s report “Privacy And Information Sharing.”

For homework, we will read and take notes on pages 1-8 of the Pew Research Center’s report "Privacy and Information Sharing." Use the following questions to guide your note-taking. These questions can also be found on the Section 1 Question Set:

  1. What words or terms in the report are unfamiliar to you?

  2. What data presented in the report align with your current opinion?

  3. What data are surprising?

  4. What central ideas do the researchers summarize in their findings?

  5. Is there any evidence of bias in the report? If so, where?

Write down your answers to these questions in your Learning Log. Be prepared to discuss them in the next lesson.

Write new or interesting words you encounter in your Vocabulary Journal.