Lesson 14

We have read multiple texts that explore ideas about government power and individual rights, privacy and surveillance, propaganda and fabricated news, and language and critical thinking. To demonstrate our understanding of the novel, we will write responses that identify two central ideas in 1984 and explain how they are developed, using specific details from the text and how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex narrative.

Lesson Goals

Reading and Knowledge

Summarize: How well do I express an accurate understanding of the central ideas of texts?
Determine Meaning and Purpose: How well do I use connections among details, elements, and effects to make logical deductions about an author’s perspective, purpose, and meaning in texts?

Writing

Forming Claims: How well do I develop and clearly communicate meaningful and defensible claims that represent valid, evidence-based analysis?
Use Conventions to Produce Clear Writing: How well do I apply correct and effective syntax, usage, mechanics, and spelling to communicate ideas and achieve intended purposes?

Texts

Core

- 1984, George Orwell, Signet Classics, 1949

Materials

Tools

Editable Google Docs

Culminating Task Progress Tracker

Activity 1: Write

We will revise our work to make sure we fully support and develop our ideas based on the needs of the task, the purpose, and the audience. This will help us develop work that is clear and coherent.

Revision is the process of seeing your work with fresh eyes. Revision is a challenge for all writers—the art of making writing better is hard work that can feel messy at times.

Reread your draft response, and ask yourself the following questions:

Do I clearly state my selected central ideas from the novel?
Do I include at least three pieces of well-chosen textual evidence (details or quotations) for each central idea?
Do I sufficiently explain how the evidence connects to the central idea?
Do I use varied and effective transitions to connect ideas?
Do I use accurate conventions?

Revise your response as needed.

Activity 2: Read – Discuss – Write

We will share our draft with a peer to give and receive feedback to improve the clarity and coherence of our ideas.

Switch drafts with a partner. Read your partner’s draft and use the questions below to guide your feedback. Remember, you are providing reinforcing or constructive feedback.

Are the central ideas clearly stated? Are they accurate?
Is the textual evidence relevant and well-chosen?
How is the textual evidence integrated and cited?
How is the textual evidence connected to the central ideas?
How are the two central ideas connected? What transitions are used to connect ideas?

Review your partner’s comments, and ask clarifying questions.

Activity 3: Read

We will read three mentor sentences from the Section 1 Diagnostic Model Response to examine how the writers use a colon.

Reread the following mentor sentences from the Section 1 Diagnostic Model Response:

One of the conformist techniques focuses on the character’s physical body: Winston, the novel’s protagonist, has no other clothing than the "blue overalls which were the uniform of the Party"(p. 2).

In one entry, he writes: "To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free, when men are different from one another and do not live alone—to a time when trust exists and what is done cannot be undone: From the age of uniformity, from the aged of solitude, from the age of Big Brother, from the age of doublethink—greetings!" (p. 28).

Winston’s use of a diary to express his individuality connects with another central idea of the novel: language is power.

What do these sentences have in common? They all use a colon. The colon is a punctuation mark that can be used for multiple purposes:

to introduce a list or long quotation
to connect two sentences when the second sentence summarizes the first
to signal a clarification or emphasis

Look at the first mentor sentence. Turn and talk with a partner and discuss how the colon is being used in the sentence

Repeat these steps for the other two sentences.

Now, return to your draft response. Scan your response for a potential place to use a colon and add it in. You might have to add, delete, or rearrange words as you revise the sentence.

Activity 4: Read

We will read mentor sentences from the Section 1 Diagnostic Model Response and examine how the author uses italics.

Reread the following mentor sentences from the Section 1 Diagnostic Model Response:

“One of the thematic ideas explored in 1984 is the power of the individual.”

“This creates a mob mentality where not only is dissent prohibited, it lacks even a mental space in which to form (i.e., thoughtcrime).”

“However, the reader understands that by removing all negative vocabulary from the language, the implication is that it will also remove the possibility for the citizens to possess any negative thoughts against the government.”

What do these mentor sentences have in common? They all use italics. Italic is a character type style where words are slanted to the right. Writer uses italics for a variety of reasons, including the following

to indicate the titles of a work, such as a play, film, or book (but not essays—titles for essays use quotation marks)
to highlight the first use of a key term
to emphasize an idea

Look at the first mentor sentence. Turn and talk with a partner and discuss how italics are being used in the sentence.

Repeat this process for the other two sentences.

Now, return to your draft response. Scan your essay for appropriate places to use italics and make the revision.

Activity 5: Read

We will read mentor sentences from the Section 1 Diagnostic Model Response and examine how the author uses the em dash.

Read the following sentences from 1984:

To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free, when men are different from one another and do not live alone—to a time when trust exists and what is done cannot be undone: From the age of uniformity, from the aged of solitude, from the age of Big Brother, from the age of doublethink—greetings!" (p. 28)

Syme offers what he thinks is an innocuous example: "If you have a word like ‘good,’ what need is there for a word like ‘bad’? ‘Ungood’ will do just as well—better, because it’s an exact opposite, which the other is not." (p. 51)

These two sentences use em dashes. An em dash is a dash that is longer than a hyphen. Em dashes make writing interesting because they create dramatic pauses or shocks in writing. George Orwell frequently uses em dashes for stylistic effect in 1984.

Review the Em Dash Handout. Discuss the following questions with a partner.

Why did George Orwell use an em dash in the first example sentence? What effect did he want to create?
Why did George Orwell use an em dash in the second example sentence? What effect did he want to create?

Now, return to your draft response. Scan your response for a potential place to use an em dash and add it in.

Activity 6: Write

We will reread the Section 1 Diagnostic Model Response to examine how the writer maintains present tense throughout the paragraph.

When writing a literary analysis, the convention is to use the present tense. Even though George Orwell wrote 1984 in the past and you have also read Chapters 1-5 in the past, you will still use present-tense verbs when writing about the text (i.e., "Orwell uses figurative language," or "Winston dreams about his past").

Examine the Section 1 Diagnostic Model Response. Highlight present-tense verbs in one color, past-tense verbs in a second color, and future-tense verbs in a third color. Discuss the following questions with a partner:

What tense are the verbs?
Does the verb tense remain consistent?

Reread your draft response, highlighting present-tense verbs in one color, past-tense verbs in a second color, and future-tense verbs in a third color. Respond to the following questions:

Are my verb tenses consistent, or do they shift?
What is the impact of my verb tenses on the reader? Do I cause confusion or create clarity?

Revise your draft to ensure you have a consistent verb tense.

Activity 7: Read – Write

For homework, we will type a revised draft of our literary analysis.

Revise your response based on peer feedback.

Complete the revised draft for homework.

Activity 8: Read – Discuss – Write

We will reflect on our work on the Section Diagnostic and assess how prepared we are for the Culminating Task.

Step 1

Choose at least three of the questions below and respond to them in your Learning Log:

How well did you take necessary action to prepare for the task?
What went well for you during the completion of this task?
What did you struggle with during the completion of this task? How did you push through that struggle?
How well did you actively focus your attention during this independent task?
How well did you develop and use an effective and efficient process to maintain workflow during this task?
What would you do differently during the next Section Diagnostic?

Review your Culminating Task Progress Tracker. Think about all you have learned and done during this section of the unit. Evaluate your skills and knowledge to determine how prepared you are for the Culminating Task.

Step 2

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:

What new knowledge do you have in relation to the Central Question?
What are you still curious about in relation to the Central Question?
What is the relationship between the question and the texts you have read so far? How do the texts shed light on the question? How does the question help you understand the texts?
How has your response to the question evolved, deepened, or changed?

In your Learning Log, write your response to Question 3. You will return to this response in later lessons to examine how your understanding of the Central Question has evolved.