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Lesson 3

We will closely read and analyze the first six paragraphs from Chapter 1 of 1984. Our focus in this lesson is to develop our understanding of the novel and its thematic ideas by closely attending to details in key words, phrases, and sentences.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I attend to details in 1984 to make inferences about the novel?

  • Can I analyze and explain the impact of specific word choices on meaning in 1984?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • 1984, George Orwell, Signet Classics, 1949

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read – Discuss – Write

We will be introduced to vocabulary unique to 1984.

Read the following quotation from the informational text “Privacy and Information Sharing”:

The words “creepy” and “Big Brother” and “stalking” were used regularly in the answers of those who worry about their personal information. One focus group participant summed up this view: “Some of the marketing tracking things are creepy. I look at one thing online and then see it on every single site for weeks. At first—intriguing. Then creepy.” Another argued: “Perhaps we need to teach the younger generations about BIG BROTHER. It seems he has been forgotten.” To which another group member added: “Orwell was a prophet.”

There are many important terms in the novel referring to people, places, things, or ideas that might be initially unfamiliar. Write down the following terms in your Learning Log. As you read the text and encounter more details, add definitions to the terms.

  • Big Brother

  • Ministry of Truth

  • Ministry of Peace

  • Ministry of Love

  • Ministry of Plenty

  • Oceania

  • Telescreen

  • The Party

  • Thought Police

  • thoughtcrime

  • Newspeak

  • The Brotherhood

  • The Book

  • Two Minutes Hate

  • Junior Anti-Sex League

  • doublethink

Activity 2: Read – Write

We will read Chapter 1, paragraphs 1–6 of 1984.

Read and annotate Paragraphs 1–6 from Chapter 1 of 1984. Use the following questions to guide your annotations:

  1. Who is the main character?

  2. How is the setting described? Provide specific examples from the text.

  3. What mood does Orwell create in the opening scene? What evidence from the text supports this interpretation?

Activity 3: Read – Discuss – Write

We will discuss our initial reactions to paragraphs 1–6 of Chapter 1.

As a class, discuss the following questions:

  1. What is your initial impression of the mood of the novel?

  2. How does Orwell’s word choice support your interpretation? Provide specific examples of his word choice.

  3. How is the setting described? What imagery does Orwell use to create a vivid description of the setting?

  4. Who is the main character? How is he described?

Use the discussion to make revisions to your notes, as needed.

Activity 4: Read – Discuss – Write

We will reread and analyze the first sentence of the novel.

The novel’s opening sentence is one of the most famous opening sentences in Western literature. Reread the sentence.

It was a bright and cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

As a class, discuss the following questions:

  1. What is odd about the clock striking 13?

  2. How does Orwell communicate to the reader that we are in an imagined dystopian world? In other words, how does he show, rather than tell, the setting? What evidence from the text supports your response?

As you read 1984, be sure to pay attention to Orwell’s use of language to convey meaning. His writing and narrative techniques can serve as a model when you craft your narrative story for the Culminating Task.

As you continue to read the texts in this unit, use your Mentor Sentence Journal to identify sentences that stand out to you as interesting or that represent a strong example of a particular concept you have learned. You can use these sentences to build a writer’s toolbox, wherein you have a number of techniques at your disposal to use when writing.

Activity 5: Read – Write

We will reread paragraphs 1–6 of Chapter 1 of 1984 and answer a series of text-dependent questions to further unpack the complex significance of these paragraphs.

Reread and annotate Paragraphs 1–6 of Chapter 1. Respond to the following questions in your Learning Log:

  1. Who do you think Big Brother is? What details from the text support your interpretation?

  2. What do you think the Party is? What details from the text support your interpretation?

  3. What is a telescreen? What is its purpose and function?

  4. Who are the Thought Police? What is their job?

  5. What details from these paragraphs contribute to labeling 1984 as a dystopian novel?

Finish rereading, annotating, and answering the questions for homework, if needed. Be prepared to share your answers during the next lesson.

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