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Section 2: Overview

Historical Context

We will continue to read Part 1 of 1984 and will examine the historical context that inspired the novel, as well as its relevance to contemporary issues. We will extend our understanding of the central ideas of the novel by conducting a paired research project on a specific contemporary issue related to one of the central ideas.

  • Lesson 1:

    We will draft a paragraph that determines a central idea in 1984, explains how it is developed, and supports the explanation with evidence. We will find three quotations to support our analyses, and we will use the Section 1 Diagnostic Model Response to organize our paragraphs.

  • Lesson 2:

    We will preview the Section 2 Diagnostic and read a letter from George Orwell, composed shortly before he began working on 1984, to explore his motivations for writing the novel.

  • Lesson 3:

    We will analyze Orwell’s use of the flashback technique in Chapters 6 and 7.

  • Lesson 4:

    We will analyze Orwell’s use of suspense, symbolism, and paradox in Chapter 8. We will take time to reflect on what we have learned so far about the central ideas, Winston’s character, and key terms in Part 1 of 1984.

  • Lesson 5:

    We will select our Section 2 Diagnostic research partner and topic, and we will examine tips for finding relevant information during our research.

  • Lesson 6:

    We will evaluate our research sources for bias; determine its relevance for our purpose; and consider revising, refining, or expanding our research questions. We will make a plan for what we need to do over the next two lessons to succeed on the Section 2 Diagnostic.

  • Lesson 7:

    We will continue researching and working on our annotated bibliography for the Section 2 Diagnostic.

  • Lesson 8:

    We will go over the criteria and format of the Section 2 Diagnostic. We will work with our research partner to make final preparations for the Section 2 Diagnostic.

  • Lesson 9:

    We will present our findings to the other research teams.

  • Lesson 10:

    We will review the teacher’s feedback on our Section Diagnostic and will use the feedback to make revisions to our work.

  • Lesson 11:

    We will share the understanding we have gained through our independent reading and continue reading our texts.