Prefatory Statement:

The unit that will be a presentation that will structure student interpretation of the story, Animal Farm, by George Orwell, and its relationship to social change. The aim of this unit is to inform students about the history behind major world figures, both good & bad, who were able to bring about social change. As a class we will discuss, research, and produce information that will both relate to Animal Farm to relevant historical figures and information about other relevant figures.
By informing students of these influential historical figures they will learn the sacrifices that have been made to initiate social change. They will also learn about what they could do personally to initiate some sort of social change. I think that it will be good for them to learn about people like Martin Luther King who did so much good and Hitler who caused so many terrible things. Beginning the unit with Animal Farm and showing them the Russian history behind it will be a good introduction towards the rest of the of the unit. It is important that students learn about this information because it will shape their beliefs about what they personally can do to initiate change. There are many students and adults who do not believe that they can personally do something to make a change. For example, a large percentage of the people in America who are old enough to vote fail to exercise that right. The world needs people willing to do what it takes to make changes, and students must understand that it is truly possible for them to do so. After this unit is finished the students will understand this, and hopefully it will inspire them to make their own changes and to support others wishes to also do so.
Because many of the major figures in history who brought about change addressed issues such as race, ethnicity, and religious beliefs, that will definitely be a major topic within the unit. Students will be informed of the background that was a major influence in these people's causes for change. They with hear about race issues when we talk about Martin Luther King, ethnicity with Hitler, and religion with the Crusades. These figures and more will represent those three types of social change; however, there will be other changes addressed such as class and gender issues.
This unit will be designed to adhere to the Minnesota State Standards. When finished, the unit will have covered the academic writing standard and that will apply to the student's progress towards graduation.

Class Specifications:
I think that this unit will be useful for students from a variety of ages and backgrounds. The unit will be most appropriate for students between the ages of 15 - 18. Depending on the age of the students, you can increase the work and the level of questioning. I think that this unit applies to many different types of students. The only aspect that may be different is how you will direct questioning based on students social situation, religious beliefs, and ethnic or racial backgrounds. I think that the recommendations for community change could be different based on where the school's located and the problems in your community. It will also be important to be sensitive of student's various backgrounds when speaking about different people in history. It is important; however, that none of the students feel like they are being associated with something bad that happened in history (such as German heritage), and that the other students continue to remain respectful of others.

Significant Assumptions:
The development of this unit is based upon the belief that students learn best when they can experience a variety of teaching techniques. The students will practice proper discussions, group work, individual work, and paper writing. This variety of practices will make for a well-rounded student and the unit will appeal to a variety of student interests. This unit assumes that students: have previously had class discussions, done group work, and written papers for class, are between the ages of 15 -18, there are 30 students in the class. The unit also assumes that this unit will be done either in conjunction with or after the students have learned about the Russian revolution in history class.
Because the students will be required to write a multi-genre paper it is assumed that they do not understand how this is done. There will be a period of class used to teach the students this method of writing and to show them a variety of possibilities. The students will be provided with examples of multi-genre papers and an outline of what they must do. It will be assumed with this paper that the students already have a sufficient grasp of correct grammar usage and various writing formats. The examples that they are given will clear up any misconceptions of writing formats that they misunderstand

Desired Outcomes/Standards/Objectives to be met:
By the end of this lesson the students will have learned:
#. what the story Animal Farm the book is about by reading and discussing the story in class.
#. how to interpret Animal Farm and interpret the similarities it has with Russian history.
#. using a web quest in class.
#. historical people who influenced social change.
#. student's own opinions about social change.
#. what students can do to create social change.
#. how to write a multi-genre paper.
#. analyzing, patterns and relationships of ideas, patterns, and themes.
#. how to evaluate an idea, topic, and theme based on Animal Farm.

Possible Whole-Class Activities:
- Multi-Genre papers introduction

Possible Small-Group Activities:
- Discussion of the book or historical figures and social changes
- Proof Reading
- Writing Conferences

Possible Individual Activities:
- Reading Quiz (These will not be part of the assessment)
- Introduction/ Conclusion writing
- Reading Time
- Writing Conference W/Teacher
- Writing time in the computer lab

Ongoing Activities:
Throughout the unit students will be expected to work on a variety of tasks that will be outlined for them in the course syllabus.

* Students will be expected to keep a short journal of their findings and thoughts throughout the unit. These journals will require that the student have at least 10 entries that will not be read by the teacher.

* There will also be two quizzes that are based upon the reading of Animal Farm that will make sure that students have in fact been doing the reading and that they understand the material being discussed.

* The class will spend time in the computer lab doing a web quest that will help them pick out a person for their paper and do research on that person.

* The class will be working individually on multi-genre papers on a historical figure of their choice. This person needs to have been the cause of a major social change in history and must be pre-approved by the teacher. The paper will not be long in length, the students will be required to include 5 pieces for a C, 7 for a B, and 9 for an A. (Included in the printed web quest)

* During this unit students will also be assigned into groups and expected to develop a plan for change within their own community. The students will pick out something they believe to be a problem in their community and have the topic approved by the teacher. The students will then research their topic, the problem, and develop a solution for the problem. The students will be expected to present the teacher with a short paper discussing their plans and give a presentation to the class using various possible means for doing so.

Student Resources:
The students will need to have computers available to them in school and outside of regular school hours. The computers will be necessary for the web quest, typing papers, and other possible research the students may do. There will be handouts to give to the students that will outline their activities and will present relevant information for the topic on hand. It would be good to materials for the students to use to research and develop their papers and group projects. The students will also need copies of Animal Farm.

Resource List:
Computer
Handouts
Animal Farm Books
Animal Farm the movie
Movie - The Wave
Overhead Projector
Library
Unit Launch/ Anticipatory set/ Set Induction:
-See attached plan-

Organization of Unit:
Week 1:
The unit will begin by introducing to the basic underlying theme, assignments, and class days to the students. The students will be given a syllabus for the entire unit that will include a week-by-week outline of the class periods, a schedule of homework due dates, and a grading rubric for the entire unit. This will be done in the computer lab and followed by a web quest guided tour of the book Animal Farm. This is only a quick introduction of Animal Farm that discusses the author, George Orwell, and a short background and overview of the story. The rest of the week will be spent on the following activities. The students will be expected to finish 20 pages a night and 40 over the weekend. This time schedule should have the students finishing the book around the middle of the following week. Tuesday and Wednesday will be spent discussing the book with the students. Thursday we will discuss the Russian revolution and what it meant to George Orwell when writing this book. The students will be given a sheet that has them fill in the characters into their appropriate match with historical figures in Russia. This sheet will be an ongoing project for the students to work on. Friday if there is time we will begin Animal Farm the movie.
Week 2:
Watch movie and finish it in 1 -2 days. Following the movie have students present to the class what characters they feel represent Russian figures. The class will also be given a short essay test that will show whether or not they have read the story and paid attention to the discussions. This day will involve a discussion of the students findings and their overall impression of the book. The following day will be spent wrapping up the discussion about the book and tying it into the theme of social change. Upon having this discussion the students and teacher will go over what is expected of their multi-genre paper and how they should go about writing one. The following day the students will begin the second part of their web quest and they will research various historical figures that caused social change. Each student will be expected to complete a short worksheet that shows they spent time on the web quest and provides the historical figure that they would like to do their paper on. If there is additional time in the week students will go ahead and continue researching their paper.
Week 3:
The week will begin by giving students time to work on their papers with one another. The students will have pre-assigned writing groups that will meet to have the students look over each others papers. Materials for further student research will be kept in the classroom for the students to look at. After two days, if the students are making productive use of time, the second project will be introduced (If there is unproductive use of time the second project will be introduced and the students will have to work on their papers by themselves). This project will have the students in their writing groups but combined to make 6 person groups. The teacher will go over the assignment with the students and explain to them any other expectations. The student's will then go into their groups and talk about any possible ideas they have for the project. The students will spend the remainder of the week working in groups to research and finish their project.
Week 4:
At the beginning of the week we will go over any questions on the upcoming assignments. The students will then be given the opportunity to present their multi-genre papers for extra credit. If there are not enough people to give presentations we will have a fish bowl discussion on the pros and cons of social change. The presentations read to the class will be one piece from the student's papers that they are willing to share. Following a discussion the students will view "The Wave". It is a movie that was recently made that is a true story about a class of students and a teacher who wanted to change their classroom. In trying to do so they caused some very serious problems and they realized their mistakes just in time. The class will quickly discuss the movie and then move into group presentations. Following the presentations we will wrap up with a closing discussion about what the students have learned and any further questions they may have.
Note: This unit may go a little over 4 weeks depending on the size and efficiency of your class