Description

Animal Farm: Book and a Movie Writing Workshop

What happens when a revolution promising equality creates a new ruling class? What happens when leaders rewrite history? And what happens when a novel warning readers about propaganda is secretly adapted into propaganda itself?

In this eight week literature, history, media literacy, and academic writing workshop, students will read George Orwell’s Animal Farm, explore the historical events that inspired it, watch the 1954 animated film adaptation, and write an expository essay. In addition to reading the book, students will learn about the Russian Revolution, the rise of Joseph Stalin, Orwell’s political beliefs, and the political world surrounding the 1954 CIA-funded animated adaptation of the book. By the end of the workshop, students will complete an expository compare and contrast essay.

• 📅 Dates: January 2, 2027 – February 24, 2027 (Classroom opens 1/2. First live lesson 1/6.)

• 💻 Live Meetings: Wednesdays at 2 PM Eastern Time over Google Meet (60 minutes)

• 🧮 Group Size: 4-10 students

 

🐷 Course Format 🐷

Weekly:

• Two lessons per week: One pre-recorded and one live lesson.
• Pre-recorded literature, history, media literacy, or writing lessons.
• Live online meetings with Socratic-style discussion with peers.
• Written discussion questions, writing exercises, and/or essay assignments.

Weeks 1-4:

• Read Animal Farm by George Orwell
• Explore the Russian Revolution, Stalinism, and Orwell’s political beliefs.
• Discuss allegory, symbolism, propaganda, power, and manipulation.

Week 5:

• Watch the 1954 Animal Farm movie
• Learn about the early Cold War, and the CIA’s involvement in the film.
• Examine the differences between the book and movie.
• Choose an essay topic and begin outlining.

Weeks 6-8:

• Draft the essay
• Participate in peer review
• Receive instructor feedback
• Revise and submit a final essay

📚 Grading Breakdown

• Essay: 30%
• Discussion Participation: 30%
• Peer review and revision process: 20%
• Weekly assignments: 20%

Rubrics will be provided for all major assignments.

⭐ Who is this for?

Ages 12-18. Completion of the Introduction to Essay Writing Workshop or equivalent experience is required.

⭐ Expectations & Classroom Culture

1. Students are expected to engage thoughtfully and respectfully, especially when discussing controversial or sensitive topics.
2. Lead with kindness. Disagreement is cool. Disrespect is NOT!
3. Late work is accepted within a reasonable amount of time. Send a message on or before the due date to communicate that your work will be late.

🏫 Standards

This workshop supports the following Grades 7–10 Common Core State Standards:

• Reading Literature: RL.7–10.1, RL.7–10.2, RL.7–10.3, RL.7–10.4, RL.7–10.5, RL.7–10.6, RL.7–10.7
• Reading Informational Text: RI.7–10.1, RI.7–10.2, RI.7–10.3, RI.7–10.6, RI.7–10.7, RI.7–10.9
• History/Social Studies Literacy: RH.6–8.1, RH.6–8.2, RH.6–8.6, RH.6–8.7, RH.6–8.9; RH.9–10.1, RH.9–10.2, RH.9–10.6, RH.9–10.7, RH.9–10.9
• Writing: W.7–10.2, W.7–10.4, W.7–10.5, W.7–10.8, W.7–10.9, W.7–10.10
• Speaking & Listening: SL.7–10.1, SL.7–10.2, SL.7–10.3
• Language: L.7–10.3, L.7–10.4, L.7–10.5, L.7–10.6

Content Note: Animal Farm includes violence toward animals and animal death. Historical discussions will include famine, forced labor, government censorship, and propaganda. These subjects will be presented in this writing workshop without graphic imagery.