Animal Farm is one of my favorite literary works, and my students always seem to enjoy it as well. Since the surrounding novels are usually To Kill A Mockingbird and The Scarlet Letter, we usually make Animal Farm a fun unit, using projects rather than tests to conclude the lessons.
Since Animal Farm has only ten chapters, we do a project for seven different chapters of the book: 1-4, 6, 7, and 10. I usually assign one chapter overnight, we discuss it the following day in class, and I assign the project for that evening’s homework. Some chapters require two or three night projects, while others require only one night to complete.
Chapter One
Summary of Chapter: We are first introduced to the political nature of the book in the first chapter, when Major, the old pig on Manor Farm, gives his passionate speech about the oppression inflicted upon them by Man – particularly Mr. Jones.
Project: I ask the students to find and print out a speech delivered by a famous political leader. It can be a president, a senator, a governor or even a political figurehead from another country. On a separate page, the students are expected to write a brief essay about the purpose for the speech and the message delivered. The essay should answer the following questions:
– What was the call to action? What was the government or the people supposed to do in response to the speech?
– What were the conditions under which the speech was given? Wartime, peacetime, depression, inflation, etc.
– Do you agree or disagree with the contentions made in the speech? Why or why not?
– Do you feel that the speech was written well? If you’ve heard the speech delivered, was the speaker a good orator?
Purpose: To open students’ minds to the effect made on the public by political leaders, and to help them analyze the psychology behind Major’s speech in Animal Farm.
Chapter Two
Summary: Major has died and the Animals continue to plan their rebellion under the leadership of Snowball and Napoleon, also pigs. The animals call their new movement “Animalism” and they finally take charge after Mr. Jones falls asleep in a drunken stupor without feeding them. They decide to preserve Mr. Jones’ house as a museum after he and the farm hands are chased off of the property, and Snowball changes the ‘Manor Farm’ sign to read ‘Animal Farm’. He also paints the seven commandments of Animalism on the barn door.
Project: I have my students break into groups of four or five and create their own country. They must label the capital cities, the natural landmarks and they must name their country. They have to determine the population, the land mass and the rules governing that country. Each group presents their country and rules to the class, and must explain why they have chosen the rules and names that they have.
Purpose: I want my students to understand the enormity of dictatorship. They become rulers of the highest order, and must make intelligent decisions based on what they create. It is also just a fun project, and it’s interesting to see what students come up with.
Chapter Three
The animals begin to organize themselves. Snowball, Napoleon and the other pigs take places of leadership above all of the other animals and begin to provide reading lessons to everyone else. They finish the harvest in less time than it has ever taken humans, and Snowball and Napoleon begin to debate political issues. The ‘Animal Committees’ all fail miserably, but the animals do begin to make literacy progress. They reduce the Seven Commandments to one all-inclusive slogan: “Four Legs Good; Two Legs Bad”.
Project: I assign this to be due in two days, or over a weekend. Students are required to research a political leader – from the United States or from another country – and to write a three-page paper on their ascent to power. How did they gain political prestige? What were their signature policies? Did they succeed or fail in their mission?
Purpose: Not only is this a great history lesson, but it also allows the students to gain a measure of understanding about politics and political leaders. They can compare human political leaders with the pigs’ attempts at leadership, and relate the book to modern life.
Chapter Four
Summary: Mr. Jones discusses his problems at the farm with other local farmers at a bar in town. Meanwhile, Snowball and Napoleon are gradually spreading the news of conquering Animal Farm to other animals on other ranches. Mr. Jones and his friends decide to try and overtake Animal Farm, but are foiled by Snowball and his army. When Mr. Jones and the other farmers are driven from Animal Farm, the animals celebrate their victory in the “Battle of the Cowshed”.
Project: I have my students research the histories of three national monuments and three national anthems of countries that exist in the modern world. They compare and contrast the significance of all three, and discuss the histories of each as they apply to politics today.
Purpose: Understanding how national pride and victories come to be is a large part of understanding Animal Farm. Again, this provides an applicable correlation.
Chapter Six
Summary: The pigs begin sleeping in beds, which is at first excused because the pigs need their rest after spending all day running the farm. The animals worry that the windmill will topple and the farm will go bankrupt; Mr. Jones moves away, leaving the animals to their own devices. November arrives and the windmill is destroyed in a fierce storm. Napoleon tells the animals that the windmill’s ruin is Snowball’s fault, and that he will offer a reward to any animal that kills Snowball or brings him back alive.
Project: I ask that the students to get into groups of four or five and come up with a product and a company. They must describe the product that they expect to manufacture, hire five fake employees, and write a one-week schedule for the work of those employees. They must also determine the price of the product, the resale value, and how much they plan to pay their employees.
Purpose: Not only are the animals in Animal Farm running a political campaign, but they are also running the farm as a business. Students can draw conclusions about effective management and ingenuity by developing their own business to “run”.
Chapter Seven
Summary: Things at Animal Farm begin to swiftly fail. The humans are waiting for the farm’s collapse and the animals are almost starving to death. Napoleon becomes a dictator of the worst kind, and has several animals killed when they confess to conspiring against him with Snowball. Snowball becomes a scapegoat for every failure at Animal Farm, and Napoleon has his poet make up a new anthem, which replaces “Beasts of England.”
Project: My students are required to research and write a paper on a particular strike in American history. They must explain why the strike occurred, whether or not the employees were successful, and the ultimate conclusion to the problem.
Purpose: Things fall apart when the ruler (or boss) begins to neglect the well-being of his or her employees. Students come to understand this problem by researching strikes imposed by American employees, and they can relate those protests to what happens in Animal Farm.
Chapter Ten
Summary: The pigs begin to walk on their hind legs, and everything at Animal Farm has changed. Napoleon arranges to meet with the neighboring farmers in Jones’ home, and when the other animals look in, they discover that the pigs are wearing Jones’ clothes. The animals are unable to distinguish the humans from the animals.
Project: My students are asked to choose three “Acceptable Behavior” rules from the Gateway High School student handbook and three “Unacceptable Behavior” rules that they feel benefit one student or group of students over another. After choosing the rules, they rewrite each rule so that they provide exceptions or requirements as they feel is appropriate.
Purpose: Squealer tried to make the rules much more complicated by excusing behavior for some animals and limiting it for others. This shows students how rules work, and how exceptions can generate problems within a political society or even within a school.
