'Animal Farm': reading Chapter 5 and Napoleon's rise to power
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the events of Chapter 5 and Napoleon’s rise to power.
Key learning points
- Mollie leaves Animal Farm and is never spoken of again
- Snowball and Napoleon have different motivations
- Napoleon uses a range of strategies to gain power and control
- Snowball is used as a scapegoat and chased off the farm
- Squealer rewrites historical narratives to manipulate the animals and support Napoleon's rise to power
Keywords
Allegiance - To pledge allegiance is to show loyalty to a ruler, group or belief.
Collaboration - If you are in collaboration with someone you are working closely with them.
Deception - Deception is to mislead or trick someone into believing something that is not true or accurate.
Manipulation - Manipulation is the influence or control of someone, usually in an underhanded way.
Scapegoat - A scapegoat is a person or group of people who are unfairly blamed or singled out for problems, mistakes, or failures.
Common misconception
Napoleon's move towards autocracy is a sudden process.
It is gradual. Each chapter sees the spirit of the revolution and 'Animalism' further degraded by the actions of Napoleon and the pigs.
Teacher tip
Explore historical leaders and how they have gained power. Looking at historical examples is a good way to make a connection between Orwell's purpose and what he is critiquing through his novella.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the character to the animal.
Horse
Pig
Donkey
Raven
Q2.In 'Animal Farm', which pig is being described: 'a large, rather fierce-looking Berkshire boar, the only Berkshire on the farm, not much of a talker, but with a reputation for getting his own way.'
Q3.In 'Animal Farm', what did Mollie steal from the farmhouse?
Q4.In 'Animal Farm', which political figure does Old Major allude to?
Q5.How do the events in Chapter 4 relate to the theme of propaganda and manipulation in 'Animal Farm'?
Q6.What is the definition of the word 'allegiance'? Here it is used in a sentence: 'She pledged her allegiance to the flag during the national anthem'.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In Chapter 5 of 'Animal Farm', Snowball is blamed by Napoleon for many of the problems on the farm, as such he is made a ...
Q2.In Chapter 5 of 'Animal Farm', what is Mollie seen to be doing by Clover?
Q3.In Chapter 5 of 'Animal Farm', Mollie is found to be keeping which of the following in her stall?
Q4.Which of the below best describes Mollie from 'Animal Farm'?
Q5.Complete this quote from Chapter 5 of 'Animal Farm': 'The _____ of Old Major, now clean of flesh, had been disinterred from the orchard and set up on a stump at the foot of the flagstaff.'
Q6.In Chapter 5 of 'Animal Farm', why is it strange that the dogs are now wearing collars?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: 'Animal Farm': reading Chapter 5 and Napoleon's rise to power, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: 'Animal Farm': reading Chapter 5 and Napoleon's rise to power, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 English lessons from the Animal Farm: the pigs and power unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.