How language creates social divisions in Orwell's 'Animal Farm'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how language creates social distinctions and divisions in 'Animal Farm'.
Key learning points
- The language we use determines our relationships and connections with others.
- As well as connections, language can be used to alienate and differentiate.
- Orwell arguably demonstrates how language can be used to create social distinctions.
- Furthermore, Orwell may be commenting on how language can control people through isolation and division.
Keywords
Divisive - tending to cause disagreement or hostility between people
Differentiate - to show or find the difference between things that are compared
Distinction - a difference or contrast between similar things or people
Alienate - to make someone feel that they are different and not part of a group
Dissent - strong disagreement or dissatisfaction with a decision or opinion
Common misconception
Language cannot alter how you see someone else.
Alienating and divisive language can be used to create the perception that someone is an outsider and separate from our social group.
Teacher tip
As well as writing a topic sentence and concluding sentence, you could ask pupils to write out the single paragraph outline in Learning Cycle One as a full analytical paragraph if you think it would be beneficial for them.
Equipment
You may wish to have a copy of Orwell's 'Animal Farm' for this lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In Orwell's 'Animal Farm', the animals are meant to be united against __________.
Q2.Which of the following is true of Orwell's 'Animal Farm'?
Q3.In Orwell's 'Animal Farm', who takes over the leadership of the farm after the rebellion?
Q4.To call someone a "comrade" means which of the following?
Q5.To differentiate means which of the following?
Q6.'A difference or contrast between similar things or people' is the definition of which of the following?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In Orwell's 'Animal Farm', which word do the pigs use to describe those who disagree with them?
Q2.Complete the quotation from Orwell's 'Animal Farm': “surely there is among you who wants to see Jones come back?”
Q3.Which of the following is the definition of 'divisive'?
Q4.'To make someone feel that they are different and not part of a group' is the definition of which word beginning with 'a'?
Q5.Complete the quotation from Orwell's 'Animal Farm': “pigs liked to for [Napoleon] such titles as Father of All Animals".
Q6.'Strong disagreement or dissatisfaction with a decision or opinion' is the definition of which word beginning with 'd'?
To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: How language creates social divisions in Orwell's 'Animal Farm', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: How language creates social divisions in Orwell's 'Animal Farm', 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’: language manipulation and control unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.