George Orwell's allegorical Animal Farm is the focus of a video that introduces the concepts of political allegory and totalitarianism. A great way to generate interest in the novel.

Concepts

dystopian literature, george orwell, animal farm, the russian revolution, totalitarianism

Show More Show Less

Additional Tags

english language arts

Show More Show Less

Instructional Ideas

• Flip the lesson asking class members to view the video, complete the comprehension check, and research some of the links out of class before returning for a whole class discussion
• Use the video to stimulate interest in reading the novel
• After readers have met all the major characters have them identify the allegorical significance of each
• Coordinate the reading of the novel with the study of the Russian Revolution of 1917 in social studies classes

Classroom Considerations

• Presumes viewers have previous knowledge of the Russian Revolution of 1917

Pros

• Introduces George Orwell, the concept of allegory, and suggests the ties to the Russian Revolution

Cons

• Lack any specifics of the allegorical parallels; therefore, best used as a teaser to generate interest