Lesson 13: Animal Farm, Explanatory Writing, Part 2

Quick Write

Tell students that today, they will write a paragraph comparing a historical figure from the Russian Revolution and a character from Animal Farm. Have students complete a Quick Write to describe a writing goal for their paragraph.

Say these Directions: In this lesson, you will write a paragraph comparing a historical figure from the Russian Revolution and a character from Animal Farm. Complete a Quick Write to set a goal for your paragraph, such as including two strong quotes or explaining your reasoning clearly.

• I want to set a goal to clearly describe both the historical figure and the character so the reader can easily see the comparison. I will try to use strong text evidence from both the article and the novel to accomplish this.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: In the previous lesson, you learned about the Russian Revolution and began mapping how key figures from history connect to characters in Animal Farm. Today, you will turn that understanding into writing.

Routine: Language Study

Use this Language Study to show students how writers choose verb voice on purpose and how careful revision helps keep voice and mood consistent.

• Say: Today, we are going to study how verbs shape meaning. When a sentence is in active voice, the subject does the action. When a sentence is in passive voice, the subject receives the action. We are also going to check for shifts in voice and mood, which happen when a sentence changes patterns in a way that sounds uneven or unclear.

Teach: Spotting Active and Passive Voice and Revising Shifts

Display and read aloud the following sentences from the article, “The Russian Revolution: A New Kind of Power.”

• Sentence 1: “For hundreds of years, Russia was ruled by powerful leaders called tsars.”

• Sentence 2: “Germany secretly put him on a train back to Russia, hoping he would stir up trouble and knock Russia out of the war.”

• Say: When I want to identify verb voice, I first ask, Who is doing the action, and who is receiving it? In the first sentence, Russia is receiving the action, so that sentence is in passive voice. In the sentence “Germany secretly put him on a train back to Russia,” Germany clearly does the action, so that sentence is in the active voice. Writers use active voice when they want to spotlight the doer, and they use passive voice when they want to spotlight the person or group affected. Next, I check a whole sentence for consistency by reading all the verbs together.

• Ask: In Sentence 1, why might the author have chosen passive voice instead of active voice?

  • The author might use passive voice to keep the focus on Russia and the people living under the tsars. That choice emphasizes who was controlled instead of putting all the attention on the rulers.

• Ask: How does Sentence 2 use active voice?

  • Sentence 2 uses active voice because Germany is clearly doing the action. The sentence feels more direct because the doer is named right away.

Guided Practice

Instruct students to partner with a peer and discuss the following sentences and the questions to identify shifts in verb voice.

Say These Directions: Work with a partner to identify the shifts in verb voice or mood in the following sentences and how you might revise them to be consistent.

• Sentence 3: The new government abolished private land ownership, workers were given rights in factories, and signed a peace treaty with Germany.

• Sentence 4: If Kerensky had ended the war, he kept support.

• Ask: How would you revise Sentence 3 so the verb voice stays consistent?

  • I would revise it to say, “The new government abolished private land ownership, gave workers rights in factories, and signed a peace treaty with Germany.” All three verbs stay in the active voice with that kind of revision.

• Ask: How would you revise Sentence 4 so the mood stays consistent?

  • I would revise it to say, “If Kerensky had ended the war, he might have kept support.” The conditional mood matches the if-clause and shows that the result was possible, not certain.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: As you write today, you will consider how to recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood so that your writing can be more precise and consistent.

Part A: Preparing to Write (RL.8.1, RI.8.1, W.8.9.a, W.8.9.b) (10 minutes)

Students choose a figure from the Russian Revolution and explain how Orwell represents this figure through a character in Animal Farm (Chapters I-V).

• Say: Today, you will write an explanatory paragraph comparing a historical figure of the Russian Revolution and a character from Animal Farm.

Say these Directions: Read the writing prompt below and then review your Historical Snapshot Organizer from Lesson 11 to think about which person and character you want to use in your paragraph.

• Choose one figure from the Russian Revolution and explain how Orwell represents this figure through a character in Animal Farm (Chapters I–V). Use at least one quote from the article and one quote from the novel to support your ideas.

Direct students to review their Historical Snapshot Organizer from Lesson 11 to consider a pairing.

• Say: You will make a connection between two texts in your paragraph. A strong text-to-text connection should include:

  • A clear topic sentence connecting the historical figure to the novel’s character

  • Evidence and elaboration from the article explaining the figure’s actions or role

  • Evidence and elaboration from the novel showing how that historical figure appears in Animal Farm

  • Reasoning explaining what this comparison shows about leadership

Think-Aloud Modeling

Present the following model for students and think-aloud the ideas in this example.

Say these Directions: Review the model below:

• Topic Sentence: The historical figure Leon Trotsky is represented by the character Snowball because both were intelligent leaders and planners who were later removed by rivals.

• Article Evidence/Elaboration: The article states that “Trotsky not only used his military intelligence to support the Communist cause, but he also proposed ideas for the rapid industrialization of Russia in an effort to boost the economy.” Despite his abilities, Trotsky was removed from power by Stalin.

• Novel Evidence/Elaboration: In Chapter V, Snowball presents detailed plans for the windmill, “fantastic machines which would do their work for them” (p. 52). Even though he is intelligent and full of ideas, Snowball is violently chased off the farm by Napoleon’s dogs (pp. 52–53).

• Concluding Sentence about Comparison: This comparison shows that some leaders, even if they are skilled or have good ideas, may be removed by others who want all the power. When figures who crave absolute power are threatened, such as Stalin and Napoleon, they may do whatever they feel they have to do to remove those threats.

Think-Pair-Share

Say these Directions: Turn to a partner and discuss your ideas for your paragraph. Consider how you may meet your writing goal when it comes time to draft in the next section of the lesson. Use the following sentence frames to help your discussion:

• The historical figure ___ is represented by the character ___ because . . .

• According to the article . . .

• The novel describes . . .

• This comparison shows that leaders in revolutions . . .

Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

Part B: Explaining Connections Between the Russian Revolution and Animal Farm (RL.8.1, RI.8.1, W.8.2.a-c, W.8.2.f, W.8.4, W.8.9.a-b, L.8.1.b, L.8.1.d) (20 minutes)

• Say: We will now write a well-developed paragraph responding to the prompt. Be sure to use the following structure to write your explanatory paragraph. Use your Historical Snapshot Organizer from the previous lesson to support your writing.

Say these Directions: Begin working on your explanatory paragraph.

• Choose one figure from the Russian Revolution and explain how Orwell represents this figure through a character in Animal Farm (Chapters I–V). Use at least one quote from the article and one quote from the novel to support your ideas.

• Remember to use the following structure for your paragraph:

  • Clear topic sentence about the text-to-text connection

  • Article evidence and elaboration

  • Novel evidence and elaboration

  • Concluding insight about the comparison

  • Use active or passive voice on purpose

  • Check that your verbs do not shift voice or mood in a way that makes your ideas unclear.

• Say: Your paragraphs can be longer, but they should have a minimum of six to eight sentences.

As students write, circulate around the classroom to provide writing support as needed. Refer students back to the model about Trotsky and Snowball as needed.

• (Student responses will vary.) The historical figure Leon Trotsky is represented by the character Snowball because both were intelligent leaders and planners who were later removed by rivals. The article states that “Trotsky not only used his military intelligence to support the Communist cause, but he also proposed ideas for the rapid industrialization of Russia in an effort to boost the economy.” Despite his abilities, Trotsky was removed from power by Stalin. In Chapter V, Snowball presents detailed plans for the windmill, “fantastic machines which would do their work for them” (p. 52). Even though he is intelligent and full of ideas, Snowball is violently chased off the farm by Napoleon’s dogs (pp. 52–53). This comparison shows that some leaders, even if they are skilled or have good ideas, may be removed by others who want all the power. When figures who crave absolute power are threatened, such as Stalin and Napoleon, they may do whatever they feel they have to do to remove those threats.

Peer Review Protocol

Have students work with a partner to exchange paragraphs and review the paragraph.

Say these Directions: Exchange your work with a partner and review the following:

• a clear topic sentence identifying two figures to be compared

• at least one quote from the article

• at least one quote from the novel

• clear reasoning explaining how the figure and character connect

• a concluding insight about the comparison

• Purposeful use of active or passive voice

• No inappropriate shifts in verb voice or mood

After you read, ask your partner these questions:

• What part of your explanation was strongest?

• What part do you want to improve?

Provide students with time to revise their paragraphs based on peer feedback.

Lesson 13 Writing Rubric: Explanatory Paragraph — Connecting Two Texts

Writing prompt: Write an explanatory paragraph drawing connections between a specific character in Animal Farm and a historical figure from the Russian Revolution. Explain how the character represents the historical figure and what Orwell reveals about how ideology, propaganda, and power operate.

Turn and Talk

Have students engage in a turn and talk discussion.

Say these Directions: Turn and talk to discuss the following prompt:

• In one to two sentences, explain how you met your writing goal today. Reflect on something positive about your paragraph and something you could do better next time.

  • I think I did a good job of comparing the historical figure and the character from Animal Farm, but I need to do a better job of explaining my text evidence in support of my topic sentence.

Tell students that in the following lesson, they will complete another writing paragraph. Remind students of the academic discussion they engaged in in Lesson 11:

• By the end of Chapter 5, which force has the strongest influence on the animals: ideals, propaganda, or fear?

Tell students that in the next lesson, they will use this prompt to write an argument paragraph based on their discussions and what they have now learned about the novel’s connections to the Russian Revolution. Instruct students to review their annotations in their Journal and add textual evidence that will help them in writing an argument response to the prompt.

Review your annotations and notes about Chapters I–V and add more textual evidence and annotations in response to the prompt:

• By the end of Chapter 5, which force has the strongest influence on the animals: ideals, propaganda, or fear?