Lesson 14: Animal Farm, Argumentative Writing, Part 1

Students share the updates they made to annotations and notes for Chapters I-V.

Annotation Spot Check

Have students take out their homework from the previous lesson.

• Lesson 13 Homework: Students reviewed and updated their notes to add more textual evidence to respond to the prompt:

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

• Say: Today, we will review the updates you made to the annotations about Chapters I–V of Animal Farm to prepare for today’s argument writing. Your annotations should show moments when ideals, propaganda, or fear influence what the animals believe or how they act, and can be based on the academic discussion in Lesson 11 and the connections you learned about to the Russian Revolution.

Say these Directions: Present your annotations that identify key examples from the text that connect to ideals, propaganda, and/or fear.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Throughout Chapters I–V, we have seen three forces shaping the animals’ beliefs and actions: ideals, propaganda, and fear. Today, you will use the evidence you annotated and discussed in Lesson 11 to write a mini-argument answering an important question: Which force most strongly influences the animals by the end of Chapter V, and why? You will support your claim using evidence from the text, which will help prepare you for the final argument essay at the end of the unit.

Language Study

Say these Directions: Read the target sentence.

Target Sentence: “The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions” (p. 58).

Read the sentence: Read the sentence aloud, modeling fluent reading.

• Say: This sentence appears in Chapter V as Squealer is explaining that Napoleon has always been in favor of the windmill. He says that Napoleon was merely using “tactics.”

Chunking the sentence: Underline the section of the sentence: “The animals were not certain what the word meant . . .” Reread the chunk and have students chorally repeat.

“The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions.”

• Say: In this part of the sentence, the animals’ lack of knowledge is made clear. Squealer uses the word tactic, which they do not know.

Prompt students to discuss the meaning of the sentence so far.

• Ask: What is the effect of Squealer using a word the animals don’t know?

  • The animals have to guess what the word means or just hope that what he says isn’t bad because they don’t know any better.

“The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions.”

Reread the bolded segment and have students chorally repeat.

• Say: Persuasively means “in a convincing way.” He is well-known for being able to talk the animals into believing anything so far.

Prompt students to discuss the meaning of the sentence so far.

• Ask: Do you think Squealer is concerned with the animals’ best interests?

  • No, I think that Squealer is only saying whatever Napoleon and the pigs want him to say so that the other animals let them do whatever they want.

“The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions.”

Reread the bolded segment and have students chorally repeat.

• Say: At this point in the sentence, Orwell underlines an even more persuasive element of Squealer’s explanation—the dogs. Remember that the dogs represent fear, intimidation, and the threat of violence, as all the animals had just witnessed Snowball being attacked by these same dogs.

Prompt students to discuss the meaning of the sentence so far.

• Ask: Given the structure of the sentence so far, what do you think was more convincing: Squealer’s words or the dogs?

  • I think the dogs were more convincing because Squealer wouldn’t have needed to use the dogs if his words were enough on their own.

“The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions.”

Reread the bolded segment and have students chorally repeat.

• Say: The end of our sentence tells us the result of Squealer’s storytelling. The animals all accept it and do not ask any more questions. This is important because asking questions is okay in socialism and not okay in a dictatorship, which the farm is turning into.

Prompt students to discuss the meaning of the sentence so far.

• Ask: Why do you think the pigs don’t want the animals asking questions?

  • If the animals don’t ask questions, then the pigs can give orders without anyone opposing them.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: As we make the connections between history and fiction, we will see sentences like this that carry the underlying meaning of control and intimidation. Keep an eye out for these sentences today.

Part A: Learning to Write an Argument (W.8.1.a-b, W.8.1.e, W.8.5, W.8.9.a) (15 minutes)

Teach: What Makes a Strong Argument?

• Say: Today, you will write a mini-argument paragraph explaining which force most strongly influences the animals in Animal Farm. Before you begin planning, we will discuss how to build a strong argument.

Writing Prompt: Which force most strongly influences the animals by the end of Chapter V—revolutionary ideals, propaganda, or fear? Use at least two quotes from Animal Farm to support your claim.

• Say: When we write an argument, we must clearly explain our position on the topic and prove it with evidence from the text.

Key Parts of an Argument:

• Claim: A clear position statement that answers the prompt

• Evidence: Relevant quotes or details from the text that support the claim

• Reasoning: An explanation of how the evidence proves the claim

• Concluding Statement: Restating the claim in a unique way that follows from and supports the argument or claim presented

• Say: Strong arguments connect evidence and reasoning to show how the text supports the writer’s claim and position.

Think-Aloud Modeling

Provide a model of a claim, evidence, and reasoning by talking students through the following example.

Say these Directions: Review the model claim, reasoning, evidence, and conclusion below:

• Model Claim

  • By the end of Chapter V, fear becomes the strongest force influencing the animals because it prevents them from disagreeing with Napoleon.

• Model Evidence

  • When Napoleon uses the dogs to attack Snowball, Orwell writes that the dogs “dashed straight for Snowball,” and the other animals were so frightened that they “crept back into the barn” (p. 52).

• Model Reasoning

  • This evidence demonstrates that fear controls the animals’ behavior because the violent attack makes them too scared to question Napoleon. After seeing Snowball chased away, the animals realize that disagreeing could be dangerous. As a result, they remain silent and accept Napoleon’s leadership even if they are unsure about his decisions.

• Model Conclusion

  • Ultimately, Orwell shows that fear is the most powerful because it silences opposition and allows Napoleon to gain complete control over the animals.

Ask students if they have any questions about the model claim, evidence, and reasoning. Remind students that they learned about this same argument structure in Lesson 11 when engaging in the Debate Protocol.

For this paragraph, we will use the argument structure below:

• Claim: A clear position statement that answers the prompt.

• Evidence #1: Introduce and embed a quote.

• Reasoning: Explain how the quote influenced belief and/or actions.

• Evidence #2: Second quote with introduction/embed.

• Reasoning: Explain how this evidence strengthens the claim by influencing the animals’ beliefs and/or actions.

• Conclusion: Explain why this force is the most powerful so far in influencing the animals’ beliefs and actions.

Model the argument structure with another partial example, but do not complete the full reasoning. Present the following claim, evidence, and reasoning starter.

Model Claim

• Say: By the end of Chapter V, propaganda becomes a powerful force because it convinces the animals to trust the pigs’ decisions.

Model Evidence

• Say: In Chapter III, Squealer explains why the pigs keep the milk and apples. He says that “Milk and apples . . . are absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig” (p. 36).

Model Reasoning Starter

• Say: This evidence shows that propaganda influences the animals because . . .

Invite one or two students to offer ideas for the rest of the reasoning.

Determining Evidence

Transition students into reviewing their annotations from the first five chapters of the novel and their notes from Lesson 12’s Academic Discussion. Distribute the Argumentative Essay Organizer.

Say these Directions: Review your annotations from the first five chapters of the novel and your notes from Lesson 11’s Academic Discussion. Choose one force to argue in your paragraph:

1. Ideals (Old Major’s speech, commandments)

2. Propaganda (Squealer’s speeches, rewritten narratives)

3. Fear (the dogs, intimidation, Snowball chased away)

Find two or three quotes from the text that show how your chosen force influences what the animals believe or how they act. Then complete the Argumentative Essay Organizer.

(Student responses will vary.)

Part B: Writing an Argument (RL.8.2, W.8.1.a-b, W.8.1.e, W.8.4, W.8.9.a) (15 minutes)

Independent Writing

Have students write a one-paragraph mini-argument.

Say these Directions: Begin writing your paragraph to answer the following prompt:

• Which force most strongly influences the animals by the end of Chapter V—revolutionary ideals, propaganda, or fear?

Remind students to use language conventions like correct capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Circulate through the classroom and support students as needed with the argument writing.

• (Student responses will vary.) By the end of Chapter V, propaganda strongly influences what the animals believe and how they act. Squealer repeatedly uses persuasive language to justify why the pigs receive special treatment. For example, he claims that “We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organisation of this farm depend on us” (p. 36). This statement frames the pigs as intelligent leaders whose work is essential to the farm. Because the animals believe the pigs are responsible for planning and organizing everything, they begin to accept that the pigs deserve extra privileges. Squealer also argues that “It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples” (p. 36). This message promotes the idea that the pigs’ actions benefit everyone, not just themselves, because it is “for the greater good.” The explanation sounds logical, and the animals accept it even though it creates inequality on the farm. Through confident language and selective information, Squealer persuades the animals to trust the pigs’ decisions. Overall, this propaganda shapes the animals’ beliefs and actions by convincing them that the pigs’ leadership and privileges are necessary for the success of the farm.

Lesson 14 Writing Rubric: Argument Paragraph — Which Force Controls the Animals?

Writing prompt: Write an argument paragraph responding to the prompt: Which force most strongly influences the animals by the end of Chapter V — revolutionary ideals, propaganda, or fear? State a clear claim, support it with evidence from Animal Farm, and explain your reasoning.

Turn and Talk

Invite students to briefly discuss the writing prompt with a small group.

Say these Directions: Discuss the following question with a small group:

• Which force—ideals, propaganda, or fear—do you now think is most important for understanding how leaders influence belief and action in real-world movements or revolutions? Why?

After a short discussion, invite one or two students to share their ideas with the class. Encourage students to refer to a moment from the text that supports their thinking.

Instruct students to read Chapter VI of Animal Farm and annotate how the revolution’s initial commandments and ideals are changing. Instruct students to take notes in their Journal on the following prompt:

• Read Chapter VI of Animal Farm and annotate in your Journal how the revolution’s initial commandments and ideals are changing.