"Animal Farm" Project Ideas for Lesson Plans

Animal Farm is one of my favorite literary works, and my students always seem to enjoy it as well. Since the surrounding novels are usually To Kill A Mockingbird and The Scarlet Letter, we usually make Animal Farm a fun unit, using projects rather than tests to conclude the lessons.

Since Animal Farm has only ten chapters, we do a project for seven different chapters of the book: 1-4, 6, 7, and 10. I usually assign one chapter overnight, we discuss it the following day in class, and I assign the project for that evening's homework. Some chapters require two or three night projects, while others require only one night to complete.

Chapter One

Summary of Chapter: We are first introduced to the political nature of the book in the first chapter, when Major, the old pig on Manor Farm, gives his passionate speech about the oppression inflicted upon them by Man - particularly Mr. Jones. 

Project: I ask the students to find and print out a speech delivered by a famous political leader. It can be a president, a senator, a governor or even a political figurehead from another country. On a separate page, the students are expected to write a brief essay about the purpose for the speech and the message delivered. The essay should answer the following questions:

- What was the call to action? What was the government or the people supposed to do in response to the speech?
- What were the conditions under which the speech was given? Wartime, peacetime, depression, inflation, etc.
- Do you agree or disagree with the contentions made in the speech? Why or why not?
- Do you feel that the speech was written well? If you've heard the speech delivered, was the speaker a good orator?

Purpose: To open students' minds to the effect made on the public by political leaders, and to help them analyze the psychology behind Major's speech in Animal Farm. 

Chapter Two