JM

  "It was 1863, and I can still remember the Battle of Gettysburg like it was yesterday," my father joked in the classic pseudo voice of an old man. Richard granted me time not to discuss the year 1863 nor the Civil War but to recount a period of [|uncertainty] during his teenage years: the Vietnam War. For the next forty minutes, Richard and I traveled back in time to 1964 when he experienced the war as a young adult - minus the blood and guts (he was never [|drafted]). Reclined on a worn beige couch, he waited patiently for me to finish preparing my notes. His eyes were eager; his voice was excited and yet in control. I could already tell he would have a lot to say. Without delaying any longer, I hastily sat down on the opposite side of the couch. “I thought to myself, ‘Well…good, they [Vietnam] shouldn’t attack us.’ It was only in later years that I found out the government [|manipulated] us in order to get us into war,” said Richard, describing his initial feelings about the US’s involvement. “And you know, as you got closer to the draft age, you liked the war [|less and less].” He let out a light chuckle at the blatancy of what he just said. As his laughter died down, his hands moved to a more comfortable position behind his head. Now more relaxed, the rest of the one-on-one continued effortlessly.

Richard detailed everything from the [|Gulf of Tonkin Incident] to the “domino theory:” “If one country fell to communism, the surrounding countries w ould fall too…the domino effect.” He briefly mentioned Lyndon B. Johnson and referenced a [|musician] known for his strong [|anti-Vietnam] sentiments. This was all well and good, but what I wanted to know was something we had yet to discuss.  How did the war affect life on the home front? He shifted uneasily, the lone time when he seemed somewhat hesitant. “It tore everything apart. And when we had Sunday family get-togethers, you would have the family members who served in World War II and Korea saying we should sign up for enlistment. But then you had all the [|young children] asking why wars were constantly being fought.” Richard spoke in a glum tone, with his hands moving in a fluid motion. How about friends? “They were all worried with being drafted. On some weekends, they would ride the train down to Washington or Philadelphia or New York City. [|Anti-war rallies.]” Did you ever find these protests carried into school in any way? “We used to have civil disobedience where all the students would leave. I remember one day in particular. The kid who did the morning announcements, Paul Schneider, was Mr. Goody Two Shoes, you know, the darling of the school. H e was the nicest guy - don’t get me wrong. And one day…I don’t know what got into him but he came on the loud speaker and yelled, ‘AT 10AM WE’RE ALL LEAVING THE BUILDING. WE’RE PROTESTING. GET OUT.’ Of course the principal basically tackled him and we’re just sitting there thinking aliens have taken over the world – or at least the P.A. system.” Richard grinned lightheartedly as I imagined how such excitement would break up the humdrum routine of my own school day.

Fatigue set in following the story of Paul Schneider. Before either of us passed out from the day’s exertions, I wrapped up this one-on-one by asking if Richard, who by then had stretched out along the couch, felt he needed to add anything else. His answer was accompanied with furrowed eyebrows and searching eyes. “You know, you’d look at all the goodness that was going on with life - such a cont rast. Over here, man was reaching for the [|moon]. In Vietnam, man was reaching for an M-16. Just two complete opposites…I never forgot that." 



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**1984 **

 __Lesson Plan Project 1: Character Connections__  **Standard:** //3C. Living with Media// - Use print and electronic media texts to explore human relationships, new ideas, and aspects of culture (e.g., racial  prejudice, dating, marriage, family, and social institutions). <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> **Expectations:** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Students will relate the fundamentals of human connection to the society presented in Orwell's 1984. The group will brainstorm and <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">analyze (through Comic Life) what they think will happen in Book Two and Book Three based upon the events of Book One. The students will <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">understand how the severity and intensity of the Party undermines the most natural human condition. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> **Materials:** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Laptop with Internet and Comic Life, Access to Wikispaces <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> **Opening:** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The students will read the first five paragraphs of "[|Why the need for human connection?]" <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> and lead the group into a brief discussion regarding how the article parallels and rejects aspects of Oceania. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> **Middle:** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The students will use Comic Life to visually express their ideas on the possibilities of human connection in Winston's and society's futures. The students should take this time for exploring Winston's relationship with the brunette, the Party's distaste for relationships of any kind, society's apathy for personal connections, and/or any thoughts concerning human bonds. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">
 * Closing:** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Upon completion, the students will reconvene <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> and discuss their comic strips. Based on what other predictions are, the students will morph their own ideas and get a better grasp of the totalitarianism of 1984.

__Lesson Plan Project 2: Censorship__ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Expectations:** The students will grasp a firmer understanding of censorship within Orwell's 1984. They will see how the government's extreme control <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">dictates every motion, word, and thought. This major theme is consistent throughout Winston's struggle for rebellion and the Party's domination. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Materials:** Laptop with Internet, Access to Wikispaces <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> **Opening:** The students will access [|kidSPEAK's censorship quiz]. This will provide the group with a preliminary knowledge about censorship today and will allow the group to connect today's relatively "minimal" censorship to 1984's over excessive mentality. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Middle:** The students will analyze Winston and Julia's disdain for the Party's control; using the ideas discussed, the group will brainstorm and write a brief paragraph on how each of their lives would be affected by the most extreme form of censorship. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Closing:** The students will open their writing to the group for discussion. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> __L__<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">__es<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">son Plan Project 3: Closure __<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Expectations:** After briefly discussing the ending of the novel, the students will view a campaign ad to see how one campaign's view of an opponent is the same as something previously seen in 1984. The students will examine aspects of change regarding how it is controlled and what will ensue, all of which will bring closure to the book. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> **Materials:** Laptop with Internet, Access to Wikispaces  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> **Opening:** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">  With the conclusion of 1984, the students learned of Big Brother's cruelty and the submission to fear above all things. The students will reflect upon Winston's fate by analyzing their own fears and personal versions of Room 101. What is the worst situation of Room 101? What and when is the breaking point? What is the cost of betrayal? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Middle:** The students will watc h the following alternate [|version]<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> of Macintosh's "1984" commercial. With President Obama's recent inauguration, the nation is invested in the alluring promise of change. The change this nation envisions is promising and encouraged, whereas Julia sees the future as a corroded pathway to mere existence. The students will read Julia's short dialogue and a classic quote from the story; they will then relate both to the campaign ad. Is there a future without a past? What is tempting about the "intoxication of power?" <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Be sure to include original opinions in the writing. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Post to Wikispace Discussion. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">  **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Closing:  **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">  The students will reconvene and discuss their posts.
 * Standar<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">d: ** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> //3D. Writing Forms, Audiences, and Purposes// - Demonstrate personal style and voice effectively to support the purpose and engage the audience of a piece of writing. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">
 * Standard:** //3A.//  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">//Constructing Meaning from Media//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> - Identify and evaluate how a media product expresses the values of the culture that produced it.