Mr. Verlin South Philadelphia High School March 3 and 4, 2015

Preliminaries  Feb. 27: Make a list of your six favorite Animal Farm characters.  Feb. 28: Hand in your drafts of I-Search Question #3.

Objectives:  The students will be able to develop one- act plays based on the Battle of the Cowshed.

Focus Lesson: Revision…  Reread the 11-paragraph section of chapter 7 where Squealer addresses the animals about Snowball’s supposed alliance with Jones. (The first paragraph in this section begins, “‘Comrades!’ cried Squealer, making little nervous skips…  How does Squealer ‘rewrite history’ in this scene?  Why did the animals accept Squealer’s version of the battle?”

Focus Lesson: Revision…  Divide into groups of 6. You will be writing and performing one-act plays during which a factual account of the Battle of the Cowshed comes to light. The central conflict of the play will be between the character(s) who bring the account to light versus those character(s) seeking to repress the account.  Make a list of characters equal to the number of members in the group and choose parts.  Decide which person will play each part.  Hand the list in.

Focus Lesson: Revision…  Requirements:  Begin with a cast of characters and a brief description of the setting. The character’s name and a colon should precede each line of dialogue.  Develop a brief outline of your play’s premise.  Determine the central conflict and build it up.  Determine the resolution.  Every character should have at least ten lines, and the play must be five minutes in length.  You must use the 7 required lines (index card).

Homework:  Rehearse your parts. You will not be required to memorize lines but you will be required to read them with feeling and passion. We will be presenting the plays Mon. 3/5 (50 project points).  Find props (BONUS).  Due tomorrow: drafts of I-Search question #3.

One Act Play Outline  Daily farm tasks  Return of Moses from scouting & reports  Napoleon’s battle plans  Battle preparations  Arrival of humans  Battle begins and humans & animals fight  Battle ends  What happens after?