Language Arts: George Orwell Author Study

Learning Objectives:
Students will research the life of author George Orwell and how his background impacted the topics he chose to write about. They will do this by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They will gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

Essential Questions:
How can understanding where an author came from give insight into the work and purpose of the text they created?

Enduring Understanding:
An author study is an in-depth look at a selection of books, conducted through, but not limited to, any of the following approaches:
1. To study one genre, using one or several authors 2. To study one author and/or illustrator 3. To study a period of history 4. To study a particular place 5. To study authors from a chosen culture or race

Information about George Orwell can be found at http://georgeorwellnovels.com/biography-of-george-orwell/

Agenda:
Bell Ringer Students will read the biography on George Orwell and fill out a graphic organizer outlining who he is as a person. Background Knowledge Building Students will watch a video about the life of George Orwell and how he became the celebrated author we know today. Whole Group Instruction Students will take notes about George Orwell by completing the The Life of George Orwell in 5 Minutes Timeline. The students will brainstorm a list of the list of the information that is generally found on public networking sites such as Facebook. They will try to imagine what someone like author George Orwell would include on his personal page. Independent Practice Journal: How did George Orwell's upbringing impact his writing style and the topics he chose to write about? Extended Practice Homework: Students will download a digital version of the Facebook PPT and complete it using the information they gathered during class and on their own.

Vocabulary: Satirical imperialism fascism Communism pseudonym tuberculosis Sanatorium propagandist

Materials:
George Orwell Biography http://www.youtube.com/wat ch?v=CPa_6YsfTP0 The Life of George Orwell in 5 Minutes Timeline (Cheat Sheets Online) Facebook PPT template

Sources:
http://psabuba.sk/files/file/1C_Culture_clip_ worksheet_key_script.pdf http://www.biography.com/people/georgeorwell-9429833 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPa_6Ysf TP0

George Orwell biography

SYNOPSIS Born Eric Arthur Blair in Motihari, Bengal, India, in 1903, George Orwell, novelist, essayist and critic, went on to become best known for his novels Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. EARLY LIFE Born Eric Arthur Blair, George Orwell created some of the sharpest satirical fiction of the 20th century with such works as Animal Farm and Nineteen EightyFour. He was a man of strong opinions who addressed some of the major political movements of his times, including imperialism, fascism and communism. The son of a British civil servant, George Orwell spent his first days in India, where his father was stationed. His mother brought him and his older sister, Marjorie, to England about a year after his birth and settled in Henley-on-Thames. His father stayed behind in India and rarely visited. (His younger sister, Avril, was born in 1908.) Orwell didn't really know his father until he retired from the service in 1912. And even after that, the pair never formed a strong bond. He found his father to be dull and conservative. According to one biography, Orwell's first word was "beastly." He was a sick child, often battling bronchitis and the flu. Orwell was bit by the writing bug at an early age, reportedly composing his first poem around the age of four. He later wrote, "I had the lonely child's habit of making up stories and holding conversations with imaginary persons, and I think from the very start my literary ambitions were mixed up with the feeling of being isolated and undervalued." One of his first literary successes came at the age of 11 when he had a poem published in the local newspaper. Like many other boys in England, Orwell was sent to boarding school. In 1911 he went to St. Cyprian's in the coastal town of Eastbourne, where he got his first taste of England's class system. On a partial scholarship, Orwell noticed that the school treated the richer students better than the poorer ones. He wasn't popular with his peers, and in books he found comfort from his difficult situation. He read works by Rudyard Kipling and H. G. Wells, among others. What he lacked in personality, he made up for in smarts. Orwell won scholarships to Wellington College and Eton College to continue his studies. After completing his schooling at Eton, Orwell found himself at a dead end. His family did not have the money to pay for a university education. Instead he joined the India Imperial Police Force in 1922. After five years in Burma, Orwell resigned his post and returned to England. He was intent on making it as a writer. EARLY CAREER After leaving the India Imperial Force, Orwell struggled to get his writing career off the ground. His first major work, Down and Out in Paris and London, (1933) explored his time eking out a living in these two cities. Orwell took all sorts of jobs to make ends meet, including being a dishwasher. The book provided a brutal look at the lives of the working poor and of those living a transient existence. Not wishing to embarrass his family, the author published the book under the pseudonym George Orwell. Sometimes called the conscience of a generation, Orwell next explored his overseas experiences in Burmese Days, published in 1934. The novel offered a dark look at British colonialism in Burma, then part of the country's Indian empire. Orwell's interest in political matters grew rapidly after this novel was published. Also around this time, he met Eileen O'Shaughnessy. The pair married in 1936, and Eileen supported and assisted Orwell in his career. In 1937, Orwell traveled to Spain, where he joined one of the groups fighting against General Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War. Orwell was badly injured during his time with a militia, getting shot in the throat and arm. For several weeks, he was unable to speak. Orwell and his wife, Eileen, were indicted on treason charges in Spain. Fortunately, the charges were brought after the couple had left the country.

Other health problems plagued the talented writer not long after his return to England. For years, Orwell had periods of sickness, and he was officially diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1938. He spent several months at the Preston Hall Sanatorium trying to recover, but he would continue to battle with tuberculosis for the rest of his life. At the time he was initially diagnosed, there was no effective treatment for the disease. To support himself, Orwell took on all sorts of writing work. He wrote numerous essays and reviews over the years, developing a reputation for producing well-crafted literary criticism. In 1941, Orwell landed a job with the BBC as a producer. He developed news commentary and shows for audiences in the eastern part of the British Empire. Orwell enticed such literary greats as T. S. Eliot and E. M. Forster to appear on his programs. With World War II raging on, Orwell found himself acting as a propagandist to advance the country's side. He loathed this part of his job and resigned in 1943. Around this time, Orwell became the literary editor for a socialist newspaper.

LATER WORKS Orwell is best known for two novels, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, both of which were published toward the end of his life. Animal Farm (1945) was an anti-Soviet satire in a pastoral setting featuring two pigs as its main protagonists. These pigs were said to represent Josef Stalin and Leon Trotsky. The novel brought Orwell great acclaim and financial rewards. In 1949, Orwell published another masterwork, Nineteen Eighty-Four (or 1984 in later editions). This bleak vision of the world divided into three oppressive nations stirred up controversy among reviewers, who found this fictional future too despairing. In the novel, Orwell gave readers a glimpse into what would happen if the government controlled every detail of a person's life, down to their own private thoughts. Nineteen Eighty-Four proved to be another huge success for the author, but he had little time to enjoy it. By this time, Orwell was in the late stages of his battle with tuberculosis. He died on January 21, 1950, in a London hospital. He may have passed away all too soon, but his ideas and opinions have lived on through his work. Both Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four have been turned into films and have enjoyed tremendous popularity over the years. PERSONAL LIFE Orwell was married to Eileen O'Shaughnessy until her death in 1945. According to several reports, the pair had an open marriage. Orwell had a number of dalliances during this first marriage. In 1944 the couple adopted a son, whom they named Richard Horatio Blair, after one of Orwell's ancestors. Their son was largely raised by Orwell's sister Avril after Eileen's death. Near the end of his life, Orwell proposed to editor Sonia Brownell. He married her in 1950, only a short time before his death. Brownell inherited Orwell's estate and made a career out of managing his legacy.
How to Cite this Page: George Orwell APA Style George Orwell. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 03:47, Nov 10, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/george-orwell-9429833. Harvard Style George Orwell. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/george-orwell-9429833 [Accessed 10 Nov 2013]. MLA Style "George Orwell." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Nov 10 2013, 03:47 http://www.biography.com/people/george-orwell-9429833. MHRA Style "George Orwell," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/george-orwell-9429833 [accessed Nov 10, 2013]. Chicago Style "George Orwell," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/george-orwell-9429833 (accessed Nov 10, 2013). CBE/CSE Style George Orwell [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Nov 10] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/george-orwell-9429833. Bluebook Style George Orwell, http://www.biography.com/people/george-orwell-9429833 (last visited Nov 10, 2013). AMA Style George Orwell. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/george-orwell-9429833. Accessed Nov 10, 2013.

Author Biography Graphic Organizer

10 Reasons to Do an Author Study 1. Help students develop their reading skills Author studies necessarily require lots of reading, giving kids plenty of opportunities to improve their reading fluency. In addition, teachers can use author studies to individualize reading instruction by grouping students according to their reading levels and helping them choose an appropriate author to study. 2. Build critical thinking skills With author studies, students learn to compare and contrast themes, analyze text and illustrations, and make connections between an author's life and his/her work and between the author's work and the reader's own life and work. 3. Improve writing skills An author becomes a "writing mentor" for readers as they read and study his/her work and respond to it through a variety of writing. This "mentoring" and students' writing responses can help kids build confidence in their writing and can even inspire them to become authors themselves. 4. Forge a deeper attachment to books Kids often bond with "their" author, which makes reading a more personal, fulfilling experience. Kids may even want to read books that influenced their author, further expanding their reading experience. 5. Establish a community of readers Author studies help classes, and even whole schools, form closer connections through shared reading experiences. 6. Expose kids to different types of literary voices and styles Like adults, many kids prefer a particular kind of book, such as non-fiction, series fiction, fantasy, etc. An author study can be used to persuade kids to branch out. In addition, some authors, including Newbery Medalists Avi and Lois Lowry, write in a variety of literary genres, which makes it easy for kids who do author studies on them to try out different types of reading. 7. Boost information literacy skills A key component of author studies is researching an author's life and work, using print and online resources. This research provides a built-in opportunity for teachers to teach information literacy skills, especially how to find information sources and determine if they are credible. 8. Plug in easily to the curriculum Teachers can do a short or long author studies, depending on available time. 9. Make connections across the curriculum Choosing a non-fiction author is the easiest way for teachers to connect science, math and/or history units with their language arts teaching. But these connections also can be made using elements of a fiction author's books (i.e., setting in a particular time or place, animal or historic characters). 10. Add fun to the school day! Author studies are an entertaining way to spark students' life-long interest in reading, a particularly important factor for new readers and reluctant readers.

The Life of George Orwell in 5 Minutes Timeline (Cheat Sheets Online)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPa_6YsfTP0

Watch the video report. Write notes about the date. *Hint: You may have to do a little bit of math in order answer the first few questions.
1. 1903 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. 1917 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. 1922 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. 1927 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. 1929 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. 1933 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. 1937 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. 1943 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9. 1944 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. 1949 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 11. 1950 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Watch the report again and answer the questions. What was George Orwells original name? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 11. Where did Orwell go to school? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12. What did he do in Burma? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 13. Which war did he fight? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 14. What were Orwells political views? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 15. How did his upbringing impact his writing style and the topics he chose to write about? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

George Orwell Journal

How did George Orwell's upbringing impact his writing style and the topics he chose to write about?

How to use the Facebook template

1. Brainstorm a list of the information that is generally found on public networking sites such as Facebook. Try to imagine what someone like author George Orwell would include on his personal page.
What important life event took place? What types of status updates might he post? What about his personal information? Who might he be friends with? What books, movies, music do you think he enjoys? Etc

2. Download this template at http://mselenateacherliterature.weebly.com 3. Collect the information about your author that you will use to create your Facebook page. Be sure to use your MLA citation guide to keep track of your resources. 4. Highlight the text that you want to replace from the template and replace it with information about your author. Most of the information that needs to be replaced id already highlighted in red. Change all of the words back to black. 5. Do the same with the pictures on the template. * extra credit Create a fourth Facebook page on your own

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