Literature and Information

Classroom Activities

Unit Essential Questions and Discussion Prompts

1. Can a society ever achieve a utopia?
2. How are utopian and dystopian societies similar and dissimilar?
3. What are your own visions and ideas for a perfect world?
4. What can someone do when faced with lack of power and choice?
5. What kind of responsibility does a person have to society when he disagrees with authority?
6. What is the American Dream? Could it be different for different people?
7. Is the American Dream achievable for a member of a dystopian society?
8. How do people show resilience in the face of extreme oppression?
9. What is the value of having differences?
10. Why would a community choose to eliminate differences?
11. How would our world change if everyone were the same?
12. How do people’s differences impact your life?
13. How do multiple authors address themes in dystopian literature?
14. Why is dystopian literature prevalent today?

Week One

Day 1 – Utopia and Dystopia

Before class, I will place four statement posters (“Strongly Agree,” “Agree Somewhat,” “Disagree Somewhat,” and “Strongly Disagree”) in the corners of my classroom. Students will move around to stand beneath the statements with which they most agree or relate. I will read the following statements aloud:

1. In an ideal society, everyone is equal.
2. It is better to be ignorant and happy than to be aware and upset.
3. Rules exist to help us live our lives properly.
4. The police should be allowed to do whatever they can to protect the community.
5. Schools are places where teens are subject to dress codes, have few free speech rights, and are constantly under surveillance, where they rise and sit at the sound of a bell. This is too controlling.
6. It is okay to upset some people as long as you’re doing what is best for society.
7. If you know you are right, you shouldn’t listen to anyone else.
8. We should understand how small and powerless we really are against the immense forces that control our existence.

I will use each statement to discuss with students their beliefs about our societies and what would make an ideal society versus an unwanted society. A word wall that students and I will add to throughout the unit will be made available for students to refer to when discussing and writing about dystopian literature. I will then have students view the following film clips and brainstorm individually about the two different societies they see. The first clips are “The Real World” from The Matrix and “Matrix – Desert of the Real” which depict the same controlling society. The links are https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF2iImTqaTs and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgBViHeiSKM. The clip which depicts a perfect society is “Pandora Discovered” from Avatar, which students will view using the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBGDmin_38E. I will ask students to compare the societies in each clip to each other.

After placing them in their literature circle groups, I will have them come up with a group definition for the terms “utopia” and “dystopia” and write the definitions on the poster in a T-chart with the definitions and characteristics of both societies inside of the T-chart. After discussion, students will use group and class discussions to complete the Utopia/Dystopia Characteristics chart (See Appendix 2). I will pass out the Dystopias: Definitions and Characteristics sheet, which can be found by searching for it online. Its purpose is to aid in their completion of the aforementioned worksheet after introducing the actual definitions of “utopia” and “dystopia”.

Day 2 – Literature Circles

Students will meet in their literature circles with their assigned books. I will instruct students to read either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Chapter 1, The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Chapters 1-3, Divergent by Veronica Roth – Chapter 1, The Giver by Lois Lowry – Chapter 1, or Matched by Ally Condie – Chapter 1, depending on their literature circle groups. They will be assigned the following roles and given the following worksheets: Discussion Leader, Diction Detective, Connector, and Artist, which can all be found online. As students fulfill their roles while reading, they must also jot down notes about the general plot of the story and any questions or connections they may have in their individual double-entry journals, which can be found by searching online for it. The Reading Schedule can also be found online and will be used as reference to follow each day’s activities accurately.

Day 3 – Rights of Social Classes

I will show the following film clip: Joker’s Social Experiment found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4GAQtGtd_0&spfreload=10 in order to start a discussion with students about the treatment of people in different social classes and their perceived rights and privileges based on how they are defined. It is important for students to understand how the working or perceived lower class is afforded less privileges and rights than the ruling or upper class based on laws and/or societal expectations. I will also prompt students to think of other examples in American society where there are at least two different classes of people and they are treated differently. We will discuss the pros and cons of establishing different social classes. I will then prompt students to discuss what classes have already been established in their books and to jot them down in their double entry journals. If they do not know as of yet, I will instruct them to read to find out about the social classes established in their readings.

On this day, I will instruct students to read either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Chapters 2-3, The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Chapters 4-6, Divergent by Veronica Roth – Chapters 2-3, The Giver by Lois Lowry – Chapters 2, or Matched by Ally Condie – Chapters 2-3. Students will be given another one of the five literature circle roles and will be told that they are to complete each of the five literature circle roles per week and will share their double entry journal with their group members throughout the week and on Friday with a student from a different group. After they have read their specific chapters, responded on their literature circle worksheets, and completed personal and peer double entries, I will discuss with them the assignments for the next 3-½ weeks. In addition to the aforementioned readings and literature circle assignments, they include comparing their understanding of the chapters they’ve read to the major concepts in either a weekly dystopian video clip (every Monday and Wednesday) or group articles (every Tuesday and Thursday) that highlight dystopian societies and themes. Assessments include daily peer and teacher evaluations as well as an end of unit Dystopian Unit Final project. Class discussion will be about what aspects of life in students’ novels are controlled. We will also discuss whom controls them and why in order to further establish classes of people and emphasize defining characteristics of dystopian society.

Day 4 - Control

Students will begin the period by reading The Declaration of Independence. In their groups and as a class, we will discuss _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ of control and restriction and how that theme is represented in their specific novels. We will discuss the specific restrictions (taxes) the British placed on the American colonies and how this led to the Declaration of Independence and American Revolution. We will also discuss how this document and accompanied events are similar to the laws and restrictions created to control the societies in their own novels. Then, I will instruct students to read either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Chapter 4, The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Chapters 7-9, Divergent by Veronica Roth – Chapter 4-5, The Giver by Lois Lowry – Chapters 3, or Matched by Ally Condie – Chapters 4-5. Students will complete literature circle role sheets and double entries that they will share with peers when finished note-taking. Class discussion will focus on the types of societies that the communities in each of the five novels are a part of. We will use a six-part venn diagram to take notes on the board after groups have discussed and jotted down notes about the government, behaviors, and values of each novel’s society. We will discuss how this further perpetuates dystopian environments in each society and how their societies are similar and different from our own. Students will be prompted to record discussion points in their double-entry journals.

Day 5 - Jigsaw

I will instruct students to read either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Chapters 5-6, The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Chapters 10-12, Divergent by Veronica Roth – Chapters 6-7, The Giver by Lois Lowry – Chapter 4, or Matched by Ally Condie – Chapters 6-7. During each student’s literature circle discussion, they will trade their double entry journals with another group member and respond to his/her entry in the Peer Response column as they’ve done throughout the week. I will instruct students to then use their double entry journals and peer responses as talking points to share the events, important passages, quotes, and opinions about the plot so far with group members in another group through an activity called Jigsaw. Students will meet with their “expert groups” who all have the same role within their own “home groups” but have read and completed double entry journals on different novels. Every Friday, students will meet with their expert groups to discuss their readings with them after reading, completing their literature circle roles, discussing their writing, and recording in their own and a peer’s double-entry journal. Every student will also need to complete the Literature Circles Reflection sheet (See Appendix 11) to evaluate their experiences working in groups. On this Friday, I will discuss with students their Dystopian Novel Study projects that are due the day after the unit is complete.

Week 2

Day 6 – Setting and Technology

I will begin the class period with a video clip called Terminator Salvation 4 Minute Trailer which can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcYdjHpJUV8 that students will use to focus on how setting and technology influence dystopian societies. Students will jot down notes about the setting and use of technology in the film clip in order to find similarities in how they add to the dystopian culture of the clip and their specific novels. Students will discuss this with their groups first and then with the class. We will use a six-part venn diagram to take notes on the board after groups have discussed and jotted down notes about the physical environments of their dystopian societies and of the films. Then, we will discuss what adjectives describe those types of societies and why those adjectives can also describe the social environments in which the characters live. We will discuss how this further defines dystopian societies. Students will be prompted to record discussion points in their double-entry journals. Then, students will be instructed to read, depending on their given novel, either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Chapter 7, The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Chapters 13-15, Divergent by Veronica Roth – Chapters 7-8, The Giver by Lois Lowry – Chapter 5, Matched by Ally Condie – Chapters 8-9. Students will complete literature circle role sheets and journal entries that they will share with peers when finished note-taking.

Day 7 – Fair Government

On this day, students will read The Preamble to the Constitution. I will discuss with students the purpose of The Preamble and why it was needed to establish peace and fair laws. As class discussions about liberty, equality, and the most basic laws needed in any successful government continues, I will prompt students to jot down notes about each of their dystopian societies, how they are governed, and whether or not this is fair rule. We will discuss how this further perpetuates dystopian environments in each society. Then, students will be instructed to read, depending on their given novel, either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Chapters 8-9, The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Chapters 16-18, Divergent by Veronica Roth – Chapters 9-10, The Giver by Lois Lowry – Chapter 6, or Matched by Ally Condie – Chapters 10-11. Students will complete literature circle role sheets and journal entries that they will share with peers when finished note-taking.

Day 8 – Social Classes

I will begin the class by showing In Time – #4 Movie Clip: Cost of Living (2011) HD. This YouTube clip can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDCWEJK5r6k. Class discussion will focus on how the governments in their novels ensure that the lower classes remain weaker and dependent on their totalitarian governments. We will discuss how their governments evoke fear and frustration in the characters of the video clip and their novels. Students will be prompted to record discussion points in their double-entry journals. Then, students will be instructed to read, depending on their given novel, either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Chapter 10, The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Chapters 19-21, Divergent by Veronica Roth – Chapters 11-12, The Giver by Lois Lowry – Chapter 7, Matched by Ally Condie – Chapters 12-13. Students will complete literature circle role sheets and journal entries that they will share with peers when finished note-taking.

Day 9 – The American Dream

Students will read the I Have A Dream speech by Martin Luther King Jr. with special focus on what Martin Luther King Jr. hopes for. The class will discuss what Martin Luther King Jr. meant by “the American Dream” when he stated that his dream was based in the American Dream. Students will discuss the utopian dream the characters of their novels hope for and how they begin to take action in order to move society or themselves closer to that dream. Students will also make comparisons through class discussion between their novels and the speech in order to better understand how influential people can help to bridge the gap between dystopian culture and a more desirable society. Then, students will be instructed to read, depending on their given novel, either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Chapters 11-12, The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Chapters 22-24, Divergent by Veronica Roth – Chapters 13-14, The Giver by Lois Lowry – Chapter 8, or Matched by Ally Condie – Chapters 14-15. Students will complete literature circle role sheets and journal entries that they will share with peers when finished note-taking.

Day 10 - Jigsaw

On this day, I will instruct students to read either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Chapter 13, The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Chapters 25-27, Divergent by Veronica Roth – Chapters 15-16, The Giver by Lois Lowry – Chapter 9, or Matched by Ally Condie – Chapters 16-17. During each student’s literature circle discussion, they will trade their double-entry journals with another group member and respond to his/her entry in the Peer Response column as they’ve done throughout the week. Students will visit other groups in an activity called Jigsaw. They will then meet with their “expert groups” who all have the same role within their own “home groups” but have read and completed double entry journals on different novels. Every student will also need to complete the Literature Circles Reflection sheet to evaluate their experiences working in groups.

Week 3

Day 11 – Breaking the Law

Students will view the YouTube video clip Freedoms Must Be Surrendered from I, Robot found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH-G8c3TUac and discuss under what circumstances is it okay to break a law? I will discuss the rules of the robots in the movie clip and whether or not breaking the rules was necessary. Students will also discuss whether breaking laws are ever appropriate in any society and if so, what events in their novels call for such actions. I will also reference real world examples of seemingly justified law breaking, such as the confederate flag controversy. Then, students will be instructed to read, depending on their given novel, either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Chapters 14-15, The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Chapters 28-30, Divergent by Veronica Roth – Chapters 17-18, The Giver by Lois Lowry – Chapter 10, or Matched by Ally Condie – Chapters 18. Students will complete literature circle role sheets and journal entries that they will share with peers when finished note-taking.

Day 12 – Courage

On this day, students will be prompted to read and discuss a poem by Edgar Albert Guest called, Courage which can be found at http://www.poemhunter.com/poems/courage/page-/39546271/. Students will discuss the meaning of each line and stanza as well as how fitting the lines and the relationship they have to the characters’ personalities and actions in their own novels. Then, students will be instructed to read, depending on their given novel, either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Chapter 16, The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Chapters 31-33, Divergent by Veronica Roth – Chapters 19-20, The Giver by Lois Lowry – Chapter 11, or Matched by Ally Condie – Chapters 19-20. Students will complete literature circle role sheets and journal entries that they will share with peers when finished note-taking.

Day 13 - Choice

Students will explore the theme of choice through the The Host: (2013) – Ending Scene YouTube video clip found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSyzDaJBbcQ. Students will discuss how choice impacted the dystopian society in the video clip as well as in their novels. More specifically, students will discuss how the characters’ choice to pick a side advanced the plot of the story. Then, students will be instructed to read, depending on their given novel, either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Chapters 17-18, The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Chapters 34-36, Divergent by Veronica Roth – Chapters 20-21, The Giver by Lois Lowry – Chapter 12, or Matched by Ally Condie – Chapter 21. Students will complete literature circle role sheets and journal entries that they will share with peers when finished note-taking.

Day 14 – Parallels Between Dystopian Worlds and the Real World

I will begin the class period by providing each group with their own set of articles specific to that group’s novel. They will include The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins,

The Maze Runner by James Dashner, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/24/drone- warfare-life-on-the-new-frontline, Divergent by Veronica Roth, http://www.heathwoodpress.com/why-recent-global- uprisings-are-led-by-youth-gayle-kimball/

The Giver by Lois Lowry, http://time.com/3639041/the-invention-of-teenagers-life-and-the-triumph-of-youth-culture/, http://www.thomashine.com/the_rise_and_fall_of_the_american_teenager_3432.htm Matched by Ally Condie, and http://thenewinquiry.com/essays/dating-in-the-expanded-field/. We will discuss what parallels are present between the dystopian characteristics of their novels and American society as evidenced in the articles. I will jot these similarities down on the board to be discussed with the whole class before they begin reading their novels. Then, students will be instructed to read, depending on their given novel, either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Chapter 19, The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Chapters 37-39, Divergent by Veronica Roth – Chapters 22-23, The Giver by Lois Lowry – Chapter 13, or Matched by Ally Condie – Chapters 22-23. Students will complete literature circle role sheets and journal entries that they will share with peers when finished note-taking.

Day 15 - Jigsaw

I will instruct students to read either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Chapters 20-21, The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Chapters 40-42, Divergent by Veronica Roth – Chapters 24-25, The Giver by Lois Lowry – Chapter 14, or Matched by Ally Condie – Chapter 24. During each student’s literature circle discussion, they will trade their double-entry journals with another group member and respond to his/her entry in the Peer Response column as they’ve done throughout the week. Students will visit other groups in an activity called Jigsaw. They will then meet with their “expert groups” who all have the same role within their own “home groups” but have read and completed double entry journals on different novels. Every student will also need to complete the Literature Circles Reflection sheet to evaluate their experiences working in groups.

Week 4

Day 16 – The Uprising

Students will explore the theme of choice again after I show them Harry Potter is Dead – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 clip located at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieibsVyVYnU. I will state that although uprisings are typically prevalent in dystopian societies, it can be difficult to have courage when being a part of one because of the chance of death and destruction. I will ask students, “If you were guaranteed protection for yourself, your family, and your friends, would you choose to give up your rights and freedom, or fight alongside those being oppressed? Then, students will be instructed to read, depending on their given novel, either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Chapter 22, The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Chapters 43-45, Divergent by Veronica Roth – Chapters 26-28, The Giver by Lois Lowry – Chapter 15, or Matched by Ally Condie – Chapters 25-26. Students will complete literature circle role sheets and journal entries that they will share with peers when finished note-taking.

Day 17 – Peace and Equality

Students will read Robert F. Kennedy: Remarks on the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. with their group members while focusing on the themes of peace and harmony. I will hold a discussion with students about whether or not they believe the peace and equality Robert F. Kennedy requested in his speech has been achieved today. We will then discuss whether or not they believe this peace and equality can be achieved in their novels between the oppressed people and the government. Then, students will be instructed to read, depending on their given novel, either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Chapters 23-24, The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Chapters 46-48, Divergent by Veronica Roth – Chapters 29-31, The Giver by Lois Lowry – Chapters 16-17, or Matched by Ally Condie – Chapter 27. Students will complete literature circle role sheets and journal entries that they will share with peers when finished note-taking.

Day 18 – Can Compliance and Freedom Coexist in a Dark, Dystopian World?

On this day, students will answer the question: Can compliance and freedom coexist in a dark, dystopian world? By now, students should have come to understand that freedom of choice and individuality is what creates a society that is fair for all. Complying with conformity and loss of power will only disrupt peace and conflict with citizens’ rights to freedom, which leads to an inevitable uprising. The X-Men First Class: Fire video clip found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HROuYFRJepQ on YouTube is evidence that when faced with oppression and control, violence and hatred become likely. In dystopian societies, war typically tears it down even more unless the people can find freedom. They will first discuss this question with their group members and then write their answer using evidence from the video clips, articles, poem, and chapters they’ve read. Then, students will be instructed to read, depending on their given novel, either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Chapter 25, The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Chapters 49-52, Divergent by Veronica Roth – Chapters 32-34, The Giver by Lois Lowry – Chapters 18-19, or Matched by Ally Condie – Chapters 28-29. Students will complete literature circle role sheets and journal entries that they will share with peers when finished note-taking.

Day 19 – Obligation to Society

I will discuss with students that in all of their novels, the main character had an awakening that obligated them to try and change their dystopian societies. We will read Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave and watch the YouTube version of it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69F7GhASOdM as well to discuss how true understanding and happiness comes from knowledge of reality and freedom to choose your path in life. We will also discuss that once dystopian citizens have awakened to the reality of their world, they have an obligation to society to educate or awaken others so that they may become free as well. Then, students will be instructed to read, depending on their given novel, either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Chapter 26, The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Chapters 53-57, Divergent by Veronica Roth – Chapters 35-37, The Giver by Lois Lowry – Chapters 20-21, or Matched by Ally Condie – Chapter 30.

Day 20 – Literature Circles

I will instruct students to read either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Chapter 27

The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Chapters 58-62, Divergent by Veronica Roth – Chapters 38-39, The Giver by Lois Lowry – Chapters 22-23, or Matched by Ally Condie – Chapters 31-32. Students will complete literature circle role sheets and journal entries that they will share with peers when finished note-taking. Every student will also need to complete the Literature Circles Reflection sheet (See Appendix 3), which can be found online to evaluate their experiences working in groups.

Day 21 – Final Project Presentation

Students will present their Dystopian Unit Final Projects (See Appendix 4) and will be scored on content and presentation skills. I will use the Dystopian Unit Project Rubric (See Appendix 5) to begin scoring them while they are presenting. I will discuss their scores with them individually once all presentations have been completed.