Animal Farm
Cover
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Animal Farm
Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................... 4
Specification summaries ..................................................................................... 5
Chapter 1: Lesson 1
Lesson ideas ............................................................................................. 8
Resources ........................................................................................... 10
Chapter 1: Lesson 2
Lesson ideas ............................................................................................. 17
Resources ................................................................................................ 20
Chapter 2: Lesson 3
Lesson ideas ............................................................................................. 28
Resources ................................................................................................ 31
Chapter 2: Lesson 4
Lesson ideas ............................................................................................. 35
Resources ................................................................................................ 39
Chapter 3: Lesson 5
Lesson ideas ............................................................................................. 41
Resources ................................................................................................ 44
Chapter 3: Lesson 6
Lesson ideas ............................................................................................. 46
Resources ................................................................................................ 50
Chapter 4: Lesson 7
Lesson ideas ............................................................................................. 53
Resources ................................................................................................ 60
Chapter 4: Lesson 8
Lesson ideas ............................................................................................. 56
Resources ................................................................................................ 59
Chapter 5: Lesson 9
Lesson ideas ............................................................................................. 60
Chapter 5: Lesson 10
Lesson ideas ............................................................................................. 64
Resources ................................................................................................ 68
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Animal Farm
Chapter 6: Lesson 11
Lesson ideas ............................................................................................. 69
Resources ................................................................................................ 73
Chapter 6: Lesson 12
Lesson ideas ............................................................................................. 75
Resources ................................................................................................ 78
Chapter 7: Lesson 13
Lesson ideas ............................................................................................. 80
Resources ................................................................................................ 84
Chapter 7: Lesson 14
Lesson ideas ............................................................................................. 86
Resources ................................................................................................ 90
Chapter 8: Lesson 15
Lesson ideas ............................................................................................. 91
Resources ................................................................................................ 93
Chapter 8: Lesson 16
Lesson ideas ............................................................................................. 95
Chapter 9: Lesson 17
Lesson ideas ............................................................................................. 98
Resources ................................................................................................ 102
Chapter 9: Lesson 18
Lesson ideas ............................................................................................. 106
Resources ................................................................................................ 109
Chapter 10: Lesson 19
Lesson ideas ............................................................................................. 113
Resources ................................................................................................ 115
Chapter 10: Lesson 20
Lesson ideas ............................................................................................. 121
Resources ................................................................................................ 124
Exam practice
AQA style questions .................................................................................... 133
Edexcel style questions ................................................................................. 138
OCR styles questions .................................................................................... 143
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Introduction
Introduction
This GCSE pack is designed as a ‘route through’ Animal Farm, with teaching ideas,
accompanying resources and suggestions for differentiation. The pack is based on core
assessment objectives for GCSE English Literature (2015) and is designed to be flexible,
creative and engaging. It contains all of the Teachit resources you need for teaching this
unit of work, many of which were specifically commissioned for this pack.
The pack has been devised for use with the AQA, Edexcel, and OCR GCSE English
Literature specifications. There are specific resources and exam practice questions for
each of these specifications included within the pack. The activities and ideas will help
students to develop a close understanding of the text, explore its social, cultural and
historical contexts, consider Orwell’s ideas and perspectives, and analyse his use of
language and structure.
The pack has two lessons per chapter with a selection of starter, main and plenary
activities (that you can mix and match), as well as exam practice questions specific for
each board.
Throughout the pack you’ll find activities which directly address the various GCSE
English Literature exams. To help you select activities relevant to the outcomes for
which you’re teaching, we’ve included specification grids and matched the activities
outlined in the route through to the appropriate Assessment Objectives.
Accessing the resources in this pack
This pack includes copies of the resources featured within it. Many of the pack’s
resources are available in adaptable formats on the Teachit website, making it easy to
differentiate the tasks by ability. Where we’ve referenced Teachit resources, we’ve
also included the file number and name in case you’d like to access it on the Teachit
website.
Our thanks go to contributor Carmel Waldron who has written this pack and the
accompanying resources.
If you have any questions about the pack, please get in touch: email
support@teachit.co.uk or call us on 01225 788850. Alternatively, you might like to give
some feedback for other Teachit members – you can do this by adding a comment on the
Animal Farm teaching pack page on Teachit.
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Specification summaries
Specification summaries
AQA GCSE English Literature
Specification: English Literature (exams in 2017) (8702)
Example papers and mark schemes: English Literature (exams in 2017) (8702)
AQA Paper 2: Modern texts and poetry
Section A Modern texts

External examination.

Whole examination: 2 hours 15 minutes.

45 minutes to answer this question.

A choice of two questions on this text.

The candidate is asked to consider an aspect of the text such as character, theme,
language, setting and ideas. Bullet points are given for guidance.

Students are not allowed to take copies of the text into the examination.

Each question is worth 30 marks + 4 marks awarded for AO4.
AO1
Read, understand and respond to texts.
Students should be able to:


maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response
use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate
interpretations.
AO2
Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create
meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
AO3
Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in
which they were written.
AO4
Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and
effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation
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Specification summaries
Edexcel GCSE English Literature
Specification: English Literature (exam in 2017) (1ET0)
Example papers and mark schemes: English Literature (exam in 2017) (1ET0)
Component 1: Shakespeare and Post-1914 Literature
Section B – Post 1914 British play or novel

External examination.

One essay question from a choice of two.

A short quotation is given as stimulus for the answer.

Questions will focus on plot, setting, characters, themes and ideas.

Students will be required to explore the question in relation to context.

Students are not allowed to take copies of the text into the examination.

Students will have approximately 50 minutes to answer this question.

Each question is worth 40 marks which includes 8 marks for AO4.
AO1
Read, understand and respond to texts.
Students should be able to:


maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response
use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate
interpretations.
AO3
Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in
which they were written
AO4
Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and
effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation
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Specification summaries
OCR GCSE English Literature
Specification: English Literature (exam in 2017) (J352)
Example papers and mark schemes: English Literature (exam in 2017) (J352)
Paper 1: Exploring modern and literary heritage texts
Section A: Modern prose or Drama

External examination.

Candidates answer a two-part question on their set text and an unseen modern text
in a similar genre.

Part a) will focus on an extract from the set text and one from the unseen text.

Part b) is a general essay question on the set text.

There are 20 marks for each part of the question.

Students are advised to spend 45 minutes on part a) and 30 minutes on part b).

Students are not allowed to take the text into the examination.
AO1
Read, understand and respond to texts.
Students should be able to:


maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response
use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate
interpretations.
AO2
Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings
and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
AO3
Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in
which they were written
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Lesson 1
Chapter 1: Lesson 1
Starter activities
Fairy tale versus allegory
1. When he wrote the book, Orwell subtitled it ‘A Fairy Tale’ but it can also be seen
as an allegory. So what’s the difference? Start by using Resource 1, Allegories and
Fairy tales to take students through the elements of each.
Can they give you any examples of a fairy tale or allegory?
Students work in pairs and make their own short list of the key differences and
similarities between fairy tales and allegories. (AO1)
Identifying elements
2. Hand out a copy of the summarised allegory (Watership Down) and a copy of the
summarised fairy tale (Sleeping Beauty). (These can be found in Resource 2, Story
summaries). Students should read the stories and then complete the appropriate
checklist to identify elements of the story, using Resource 3, Story checklist.
(AO1)
Main activities
Is Animal Farm a fairy tale or an allegory?
1. Give students the summary of Animal Farm (see Resource 2, Story summaries).
Get them to highlight the features (from both the fairy tale and allegory sheet).
They should keep a tally chart of each feature highlighted and then add them up
when they’ve finished the story. Is Animal Farm a fairy tale or allegory? (AO1)
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Lesson 1
Writing their own
2. Students should choose either a fairy tale or allegory and write their own, making
sure they include at least five of the features from their tick list. The story should
be no more than 300 words. When finished, they should exchange with another
student who should highlight the features that have been included. (AO4)
Reading
3. Read Chapter 1 focusing on how Mr Jones is described. (AO1, AO3)
Plenary activities
Bingo
1. Some students could read out their stories. Each time the other students
recognise a feature of a fairy tale or allegory, they should mark a feature on their
‘bingo cards’ (found in Resource 4, Allegory / fairy tale bingo). The first one to
get a full house wins. (AO1)
Summarising the story
2. Get students to read the summary of Animal Farm again (see Resource 2, Story
summaries). Ask them to summarise this version into five bullet points, then
three, then one and then finally in one word! (AO1)
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Lesson 1
Resource 1
We’ve included a screenshot of this PowerPoint here so you can see
the resource. To access this resource please log in to the Teachit
English website and type ‘26519’ into the search bar.
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Lesson 1
Resource 2
Story summaries
Sleeping Beauty
Once upon a time there lived a good king and his queen. After trying for many years to have
a baby the queen gave birth to a girl and the whole kingdom celebrated. All the fairies were
invited, except one. She came to the celebrations anyway but she was very angry.
When it was time to give the baby presents the good fairies wished her to grow up and be
the most beautiful girl in the world and to live happily. Then it was the angry fairy’s turn to
give the baby her present. She said, “When the baby is sixteen she will touch a spindle, and
die!”
The king and queen were shocked and upset and begged the fairy to forgive them for not
inviting her to the celebration. The fairy refused but the good fairies said while they couldn’t
undo the spell they could maybe help. They said that the baby wouldn’t die when she
touched the spindle but instead would sleep for a hundred years and would only be woken by
a kiss from a prince.
The princess grew up to be kind and beautiful as the fairies said. When she was sixteen the
princess was walking in the woods when she saw an old lady spinning. She asked if she could
try it for herself and the lady said yes of course she should. As soon as the princess touched
the spindle she fell into a deep sleep. The old lady took her back to the palace where the
king and queen put her to bed. The good fairies then put a spell on the whole kingdom so
everybody else slept for 100 years too.
A hundred years later a prince from a far off land was travelling through the countryside. He
got lost and was separated from his servants and guards. He was walking through a forest
when he came across the sleeping kingdom. He could not believe that everyone, including
the guards, servants, cats and cows were all fast asleep and snoring.
The prince walked into the palace to see if he could
find anyone that was awake and he came across the
princess. She was so beautiful he leant over and
kissed her. The princess opened her eyes and
yawned. ‘Are you my prince?’ she asked. The prince
nodded and smiled. By this time everyone else in the
kingdom had woken up.
The prince and princess quickly fell in love and they
got married with the whole kingdom watching, and
they lived happily ever after.
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Lesson 1
Resource 2
Watership Down
Watership Down is the tale of a group of rabbits in search of a home. Fiver, a small, young
rabbit, can forsee when things (good or bad) are going to happen. He ‘sees’ that the rabbits’
home will soon be in great danger. Fiver and his older brother Hazel, go to the Chief Rabbit
to tell him of the danger, but the chief doesn’t believe them.
Fiver and Hazel decide to leave the warren anyway and recruit some of their friends to go
with them. They set off and have various adventures along the way, until Hazel finds them a
field that he thinks is suitable for them to live in.
The field already has rabbits (who seem a bit strange) in it but they let Hazel and co stay.
Fiver warns the rabbits they shouldn’t stay there but they ignore him because there is lots of
food for them to eat. One of Hazel’s friends gets caught in a snare (a trap); Hazel and the
others manage to get him out but they get no help from the other rabbits living in the
warren.
Fiver realises that the farmer is tricking the rabbits by leaving out food for them and then
trapping them. They decide to leave the warren and travel until they reach somewhere
called ‘Watership Down’. One of the other rabbits from the warren, called Strawberry,
comes with them.
They settle down into their new life at Watership Down but Hazel soon realises that they will
need female rabbits to mate with if their breed is to continue. The rabbits make friends with
a wounded bird called Kehaar who says he will try to find some other warrens with female
rabbits in.
Kehaar finds a warren and so the rabbits go to Efrafa (the name of the warren) to try and
bring back some does (female rabbits). At the same time they try to set up a raid to free
some rabbits living in the farm next door. They get most of the rabbits out but Hazel is badly
injured and Fiver has to save him. The warren is run by a savage and militaristic rabbit called
General Woundwort.
Hazel decides that they must go to Efrafa and get some
does, because otherwise they will not survive. He plans a
raid which involves one of the rabbits (Bigwig) pretending
to be a volunteer who will help General Woundwort. Hazel
and Bigwig manage to escape with several female rabbits.
General Woundwort is furious and vows to take revenge
and kill them all, bringing an army with him.
Hazel and the other rabbits get ready to try and fight off
the General and his army.
Hazel has a plan to release the farm dog, who scares
General Woundwort and his army away.
The rabbits live happily in their warren, with Hazel living
for many years to oversee the happy warren.
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Lesson 1
Resource 2
Animal Farm
The story starts on Manor Farm, which is run by Mr Jones the
farmer. One of the pigs, Old Major, has had a dream and all
the animals gather round to hear all about it. He has dreamt
of a world where all animals live free and aren’t worked so
hard by their owners.
Old Major dies soon after the meeting, but the animals —
inspired by Old Major’s philosophy of Animalism — plot a
rebellion against Jones. Two of the pigs, Snowball and
Napoleon, help to plan and carry out the successful Rebellion.
Jones and his men are chased off the farm by the animals and
Manor Farm is renamed Animal Farm. The animals create the
Seven Commandments, which are a set of rules they vow to
live by. These include ‘Whatever goes upon two legs is an
enemy’ and ‘No animal shall kill any other animal’.
Initially, the Rebellion is a success. The animals complete the harvest and have a meeting
every Sunday to discuss and debate how to live on the farm. It soon becomes clear however
that the pigs are the most intelligent creatures, and as a result become the leaders of the
farm. Napoleon is a very power hungry pig however, and steals the cows’ milk and a number
of apples to feed himself and the other pigs. He also enlists the help of Squealer, a pig with
the ability to persuade the other animals that the pigs are always moral and correct in their
decisions.
After a few months Jones and his men return to Animal Farm and attempt to retake it.
Thanks to the tactics of Snowball, the animals defeat Jones in ‘The Battle of the Cowshed’.
Snowball decides the animals need a windmill to help them with food production and so
draws plans for a windmill, which will provide electricity and so give the animals more
leisure time. Napoleon opposes the plan so it goes to a vote. On the day of the vote
Napoleon summons a pack of ferocious dogs who chase Snowball off the farm forever.
Napoleon announces that the windmill will be built after all and says that it was his own
idea, stolen by Snowball. For the rest of the novel, Napoleon uses Snowball as a scapegoat on
whom he blames all of the animals’ hardships.
The animals start to rebuild the windmill and Boxer, an incredibly strong horse, works harder
than anyone else.
Napoleon gradually takes all the power away from the other animals and he becomes a
dictator. Despite what the Commandments said, the pigs start to live in the farmhouse. The
animals receive less and less food, while the pigs grow fatter. As more of the Seven
Commandments of Animalism are broken by the pigs, the language of the Commandments is
conveniently changed: for example, after the pigs become drunk one night, the
Commandment, ‘No animals shall drink alcohol’ is changed to, ‘No animal shall drink alcohol
to excess’.
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Lesson 1
Resource 2
While working on the windmill Boxer collapses and so Napoleon sells him to a knacker (a
glue-boiler). Squealer lies and tells the animals that Boxer was actually taken to the vets and
died a peaceful death in a hospital.
Years pass and nothing has improved on the farm, except for the pigs who have got fatter
and who are behaving even more like humans. The final Commandment has been changed
from ‘All animals are equal’ to ‘All animals are equal but some are more equal than others’.
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Lesson 1
Resource 3
Story checklist
Fairy tale checklist
Sleeping Beauty
Element
yes/no
Good versus evil
The use of magic or superior knowledge
Anthropomorphism (animals that talk and behave like humans)
The idea of transformation
Reverses of fortune (e.g. rags to riches or vice versa)
Use of disguise and/or deception
The setting of impossible tasks
Reward of goodness / punishment of evil
The promise of a better life in some way (e.g. titles, riches, blessings)
The need for courage
The inclusion of a journey or quest
Use of stock phrases, ‘Once upon a time’, ‘… happy ever after’, etc.
Allegory checklist
Watership Down
Element
yes/no
Characters that represent a type or quality
The representation of virtues or vices as characters
Events that stand for moral, political or spiritual themes
Metaphorical meanings
Happenings that are reflected in the real and the imaginary world
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Lesson 1
Resource 4
Allegory / fairy tale Bingo
Hand out the bingo cards below. Students should mark
off the features as they recognise them in the stories.
You can decide whether a row, column or ‘full house’
(i.e. all the squares) is Bingo!
Good versus evil
The need for courage
Anthropomorphism
(animals that talk and
behave like humans)
Using animals as
characters
The setting of impossible
tasks
Metaphorical meanings
The need for courage
The promise of a better
life in some way (e.g.
titles, riches, blessings)
Using animals as
characters
Characters that
represent a type or
quality
The inclusion of a journey
or quest
Use of stock phrases,
‘Once upon a time’, ‘…
happy ever after’, etc.
The use of magic or
superior knowledge
Characters that represent
a type or quality
The representation of
virtues or vices as
characters
Use of stock phrases,
‘Once upon a time’, ‘…
happy ever after’, etc.
The idea of
transformation
Use of disguise and/or
deception
Good versus evil
Events that stand for
moral, political or
spiritual themes
Reverses of fortune (e.g.
rags to riches or vice
versa)
The inclusion of a
journey or quest
Using animals as
characters
Use of stock phrases,
‘Once upon a time’, ‘…
happy ever after’, etc.
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Lesson 2
Chapter 1: Lesson 2
Starter activities
Spotlight on Mr Jones
1. Look at the way Mr Jones is described in Chapter 1. Students should write five
quotations that tell them something about the owner of Manor Farm and what this
suggests about the character of Mr Jones. (They can then compare this with what
they discover about Tsar Nicholas II in the main activity.) See suggested answers
below. (AO1, AO2)
Mr Jones quotations
What quotations suggest
Too drunk to remember
Mr Jones was a drunkard, which
made him incompetent.
He seized the gun which always
stood in a corner of his bedroom,
Mr Jones was well armed and
therefore dangerous.
let fly a charge of number 6 shot
into the darkness
Mr Jones was a bad shot or too drunk
to aim well.
Man is the only real
enemy we have.
Mr Jones is seen as the enemy and is
representative of all men.
The rest have all gone to market
to bring in money for Jones and his
men
Jones exploits the animals for profit.
You, Boxer, the very day that those
great muscles of yours lose their
power, Jones will sell you to the
knacker
An example of Jones’s ingratitude
and cruelty.
As for the dogs, when they grow old
and toothless, Jones ties a brick
round their necks and drowns them in
the nearest pond.
Even domesticated animals are not
exempt from the cruel and disloyal
treatment Jones gives out.
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Lesson 2
Character traits
2. As the animals enter the barn for the meeting Orwell describes their actions in
detail, building up a picture of how they behave. Using Resource 5, Character
traits card sort students match up the animals with the traits Orwell gives them
and a quotation to support this. (A01)
Main activity
Use of satire
1. Start to explore the use of satire in this novel, and the underlying message Orwell
was trying to convey. Use Resource 6, Sources of Satire for students to work in
pairs and make a presentation on how Orwell uses Animal Farm to satirise Tsarist
Russia and the Soviet Union. (AO1, AO2, AO3)
Comparing Old Major with Karl Marx
2. The character Old Major is said to be based on the philosopher Karl Marx. Using
Resource 7, Karl Marx, Old Major match up take students through Marx’s key
ideas. They should then match his ideas with extracts from Old Major’s speech
that convey a similar idea. (AO1, AO3)
Reading
3. Read Chapter 2, focusing on the new rules that the animals are going to be living
under. (AO1, AO2, AO3)
Plenaries
Presentation
1. Choose a couple of students to present their PowerPoint presentations to the rest
of the class and encourage the students to ask questions. (AO1)
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Lesson 2
Analysing Old Major’s speech
2. Display a large picture of Old Major and ask students to write on Post-It notes
anything they like about the speech. This could include what the speech means,
key ideas, whether they agree with Old Major’s sentiments and why etc. They can
then stick their post-it notes around the picture. (AO2)
Extension activities/homework
Writing an anthem
1. Get students to find the tune of ‘The Internationale’
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Internationale and see if they can fit the words of
‘Beasts of England’ to it. How do these words compare to the original ones – what
are the common ideas? Make bullet points of those they identify. They could then
write their own ‘anthem’. E.g. for a club they belong to or a family anthem.
(AO1, AO2)
Predictions
2. After hearing Old Major’s speech, what do you think the animals will do next?
Make a list of actions you think they will take, giving reasons for your ideas based
on the book. (AO1, AO2)
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Lesson 2
Resource 5
Character traits card sort
Animal
Traits
Quotation / reference
Clover (1)
Pretty and vain
and emptyheaded.
… she purred contentedly throughout
Major’s speech without listening to a word
of what he was saying.
Boxer (2)
Not very
interested in
anything that
doesn’t affect
her directly.
was so highly regarded on the farm that
everyone was quite ready to lose an hour’s
sleep in order to hear what he had to say.
… a majestic-looking pig, with a wise and
benevolent appearance …
The Cat (3)
Has a pessimistic
attitude to life.
… made a sort of wall round them with her
great foreleg, and the ducklings nestled
down inside it and promptly fell asleep.
Mollie (4)
Well respected
as a leader by
the other farm
animals. He had
the appearance
of a good leader.
A white stripe down his nose gave him a
somewhat stupid appearance, and in fact
he was not of first-rate intelligence, but he
was universally respected for his steadiness
of character and tremendous powers of
work.…
Old Major (5)
Shown as a
motherly and
comforting
figure.
Alone among the animals on the farm he
never laughed. If asked why, he would say
that he saw nothing to laugh at.
Benjamin (6)
Not very bright
but respected for
hard work and
integrity.
She took a place near the
front and began flirting her white mane,
hoping to draw attention to the
red ribbons it was plaited with.
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Lesson 2
Resource 6
Sources of satire
Instructions for using the cards
Put the cards either face downwards on the desk, or in a box.
1. Work in pairs and choose a card.
2. Each card has a website reference on it where you can find information.
3. Use the website along with library books and encyclopaedias to research your topic
and then create a presentation using sugar-paper, PowerPoint, or a flipchart to
summarise the information you have gathered.
4. Your presentation should last for at least a minute.
5. In this case a presentation is simply a way of sharing your information with the rest
of your class.
6. You should not copy out the information on the website, unless it is a particularly
useful quotation. Aim to summarise the information in your own words so the rest of
the class can understand it easily. (Think about what you would like the other
students to tell you.)
7. You can use appropriate music on CD, MP3 player or a computer to make it more
interesting and memorable.
8. You can then present your findings to the rest of the class. Where possible, this
information should be available to other students as they study the text, in the form
of displays, photocopied notes, intranet sites etc.
9. This activity can be referred back to as you study the novel and it would be useful to
do another presentation after reading the book, linking your original work to the
characters and themes.
Soviet propaganda
Exemplar
Cartoons using humour and satire
This was used to tell the people what the rulers
wanted them to hear. It took different forms as
shown below.
Posters showing heroic Soviets leading
other world workers in the glorious
revolution. Their real lives were rather
different.
Men and women were shown in strong and
noble poses with workers’ tools instead of
weapons, symbolising the fight for freedom.
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On the left is an exemplar
section of a presentation.
It could be either part of a
larger sheet for a posterstyle display or it could be
two slides of a PowerPoint
presentation.
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Lesson 2
Resource 6
Card 1
Napoleon Bonaparte
Card 2
Karl Marx
Why might Orwell call his
main pig by this name?
Old Major is said to represent
this great thinker.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_I
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Marx
Card 3
Joseph Stalin
Card 4
Leon Trotsky
Napoleon is said to
represent the dictator.
Snowball is supposed to
represent this philosopher.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Trotsky
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Lesson 2
Resource 6
Card 5
Communism
Card 6
The Secret Police
Animalism is the farm’s version of
communism.
Napoleon’s dogs are the farm’s
version of the Soviet secret police.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NKVD
Card 7
The Russian Revolution
Card 8
The First World War
The Animals’ Revolt
Battle of the Cowshed
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Revolution_
(1917)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Front_
(World_War_I)
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Lesson 2
Resource 6
Card 9
The Second World War
Card 10
The Internationale
‘Beasts of England’.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Internationale
Battle of the Windmill
the wiki-media link will give you audio files.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Front_
(World_War_II)
Card 12
Propaganda
Card 11
The Hammer and Sickle
Squealer represents this
aspect in the book.
The Hoof and Horn
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammer_and_sickle
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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_in_the_
Soviet_Union
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Lesson 2
Resource 6
Card 14
Adolf Hitler
Card 13
Tsar Nicholas II
Mr Frederick represents
him in the novel.
Mr Jones represents him in the novel.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_II_of_Russia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler
Card 15
President Roosevelt
Card 16
The Russian Bourgeoisie
Mr Pilkington represents
him in the novel.
They are represented by
Mollie in the book.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Franklin_D._Roosevelt
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourgeoisie#Within_th
e_socialist_movement
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Lesson 2
Resource 7
Karl Marx, Old Major match up
The character Old Major is said to represent the ideals of
Karl Marx. Karl Marx was a famous German philosopher
who wrote about the struggle between the middle-class
(the bourgeoisie) and the working people (the
proletariat). He predicted that this struggle would lead
to the overthrow of capitalism and its supporters.
Match up Karl Marx’s ideas with extracts from Old
Major’s speech that convey the same ideas.
Karl Marx quotation
Old Major’s speech
Workers of the world unite. You have
nothing to lose but your chains.
‘Man is the only creature that
consumes without producing’
Landlords, like all other men, love to
reap where they have never sowed
‘That is my message to you, comrades:
Rebellion! I do not know when rebellion
will come, it might be in a week or in a
hundred years …’
Capital is reckless of the health or
length of life of the labourer, unless
under compulsion from society
‘… he is lord of all animals. He sets
them to work, he gives back to them
the bare minimum that will prevent
them from starving, and the rest he
keeps for himself.’
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Lesson 2
Resource 7
Karl Marx quotation
Old Major’s speech
Revolutions are the locomotives of
history.
‘No animal in England is free. The life
of an animal is misery and slavery …
work night and day, body and soul, for
the overthrow of the human race!’
Political Economy regards the
proletarian ... like a horse, he must
receive enough to enable him to work.
It does not consider him, during the
time when he is not working, as a
human being.
In return for your four confinements
and all your labour in the field, what
have you ever had except your bare
rations and a stall?
The worker puts his life into the
object; but now it no longer belongs to
him, it belongs to the object.
‘How many of those eggs have ever
hatched into chickens? The rest have
all gone to market to bring in money
for Jones and his men’.
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Lesson 3
Chapter 2: Lesson 3
Starters
Rules of friendship
1. Get students to think about their own friendships. Ask them to write down some
unwritten ‘rules’ of friendship. e.g. don’t gossip about them behind their back,
do be kind. When they have their list, share it with a partner and compare.
Discuss the idea of having ‘rules’ or ‘Commandments’ in other areas of life, e.g.
rules of a classroom, declaration when people join scouts. How do these rules
help to unify groups of people?
Old Major’s speech
2. Looking at Old Major’s speech again students look at how ‘Animalism’ expressed
in the Seven Commandments relates to Major’s speech and the principles he
outlined. Briefly discuss how they reflect/show any parallels between the Ten
Commandments of the Old Testament:
You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make idols.
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Honour your father and your mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
You shall not covet.
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Lesson 3
Students re-read the penultimate paragraph of Major’s speech and highlight the
Seven Commandments. What other Commandments might they have included?
(AO1, AO3)
Hot seating
3. In pairs, students should assign themselves a character (they can choose but it
should be a different character from their partner). They then need to let their
partner know how they feel about Old Major’s speech. To start them off you could
display some questions they might like to ask:

Do they agree with the things he’s said?

Are they excited about the Rebellion or apprehensive?

Do they think the Rebellion will be a success?
(AO1, AO2)
Main activities
Causes of rebellion
1. Orwell creates the conditions for the Rebellion soon after the animals have
started preparing for it. Mr Jones brings it largely upon himself through his
treatment of the animals, just as Tsar Nicholas II brought on the Russian
Revolution at least in part by his uncaring attitude to his starving people.
Using Resource 8, Cause and effect, students examine the causes and effects of
the Rebellion. For students that need support highlight the section of the text to
focus on, from ‘Now, as it turned out, the Rebellion was achieved much earlier …’
to ‘Manor Farm was theirs.’ (AO2, AO3)
Symbolism
2. One of the first things the animals do after Jones is driven out is to throw away
the instruments of oppression and re-name the farm. These are symbolic acts of
freedom. Use Resource 9, Symbolism in Animal Farm, to match up the symbolic
objects then discuss the question that follows. (AO1, AO2)
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Plenaries
Ways of running the farm
1. Students work in groups to discuss how they think the animals will run the farm in
a different way from Jones and his men (what do they think the disappearing milk
suggests?), then appoint a spokesperson to give their views to the class. (AO1)
Importance of symbols
2. Students work in groups to discuss the importance of symbols such as flags,
anthems, mottoes. You could display some football badges along with a team
‘anthem’ and discuss how these symbols ‘unite’ the supporters and create a sense
of cohesion. Reiterate the symbols in Animal Farm that help to create cohesion
among the animals. Each group appoints a spokesperson to report back to the
class. (AO2)
Extension activities/homework
Communist manifesto
1. Get students to explore ‘The Communist Manifesto’ and how some of these
themes link to the text. Resource 10, Communist manifesto matching activity,
requires students to match ideas from the ‘The Communist Manifesto’ with ideas
from Animalism. (AO3)
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Lesson 3
Resource 8
Cause and effect
Read from ‘Now as it turned out’ to ‘Manor Farm was theirs’. Working in pairs or small
groups, complete the cause and effect boxes. Trace how each cause/effect led to the
next and make sure you include a reference or quotation for each cause.
Second cause/effect
First cause/effect
Mr Jones had been losing money
because of a court case and had let
the farm become neglected.
‘He had become much disheartened
after losing money in a lawsuit, and
had taken to drinking more than was
good for him.’
Third cause/effect
Fourth cause/effect
Fifth cause/effect
Sixth cause/effect
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Lesson 3
Resource 9
Symbolism in Animal Farm
Orwell makes use of symbols in Animal Farm to show how
important they are to a society or group. Students work
in pairs to match the statement cards with the image
cards.
When they have matched the cards discuss the following:
How effective do you think the use of symbols is in this book?
Statement cards
A set of rules that the animals on the
A philosophy that the animals live by,
farm should follow. This will ensure the
summarised into Seven
animals will live together peacefully
Commandments.
It is similar to communism as outlined
and work for the common good. They
symbolise the cohesion of the new
by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
society.
Lots of the animals represent real
humans and their qualities are
The re-naming of the farm is symbolic
reflected in the names Orwell gives
because its original name ‘Manor Farm’
them. For instance, Moses, who is said
suggests the manor houses built by the
to represent the Russian Orthodox
upper classes.
Church.
The symbols of the violence used by
Used by Mr Jones and the other
humans to keep the animals in
humans, this is seen as a symbol of the
subjection. They are associated with
oppression used against the animals. It
torture, castration and cruelty. Their
signifies bonds and slavery in the way
use enforces the animals’ slavery.
animals are forced to obey humans.
The unifying song that the animals sing
A place that’s full of luxury and
after meetings. This symbolises the
comfort. It is a symbol of the different
idea that they are all working towards
way that humans live, while treating
the same cause.
the animals in a harsh and unfair way.
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Lesson 3
Resource 9
Answer cards
Harness
Whips
The Farmhouse
The new name of the farm
Animal Farm
Animals’ names
The Seven Commandments
‘Beasts of England’
Animalism
LAWS
1.
Whatever goes on two legs is an
enemy.
2. Whatever goes on four legs, or has
wings, is a friend.
3. No animal shall wear clothes. […]
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Lesson 3
Resource 10
Communist Manifesto matching activity
‘The Communist Manifesto’ was a book written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, which
outlined the principles of communism. The famous last line of the book is ‘Workers of
the world, unite’.
Match the following extracts from ‘The Communist Manifesto’ with the elements of
Animalism it represents.
The Communist Manifesto
Animalism
Societies have always taken the form
of an oppressed majority living under
the thumb of an oppressive minority
Man is the enemy who consumes
without producing anything.
… this struggle will end in a revolution
that restructures society,
The Rebellion will overthrow Man and
allow animals to control their own
affairs.
The bourgeoisie constantly exploits the
proletariat for its labour power,
creating profit for themselves and
accumulating capital.
Animals were made to work all the
time on low rations while Man took the
profits.
The communists’ party will … defend
the common interests of the world’s
proletariat as a whole …
All animals are equal.
abolition of inheritances and, indeed,
all private property
The farm belonged to all the animals
equally.
free public education
By the autumn almost every animal on
the farm was literate in some degree.
… the expansion of state-owned
production—both agricultural and
industrial …
They had a better harvest than under
Jones and gathered every last seed
while the pigs studied ‘blacksmithing,
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Lesson 3
Resource 10
carpentering, and other necessary
arts’.
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Lesson 4
Chapter 2: Lesson 4
Starters
Getting to know the pigs
1. Students re-read Chapter 2 and discuss how Orwell marks the pigs out as different
from the other animals. Using Resource 11, Getting to know the pigs students can
match the character descriptions to the images of the pigs. (AO1, AO2)
Moses – true or false?
2. Students re-read the part of the chapter concerning Moses the Raven and discuss
what role he plays in the story here and why Orwell included him. To test their
knowledge you could give them a number of true/false statements:
Moses is Mr Jones’s pet raven.
Mr Jones feeds him on birdseed and water.
Moses tells stories about a place called Sugarcandy Mountain.
All the animals believe they will go there when they die.
The animals all liked Moses.
He said lump sugar and linseed cake grew on hedges in this land.
Moses was a spy and a tale-bearer.
He worked hard and had the animals’ interests at heart.
Moses was a clever talker.
The pigs encouraged Moses and believed his stories.
Moses joined the other animals in the Rebellion.
Moses tried to stop Mrs Jones leaving the farm.
According to Moses it was always Sunday in Sugarcandy Mountain.
You could then discuss the reasons for Orwell including Moses in the story, e.g. to
show the place of religion in the old system and how it was used. (AO1, AO2)
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Lesson 4
Main activities
Barn debate
1. Divide students into five groups and hand them each a group from the text to
focus on as follows. Each group should write a persuasive speech, convincing the
others that theirs is the correct point of view. Each group is then given one
minute to make their case to the rest of the class.
Students divide into five groups as follows:
The Old Guard
These are the animals that don’t really see the need to change the system. They
are used to things how they are. They are represented by Mollie and some others.
The Leaders
These are the pigs that have turned Major’s speech into ‘Animalism’ and are
trying to educate the other animals. They want a revolution and completely new
start with the men being driven out and the farm run by the animals themselves.
They are represented by Napoleon and Snowball.
The Workers
These are the animals like Boxer and Clover who believe in the ideas of Animalism
but are not clever enough to learn much about it. They will use their labour to
work hard for the new system. They are represented by Boxer and Clover.
The Cynics
These are the animals that are sure whatever the system is they will never be
better off. They cannot see that one group of leaders is better than another and
are convinced things will always turn out badly. They are represented by
Benjamin.
The Religious
These animals believe that the reward for labour will not take place on earth but
after death, when they will enjoy an eternal life full of happiness and everything
they could want. They are represented by Moses.
(AO3, AO4)
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Lesson 4
Hot seating activity
2. Students work in five groups. Each group is assigned one of the following
characters:
Moses
Mollie
Snowball
Boxer
Mr Jones
One student takes on the character and is given two assistants to help to prepare
the answers. The rest of the group come up with some suitable questions to try
and elicit the character’s thoughts about the Rebellion.
Each group takes it in turn to perform the hot seating activity, while the rest of
the class makes notes. (AO1, AO2)
Reading
3. Read Chapter 3, focusing on how hard the animals are working and the milk and
apples ‘incident’. (AO1, AO2)
Plenaries
Natural leaders
1. The pigs are seen as being natural leaders.
Students discuss in pairs the following:

why this is the case

whether they think the animals are right to follow them

what Orwell is saying about the importance of education.
One of the pair should then be ready to feed back to the whole class.
(AO1, AO2)
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Lesson 4
Focus on Moses
2. Have a class discussion about the role of Moses. What is Mr Jones trying to achieve
by sending Moses into the animals to tell them about Sugarcandy Mountain and
why do the pigs insist it is all lies? Can they think of other examples when people
are sold a ‘myth’ to persuade them to behave a certain way? (AO2, AO3)
Extension activities/homework
No longer equal
1. Students look closely at this chapter to analyse how Orwell creates a slight sense
of unease, even at this early stage of the Rebellion. Can they find five key
quotations that suggest the animals are no longer equal? (Hint: look at pigs’
behaviour).
(AO1, AO2)
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Lesson 4
Resource 11
Getting to know the pigs
Read the quotations below. Cut them out and stick them around the image of the pig
that they relate to. All these quotations are taken from Chapter 2.
Large rather fierce looking Berkshire
A small fat pig
A more vivacious pig than Napoleon
Not much of a talker
Quicker in speech and more inventive
Round cheeks, twinkling eyes, nimble
movements, and a shrill voice
With a reputation for getting
his own way
A brilliant talker
Quicker in speech and more inventive
A way of skipping from side to side
and whisking his tail
Not considered to have the same
depth of character
He could turn black into white
Napoleon
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Lesson 4
Resource 11
Snowball
Squealer
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Lesson 5
Chapter 3: Lesson 5
Starter activities
Getting used to the farm
1. Students work in pairs or small groups to read from the beginning of Chapter 3 to
‘he had adopted as his personal motto.’ Get them to list three ways in which life
on the farm is shown as better after the Rebellion. Then get them to identify
three problems the animals have faced and how they have overcome them. They
should share ideas with the class. (AO1, AO2)
Key players in the Rebellion
2. Give students a list of the character names and get them to put them in order of
how integral the animal has been in starting the Rebellion and in how much work
they’ve put in to the running of the farm since the Rebellion began. Resource 12,
Who started the Rebellion? (AO1)
Main activities
Who’s putting the work in?
1. Making sure students have read from the beginning of Chapter 3 to ‘had to be
content with this cryptic answer’, students should examine the ways in which the
different animals contribute to the work of the farm according to their abilities.
Use Resource 13, Putting in the work to show the different ways in which they
help.
(AO1, AO2)
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Lesson 5
Getting to know Boxer
2. Students re-read from ‘All through the summer …’ to ‘… he had adopted as his
personal motto’. Boxer is seen as the worker who keeps all the others going.
What qualities of character does he have that enable him to do this? Using
Resource 15, Getting to know Boxer, students answer a number of true or false
questions then carry out a newspaper interview with Boxer. (AO1, AO2)
Plenary activities
Division of labour
1. Students work in small groups to discuss how Orwell shows ‘the division of labour’
among the animals in this chapter. They should think about how this might
compare with human society e.g. leaders/followers, managers/workers,
stronger/weaker etc. You could display these words on the interactive whiteboard
to help students who may need support with this activity. (AO2, AO3)
Boxer’s contributions
2. Students work in small groups to discuss how Orwell shows Boxer’s importance to
the farm (the beginning of Chapter 3). Each group reports back on their ideas.
(AO1, AO2)
Newspaper interviews
3. Choose some students to share their newspaper interviews with one taking on the
role of a journalist and the other playing the part of Boxer. (AO1)
Extension activities/homework
How does Karl Marx influence the farm?
1. Marx explained his belief that, in such a society, each person would be motivated
to work for the good of society despite the absence of a social mechanism
compelling them to work, because work would have become a pleasurable and
creative activity.
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Lesson 5
Marx intended the initial part of his slogan, ‘from each according to his ability’ to
suggest not merely that each person should work as hard as they can, but that
each person should best develop their particular talents.’
Write a paragraph explaining how far this idea applies to the animals in this
chapter.
(AO2, AO3)
Boxer’s differences
2. Students should look at the role of Boxer in Chapter 3 and think about how Orwell
contrasts him with a) the pigs b) Benjamin and c) Mollie.
They should then design a presentation to show your classmates what these
differences are. This could take the form of a PowerPoint presentation, a
YouTube film, a cartoon strip, a wall display or something similar.
Remind them to use references and quotations to support their ideas. (AO1, AO2
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Lesson 5
Resource 13
Putting in the work
A. Each of the animals contributes to the farm in different ways. Match the animals on
the left with their contribution on the right.
Animals
Activity
The pigs
Started late and finished early
Boxer and Clover
Made no change to
the way he worked
Ducks and Hens
Organised and directed
Mollie
Only appeared at mealtimes
The cat
Harnessed themselves and
did the ploughing
Benjamin
Collected all the
small pieces of hay
B. Work in pairs to discuss these different activities and decide what they tell the
reader about the animals.
1. Do you think each of them contribute according to their ability?
2. Do some of them work harder than others?
If so, who?
3. Do some of them get away with less work?
If so, who and how?
4. Do you consider the work allocation to be fair?
Give reasons for your answer.
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Lesson 5
Resource 15
Getting to know Boxer
Task one
After reading Chapter 3, decide whether the statements about Boxer are true or false.
Statement
T/F
Boxer seems like three horses and not just one.
Boxer starts work later than the other animals.
The other animals seldom relied on Boxer.
He was always where the hardest work was needed.
The other animals all admired Boxer.
Boxer was clever and learned to read quickly.
Boxer could write the whole alphabet without a mistake.
His personal motto was ‘I will work harder’.
Boxer always had a long rest in the middle of the day.
He arranged with a cockerel to act as his alarm clock.
Task two
Imagine you are a journalist for a local newspaper and you have been asked to do an
interview with Boxer. Write your article and include the following:

a headline

a ‘photograph’ of Boxer

his answers to your questions about the f arm,
the Rebellion and how things are going without
Mr Jones

his opinions about animal literacy and the pigs

what the other animals tell you about his hard
work and dedication.
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Lesson 6
Chapter 3: Lesson 6
Starter activities
The mystery of the milk and apples
1. In this chapter the pigs start to justify their ‘different’ behaviour, including a
speech from Squealer in which he offers a persuasive argument for the pigs taking
the apples and milk. Get students to think about some of the rhetorical devices
they might expect to see in a persuasive speech. You could print out the following
table and get students to match the examples with the rhetorical device.
Resource 16, Mystery of the milk and apples. (AO1, AO2)
Squealer’s speech
Rhetorical device
Comrades!
Unifying language
Milk and apples (this has been
proved by Science comrades)
Facts
Do you know what would happen if
we pigs failed in our duty?
Questions
Jones would come back! Yes, Jones
would come back!
Repetition
It is for your sake that we drink that
milk and eat those apples
Use of pronouns
How you spend your Sundays?
2. Display the following question on a whiteboard: How do you spend your
Sundays? Reading from p.28, students explore the idea of Sunday as a day of rest
on the farm. Working in pairs or small groups students should identify three ways
in which Sundays are different from the rest of the week in their lives and for the
animals on the farm.
(AO1, AO2)
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Lesson 6
Main activities
Literacy levels
1. The animals have very different literacy levels. Students read the section focusing
on the literacy lessons (from ‘The reading and writing classes, however, were a
great success …’ to ‘… never growing tired of it’) and consider how important this
is in the running of the farm and in the amount of power it gives the various
groups. Resource 17, Animals and literacy will help with this. (AO1, AO2)
Apple and milk mystery is solved
2. In this chapter the mystery of the disappearing milk is solved – it goes to the pigs,
who are now claiming all the apples from the orchard as well. Working in pairs,
students should discuss:

what the animals thought would happen to the windfall apples

what actually happens to them

how the animals reacted

how their objections were overcome. (AO1, AO2)
Implied meanings
3. Using Resource 18, Implied meanings students look at the way Orwell uses phrases
to suggest more than their actual meanings and how the context affects this by
matching up phrases with their meaning and what’s implied. (AO1, AO2, AO3)
Reading
4. Read Chapter 4 either as a class or individually, focusing on how the farmers are
feeling.
Put students into pairs, and then divide the class into two groups.
a. One group should focus on how Mr Jones spends his time. What does this
tell us about his character?
b. They should then discuss how the Rebellion spreads outside Animal Farm
and find three ways in which it affected the behaviour of animals on
neighbouring farms. They discuss whether spreading the ideas of Animalism
like this was effective. (AO1, AO2)
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Lesson 6
The second group should find three rumours that were spread about the animals
by the humans. Students discuss how the farmers react to the Rebellion and why.
They look up the definition of ‘smear campaign’ and discuss whether this is an
appropriate term for what the humans were doing.
Both groups should then share their findings with the rest of the class. (AO1, AO2)
Plenary activities
Sunday symbolism
1. The Sunday activities show Orwell’s use of symbolism. Split the class into three
and get each group to discuss one of the following:
a. the flag – what does it stand for and why is the ceremony important to the
animals?
b. the meetings – what do they show about democracy on the farm? What part
do i) the pigs and ii) the other animals play in the meetings?
c. the singing of ‘Beasts of England’ at the end of each meeting – what does it
represent and why is it popular with the animals?
Students share their ideas with the rest of the class. (AO1, AO2)
Predictions
2. Predictions – in small groups students discuss what may follow from the incidents
below:

Napoleon’s removal of the puppies to be educated by himself.

The differences between Napoleon and Snowball.

The reserving of the milk and apples for the pigs’ sole use.
Students share their ideas with the rest of the class. (AO1, AO2)
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Lesson 6
Extension activities/homework
Propaganda takes effect
1. This chapter begins with the animals working together to bring in the harvest and
ends with Squealer’s speech. Squealer represents Pravda, the Soviet newspaper
which was used to spread government propaganda. The name, ironically, means
‘Truth’. Give students the meaning of propaganda:
A form of biased communication, aimed at promoting or
demoting certain views, perceptions or agendas.
How can Squealer’s speech be considered propaganda? (AO2, AO3)
Speaking and listening
2. Imagine a scene just after the end of Chapter 3 where some of the animals are
talking about Squealer’s speech. What do you think they might say about the pigs’
adoption of privileges they don’t share? Act out the conversation in pairs.
E.g.
As Squealer left the group the other animals gathered around to
talk about what he had just said.
Mollie: I don’t want Jones to come back, but I also don’t think
it’s fair the pigs are getting all the best food. What about our
health?
Boxer: Without the pigs we wouldn’t have succeeded so far, I
think they should be allowed the best food for themselves.
(AO1, AO2)
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Resource 17
Animals and literacy
Task one
What do the animals’ attitudes to literacy tell us about their characters?
Find a quotation from the chapter to support your ideas.
Complete the grid below. The first one has been done for you as an example.
Animal(s)
The pigs
What their literacy suggests about them
The way they educate themselves tells us they are clever and
they use their education to improve the way the animals live.
However they also use their skills to dominate and manipulate
the other animals and gain privileges for themselves.
It was always the pigs that put forward the resolutions.
The dogs
Muriel
Benjamin
Clover
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Resource 17
Animal(s)
What their literacy suggests about them
Boxer
Mollie
The ducks and
hens
The sheep
Task two
Students work in small groups and discuss what Orwell suggests about education and
society in this chapter. They should consider the importance of having people to
organise things and solve problems, but also of having people who work with physical
skills. Which is more important? Could the animals run the farm without both groups?
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Resource 18
Implied meanings
Orwell often uses phrases to suggest more than their actual meanings. Using examples
from Chapter 3, match the phrases with their meaning and what’s implied.
Phrase
Meaning
Implication
… these would be
shared out equally.
Their doubts were
ignored because all the
pigs agreed.
They were not happy
about the arrangement
but didn’t want to argue
in public.
The order went forth.
The animals were
frightened of returning
to the bad days when
Jones was the owner.
This was used as a
threat by the pigs to
enforce their authority.
Everyone would have a
fair share of the apples.
The pigs were in control
and could make a
decision that was
unpopular and unfair.
The animals muttered to
each other.
The Commandments
stated that all animals
were equal so they be
treated equally.
Somebody gave an order
to the animals.
Giving an order suggests
the pigs were telling the
others without
consulting them.
The other animals
murmured.
It was no use … all the
pigs were in full
agreement.
They did not want Jones
back.
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Lesson 7
Chapter 4: Lesson 7
Starter activities
Recapping propaganda
1. Recap the main elements of propaganda by displaying extracts from Squealer’s
speech and getting students to identify how they could be considered propaganda
and why.
Some extracts to display could include:

Comrades! You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a
spirit of selfishness and privilege.’

Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) …

It is for your sake that we drink the milk and eat those apples. (AO1, AO2)
Chinese whispers
2. Play a whole class game of Chinese whispers. Give the first ‘whisperer’ the phrase
‘four legs are good, two are bad and all animals are equal’. See how the message
changes as it goes around the class. Have a whole class discussion about how
messages can sometimes get distorted/embellished and what the consequences
could be. (AO3)
Main activities
Context
1.
Students work in pairs or small groups to research Orwell’s biography. Decide
how the following events in his life may have affected the views he presents in
Animal Farm:
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
his education at Eton where he saw the advantages of privilege

his experience in Burma where he wrote about colonial oppression

his time in Paris where he mixed with socially disadvantaged people

his writing of The Road to Wigan Pier

his experiences in the Spanish Civil War

his time as a propaganda journalist in World War 2.
Create a PowerPoint or video presentation showing how Orwell’s life affected the
writing of Animal Farm.
You should include:

biographical details related to events or ideas in the book and show their
connection

references and quotations to support your ideas

pictures, music and/or narration where you feel this is suitable.
(AO1, AO3)
Farmers’ reactions
2.
Read from ‘Nevertheless, they were both thoroughly frightened …’ to ‘…
hearing in it a prophecy of their future doom.’

Highlight any words or phrases that suggest the farmers were worried
about the spread of Animalism.

In a different colour highlight the farmers’ first reaction to the idea of
animals running the farm.

Underline what they called the farm and make a note of why you think
they used this name.

Make a list of the words and phrases Orwell uses to show the farmers’
increasing desperation. Beside each one make a note on how effective you
think it is.
(AO1, AO2)
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Plenary activities
Why haven’t the other farms rebelled?
1. Students work in small groups to discuss why they think there has not been a total
rebellion on the other farms, as there was at Manor Farm. What does it suggest
about a) Mr Jones, b) Old Major and c) the animals themselves? Each group
reports its findings to the class. (AO1, AO2)
Presenting PowerPoints
2. Some students could present their Orwell PowerPoints to the rest of the class.
(AO1, AO3)
Extension activities/homework
Analysing ‘Beasts of England’
1. Look at Orwell’s use of language when describing ‘Beasts of England’. Draw the
following table and complete the columns.
Quotation
were known everywhere
Meaning
All the animals in the
neighbourhood knew the
words to the song.
Analysis
The song was rebellious and
would encourage other
animals to follow the
example of Animal Farm
spread with astonishing
speed
pretended to think it
merely ridiculous
the song was irrepressible
a prophecy of their future
doom.
Suppressing the Rebellion
2. Imagine you are one of the local farmers whose animals are singing ‘Beasts of
England’. Write a speech to be given at the farmers’ meeting in The Willingdon
Arms suggesting what might happen if the song continues to spread and
presenting ideas for its suppression. (AO1, AO2)
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Chapter 4: Lesson 8
Starter activities
News of the invasion
1. Students work in small groups and write a short dialogue between Snowball and
one or two pigeons bringing news of the invasion. Act or read them for the class.
(AO1)
News reporting
2. Show students a number of examples of news reports in which reporters are
talking about a battle/fight. They should pay particular attention to the format of
the interview; what questions does the news reporter ask, what are the key
details the reporter includes? They should make notes on these to help them with
their main activity. (AO1)
Main activities
Reporting from the front line
1. Students work in pairs or small groups to read from ‘As the human beings
approached …’ to ‘The boy did not stir.’ and create one of the following:
a. an eyewitness account of the battle by ‘our war correspondent’ for a news
programme
Students write a script for the ‘anchor’ person in the studio and the
journalist who is following all the events as they happen and describing it
for the readers. They can record it and include appropriate sound effects
and music.
b. a strip cartoon with quotations in sound bubbles showing the events of the
battle
c. a local newspaper account of the battle to include: a headline; subheadings; a report of the events as they happened; a comment by the
editor on what the battle might mean; ‘photographs’; interviews with both
sides. (AO1)
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What parts do the animals play?
2. Using the same extract students work in pairs or small groups to look at the parts
played by the different animals in the battle and what this tells the reader about
them. Resource 20, What part do the animals play? will provide them with some
structure for completing this activity.
Discuss why Snowball and Boxer are awarded the top medal and whether you
agree it was justified. (AO1)
Reading
3. Read Chapter 5 with a focus on Napoleon and Snowball’s behaviour. (AO1)
Plenary activities
Celebrating victory
1. Students work in pairs to read from ‘The animals had now reassembled …’ to the
end of the chapter. They should then find:

three ways in which the animals celebrated their victory

three ways in which the dead sheep was honoured.
Discuss how far this represents military or human behaviour in similar situations.
(AO1, AO3)
Speaking and listening
2. Some students could perform their ‘war correspondence’ pieces. (AO1)
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Extension activities/homework
Russian Civil War
3. Some have argued that The Battle of the Cowshed represents the Russian Civil
War of 1918 – 1921 with the farmers and animals representing countries and
groups:

Pilkington standing for the US/UK

Mr Frederick for Germany

Jones and the farmhands represent the ‘White Russian’ opposition to the
Bolsheviks, who are the animals

Snowball represents Leon Trotsky and Boxer the ‘Proletariat’ or workers.
Read the account of the Russian Civil War at
bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/russia/thecivilwarrev1.shtml
Write one or two paragraphs showing the parallels you see between the historical
account of the Civil War and The Battle of the Cowshed. Remember to include
references and quotations to support your ideas. (AO1, AO3)
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Resource 20
What part do the animals play?
After reading the extract from ‘As the human beings approached …’ to ‘The boy did not
stir,’ find evidence from the text that supports the following points.
The pigeons show they are a real
part of Animal Farm and willing to
help defend it.
The geese show they are brave
and are in the front line of
defence.
Despite being cynical, Benjamin
shows he is willing to fight
alongside Muriel and the sheep.
The horses, cows and pigs all
charge the invaders and use their
teeth, horns and hooves to set
about them.
Boxer is an example to everyone
in the way he helps to scare the
invaders and begin their retreat.
The only animal who doesn’t help
in repelling the invasion is Mollie,
because she is too scared.
Even the cat, who usually does her
own thing, joins in the battle to
help the animals.
Snowball is heroic in his leadership
of the animals, despite being shot
and wounded.
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Lesson 9
Chapter 5: Lesson 9
Starter activities
Focus on Mollie
1. Students work in pairs or small groups and read from the beginning of Chapter 5
to ‘None of the animals ever mentioned Mollie again’.
a. Discuss what the following quotations tell us about Mollie and why you
think the animals ‘never mentioned her again’. (AO1, AO2)
late for work
every morning
she would stand
foolishly gazing at
her own reflection
flirting her
long tail
you were allowing
him to stroke
your nose
lump sugar and
several bunches
of ribbon
her coat was
newly clipped
Snowball and Napoleon’s relationship
2. Students work in pairs or small groups and read from ‘In January there came
bitterly hard weather …’ to ‘… one that took place over the windmill’. They
should highlight:

two things about which Snowball and Napoleon have disagreements

how each of them tries to win over the other animals

what part the sheep play in these debates and what this implies about
Napoleon.
Students share ideas with the rest of the class. (AO1)
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Lesson 9
What makes a good leader?
1. Students think about the qualities of a good leader. Get them to put the following
statements in order from most to least important:
Is always
honest
Can delegate
tasks
Is persuasive
Has excellent
communication
skills
Is committed
to the cause
Inspires their
followers
Has a positive
attitude
Has a vision
and doesn’t
sway from it
(AO1, AO3)
Main activities
Debate practice
1. Students work in pairs or small groups to re-read from the beginning of the
chapter to ‘none was so bitter as the one that took place over the windmill’,
focusing on the characters of Clover, Snowball and Napoleon. Look at what they
say, what they do and how others react to them. Ask them to support their ideas
with references and quotations. Students can present their findings in a way that
suits them, e.g. a bullet pointed list, mind map. (AO1, AO2)
Divided camp
2. The plans for the windmill and for defending the farm split the animals into two
camps.
Re-read from ‘In the long pasture …’ to ‘… with the one who was speaking at the
moment.’ Look at the arguments on both sides.
Put the students into groups of four. Two students take Snowball’s side and two
take Napoleon’s side.
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They should write a list of ‘for’ and ‘against’ reasons, then write a speech or
general notes for a debate, trying to persuade the other side that they are right.
They should base their speech on the book, but can add any arguments of their
own that they think might help. Use rhetorical techniques such as:

Tripling – grouping things in threes (e.g. We want to … we need to … we
will …)

Anecdote – telling a personal story to illustrate a point (e.g. Major’s
dream)

Repetition – repeating a point in different words

Inclusion – using terms such as ‘we’, ‘us’, ‘all of us’, ‘friends’, ‘comrades’
etc.

Rhetorical question – a question that doesn’t require an answer (e.g. Do
we want to starve?)

Contrast – showing the opposite outcome (e.g. ‘if it happens … if it doesn’t
happen …)

Appeal to the emotions

Use of metaphor – phrases such as ‘a new world lies before us’ (AO2, AO4)
Plenary activities
Different viewpoints
1. Students work in small groups to discuss what they think about having two leaders
who never agree.

Is it good to have different viewpoints and let people (the animals) decide
which they prefer?

Does it simply mean that nothing gets done?

Is there a way to resolve the problem other than one leader taking over?
Students share ideas with the rest of the class. (AO3)
Newspaper headlines
2. Students work in groups of four and produce two opposing newspaper headlines
that summarise each side of either the windmill debate or the farm defence
debate. (AO1, AO2, AO4)
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Extension activities/homework
Election leaflet
1. Re-read from ‘The whole farm was deeply divided …’ to ‘… no one had ever heard
him utter before,’ looking at the ways in which Snowball and Napoleon contribute
to the farm and its welfare.
Design an election leaflet for either Snowball or Napoleon, trying to persuade the
animals to vote for you as overall leader. You should include:

a suitable heading and sub-headings

a ‘photograph’ of the candidate

the candidate’s qualifications for the job

the candidate’s past achievements that are relevant to the job

their vision of the farm’s future

what they will do to implement their vision, if elected

endorsements by those who support them. (AO1, AO4)
Snowball’s research
2. Re-read from ‘Snowball had made a close study …’ to ‘… the animals would only
need to work three days a week’, focusing on Snowball’s research and ideas. Look
up any words you don’t know.

Consider how Snowball learns about farming and shows his knowledge.

Think about the different uses he sees for the windmill and what this shows
about him. (AO2)
Windmill brochure
3. Imagine Snowball has designed a brochure telling the animals about the windmill.
Design this brochure. You should include:

a list of the benefits it will bring

an artist’s impression of the finished structure

a plan showing how it works. (AO1, AO4)
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Lesson 10
Chapter 5: Lesson 10
Starter activities
Conflict
1. There are lots of examples of conflict between the animals on the farm. Get
students to think about the last time they had a conflict or disagreement with
someone. How did they resolve it, or was it never resolved? They could make a
list of actions that might help to resolve a conflict then share these with a
partner. You could prompt students with the following suggestions:

talking in a calm voice

trying to see the other person’s point of view.
Democracy or dictatorship?
2. Some countries are run as a democracy and some are run as a dictatorship. Using
Resource 22, Democracy or dictatorship? students sort the statements depending
on whether they represent a democracy or a dictatorship.
When they have sorted the statements, have a whole class discussion about how
Animal Farm is being run – is it a democracy or dictatorship and has it changed
along the way? (AO3)
Main activities
Balance of power
1. Students work in pairs or small groups to read from ‘But just at this moment
Napoleon stood up …’ to ‘… slipped through a hole in the hedge and was seen no
more.’ They should discuss and make notes on why Napoleon chose that moment
to summon the dogs and what Orwell is suggesting about the difference between
rational argument and the use of violence. Get them to think about how the dogs
tip the balance of power – would any of the animals argue back now?
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Muriel’s diary
2. Students re-read from, ‘But just at this moment …’ to ‘… put an end to any
chance of discussion’, then write in character as Muriel. Write her diary entry
that covers the following events:

the expulsion of Snowball and how the animals felt as they watched

Napoleon’s announcement that meetings would be abolished and how the
animals reacted

the protest made by the four younger pigs and how it was dealt with

what impression this made on the animals. (AO1, AO4)
Squealer’s speech
3. Students work in pairs or small groups and re-read from ‘Afterwards Squealer
went round …’ to ‘… want Jones back?’
Study Squealer’s speech about the abolition of meetings.
There are two main strands to Squealer’s argument: the reason for banning
debates, and the character of Snowball.
Discuss and answer the following questions, getting students to support their
ideas with references and quotations from the text:
a. Squealer refers to Napoleon’s power grab using the words ‘sacrifice’ and
‘responsibility’. What is he trying to suggest to the animals about
Napoleon?
b. He says that if the animals were allowed to make their own decisions they
might make ‘the wrong decisions’. What is dubious about this argument?
c. Squealer refers to Snowball as ‘a criminal’ and his windmill as ‘moonshine’.
How does he dismiss the comment that Snowball fought bravely at The
Battle of the Cowshed?
d. Snowball tells the animals that the most important virtues are ‘loyalty and
obedience’ and that they need ‘iron discipline’. How do these qualities
make it easier for the pigs to stay in control?
Get students to discuss and write a short talk for the class on how this episode
marks a turning point in the novel. (AO1, AO2, AO4)
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Lesson 10
Reading
4. Students read Chapter 6 with a focus on the propaganda that has started to
become prevalent on the farm. (AO1)
Plenary activities
Orwell’s use of irony
1. Students work in pairs or small groups and look at the significance of the
following:

Napoleon’s choice to stand in the place Old Major made his speech in
Chapter 1.

The way the dogs ‘wagged their tails to him in the same way as the other
dogs had been used to do to Mr Jones.’.

The use of Old Major’s skull as a totem (the symbol of a tribe) just after
debates have been abolished.

The new seating arrangements in the barn.
Students share their ideas with the rest of the class. (AO2)
Boxer’s mottoes
2. Students work in pairs or small groups to examine Boxer’s mottoes.
They discuss what these mottoes, and his reaction to Squealer’s speech, tell the
reader about Boxer’s character.
Students share their ideas with the rest of the class. (AO1, AO2)
Extension activities/homework
The animals meet
1. Read the final two paragraphs of Chapter 5, which establish the pattern of an
announcement by Napoleon, followed by an explanation from Squealer.
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In groups students imagine the other animals have a meeting of their own away
from the pigs, dogs and sheep. Write the conversation they might have or
improvise through speech, including the following:

the surprise of Napoleon’s announcement that the windmill would be built

the fact that it would take more hard work – possibly with fewer rations

the length of time it would take

whether they believed it was really Napoleon’s idea, stolen by Snowball

whether they were really convinced by Squealer’s argument about ‘tactics’
or whether they were just frightened of the dogs.
They should set it out like a play script and try to keep the characters of the
animals true to the book. The students could then perform their conversations to
the rest of the class. (AO1, AO4)
Re-writing history
2. One of the main themes in this novel is the way that history is re-written to suit
the winning side.
Students look carefully through Squealer’s speeches and highlight where
Snowball’s character is gradually blackened and his role in the Rebellion and the
organising of the farm is undermined while Napoleon takes the credit for his
achievements. (AO2, AO3)
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Lesson 10
Resource 22
Democracy or Dictatorship?
Sort the following statements into ‘Democracy’ or ‘Dictatorship’ groups.
The leader of the party with
the most votes is in control,
but they have to be voted in.
Political parties represent
different points of view and
any one of them could be
voted in at an election.
There is just one leader
who had total control over
the country.
Propaganda is used to
convince the people that
everything the leader does is
right and for their own good.
There is freedom of speech.
Newspapers and websites
can print the truth,
sometimes criticising the
government.
The government and state
will try to control all
citizens and dictate how
they can spend their time.
People are free to choose
how they spend their time.
They can join political
groups, take part in protests,
join clubs etc.
There is only one political
party with no opposition or
elections.
People are usually only
shown websites or TV
programmes that the
government is happy for
them to watch.
Democracy
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Lesson 11
Chapter 6: Lesson 11
Starter activities
Divisions
1. In Chapter 6 we encounter:

overworking of the labouring class

luxuries enjoyed by the ruling class

spreading of propaganda to cover up government failure.
Display the above statements on the whiteboard. Put students into groups of
three, and number them one, two and three. Each person takes their
corresponding statement and explains to the others what the consequences of
these actions are. Encourage them to relate them to examples from the text
where they can. (AO2, AO3)
Manipulation and threats
2. As well as using manipulative language to ‘persuade’ the animals to carry out
orders, the pigs use other methods including the threats of hunger and violence.
Using Resource 23, ‘Persuasive’ techniques, students sort the extracts into three
groups depending on the ‘threat’. (AO2)
Main activities
Close text analysis
1. Working in pairs, students should examine the following section:
‘All that year the animals worked like slaves …’ to ‘… It was possible to foresee
that the coming winter would be a hard one.’ Use Resource 24, Animals’
attitudes to work, to guide the students through some close text analysis. (AO1,
AO2)
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Trading with humans
2. Students read from ‘The animals were not badly off throughout the summer …’ to
‘… after the singing of ‘Beasts of England’ the animals were dismissed,’ and then
work in pairs to design a pamphlet that will set out the need for trading to buy
essential supplies. It could include the following:

a list of items that were needed but could not be made on the farm

what would be traded in exchange for these items

how the transactions would be made through Whymper

diagrams and/or illustrations to show the animals how it would work. (AO1,
AO4)
Plenary activities
Mr Whymper
1. Students read from ‘Every Monday Mr Whymper visited the farm …’ to ‘… but
never, it was noticed, with both simultaneously.’
Display the following three statements to students and get them to discuss what
they tell us about Mr Whymper as a character:

He was a sly-looking little man with side whiskers.

… sharp enough to have realised earlier than anyone else that Animal Farm
would need a broker.

The animals watched his coming and going with a sense of dread. (AO1,
AO2)
What’s in a name?
2. Orwell has used the name Mr Whymper to tell us something about his character
and he does this throughout the novel with other characters.
Display a list of character names for students to consider – how does the name
help to reflect their characteristics?
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Lesson 11
Snowball
The pig who challenges Napoleon for leadership of the
farm.
Napoleon
A pig that controls the farm in military style by
intimidating and controlling the animals.
Squealer
The pig that spreads propaganda around the farm and
justifies the pigs’ behaviour.
Old Major
The old boar who gives the speech that inspires the
Rebellion and refers to the other animals as
‘comrades’.
Moses
The raven that spreads the myth of Sugarcandy
Mountain.
Boxer
The cart horse who is strong, dedicated and loyal.
Mollie
The vain mare who likes wearing ribbons and eating
sugar cubes.
(AO2)
Extension activities / homework
Letter writing
1. Students imagine Mr Pilkington’s wife was in touch with Mr Jones’s wife by letter.
The Joneses have moved to another part of the country. Write the letter in which
Mrs Pilkington tells Mrs Jones about the latest goings on at the farm. You should
include:

how the animals are building the windmill

the problems they are having

Napoleon’s decision to trade – and employ Whymper

what your husband and the other farmers are saying about Animal Farm.
(AO1, AO4)
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Squealer strikes again
2. Students re-read from ‘Afterwards Squealer made a round of the farm …’ to ‘…
were satisfied that they had been mistaken,’ where Squealer convinces the
animals once again that Napoleon is right.
List the four stages of his argument and look at how he uses rhetorical questions
to clinch his argument. They could use the following to structure their answer:

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

Rhetorical Question 1

Rhetorical Question 2

Rhetorical Question 3

Effect of rhetorical questions (AO2)
Windmill building
3. Students re-read from ‘The windmill presented unexpected difficulties …’ to ‘…
drag it down to the site of the windmill unassisted’ and work in pairs to create an
instruction leaflet entitled ‘How to Build a Windmill with Animal Labour’. It could
include the following:

how to break up stone from the quarry

how to convey the stone to the windmill site

how to use the stone for construction

diagrams and/or illustrations to go with the instructions. (AO1, AO2, AO4)
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Lesson 11
Resource 23
Persuasive techniques
The pigs use a number of techniques to ‘persuade’ the
other animals to carry out tasks, including manipulative
language, the threat of hunger and the threat of
violence.
Sort the following extracts depending on the technique
that’s being used.
Key
Manipulative language
Threat of hunger
Threat of violence
Extract
Technique
‘Nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came
bounding into the barn.’
‘They were huge dogs and fierce-looking as wolves.’
‘But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades,
and then where should we be?’
‘This extra task would mean very hard work; it might even be
necessary to reduce their rations.’
‘The three dogs who happened to be with him growled so
threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without
further questions.’
‘This work was strictly voluntary, but any animal who absented
himself from it would have his rations reduced by half.’
‘He [Napoleon] intended to take the whole burden upon his own
shoulders.’
‘The stores of food for the winter were none too plentiful.’
‘We will teach this miserable traitor that he cannot undo our
work so easily.’
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Lesson 11
Resource 24
Animals’ attitudes to work
Working in pairs read from ‘All that year the animals
worked like slaves… ‘ to ‘… It was possible to foresee
that the coming winter would be a hard one’.
1. Look at paragraph 1 and write one sentence, with a quotation, explaining how the
animals feel about the work they need to do on the farm and why the feel like
this.
grudged no
effort or
sacrifice
happy in
their work
2. Look at the announcement in paragraph 2 about Sunday work.
Why is the following quote ironic?
This work was strictly voluntary, but any animal who
absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by
half.
3. Now look at paragraphs 2 and 3.
a. What problems are caused by the animals having to devote so much time to
the windmill?
b. What problems are caused by the actual building of the windmill?
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Lesson 12
Chapter 6: Lesson 12
Starter activities
Propaganda posters
1. The use of propaganda starts to become more prevalent in this chapter. Using
Resource 25, Propaganda posters, show students some images of propaganda
posters. Get the students to discuss what the posters show and whether there are
any common themes, e.g. portraying images of trustful leaders, uniting images.
They should then discuss what Napoleon might put on a propaganda poster. (AO3)
Using language
2. Using language to manipulate and deceive is also used in this chapter. Show
students the following headlines that all relate to the same issue but are all
portraying a different message. Get them to pinpoint particular words or phrases
that are used which make the difference.

Daily Mail – Migrants: How many more we can take?

Daily Express – 1,300 migrants a day pour in

The Guardian – UK gains £20bn from EU migrants

The Independent – Impact of immigrants on British workers ‘negligible’

The Telegraph – Plight of migrants stirs Europe’s conscience

The Sun – Illegals have landed (AO3)
Main activities
Napoleon performs
1. Students work in small groups and look closely at paragraph 14, ‘With one
accord…’ to the end of the chapter.
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Lesson 12
They discuss how Orwell presents Napoleon’s denouncement of Snowball as a
dramatic performance. They should examine the following:

Napoleon’s actions

Napoleon’s words and tone of voice

the way in which he builds up to his final offer of a reward for Snowball’s
capture.
Get students to dramatise this part of the chapter, with a director giving
directions to the actor playing Napoleon, and to those playing the other animals
on how to react.(AO2)
Snowball takes the blame
2. Students work in pairs or small groups and discuss why Napoleon chooses to blame
Snowball for the destruction of the windmill. What political point might Orwell be
making here? They should then focus on the mysterious alteration to the Seven
Commandments. How has one of them been changed, and why? Students consider
who might be responsible for the change. (AO2, AO3)
Reading
Read Chapter 7 with a focus on how the blame is shifting to Snowball. (AO2)
Plenary activities
Performance
1. Choose some groups to perform their dramatisation of Napoleon’s speech. (AO1)
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Lesson 12
Propaganda phrases
2. Get students to think about the ‘propaganda’ that the animals use throughout the
book by matching the character with their slogan.
Napoleon
Forward, Comrades!
Boxer
Napoleon is always right!
Sheep
Four legs good, two legs bad!
Squealer
Surely none of you wishes to see Jones back?
(AO1)
Extension activities/homework
Wanted poster
1. Students design ‘Wanted’ posters for Snowball, either on paper or on the
computer. They should include:

a prominent picture of Snowball

why he is wanted

when and where he was last seen

who to contact and how to contact them. (AO4)
Writing a script
2. Students write scripts for a small section of ‘Crimewatch’ related to the supposed
destruction of the windmill by Snowball. They should include:

an introduction by a presenter

an account of the crime by a second presenter

a reconstruction – perhaps in cartoon format

a ‘photograph’ of the perpetrator

information about where and when he was last seen

who to contact and how to contact them. (AO4)
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Lesson 12
Resource 25
Propaganda posters
Victory for our Soviet Homeland’, 1945. Soviet propaganda poster Victor
Mekjantiev. / Credit: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group /
Copyright © © Universal Images Group / For Education Use Only. This and
millions of other educational images are available through Britannica
Image Quest. For a free trial, please visit www.britannica.co.uk/trial
Long Live the Komosol’, 1924. Soviet propaganda poster by
Alexander Samokhvalov. / Credit: Universal History
Archive/Universal Images Group / Copyright © Universal Images
Group / For Education Use Only. This and millions of other
educational images are available through Britannica Image
Quest. For a free trial, please visit www.britannica.co.uk/trial
Latvia and Soviet Union,Propaganda 1946 / Credit: akg Images / Universal
Images Group / Copyright © AKG Images / For Education Use Only. This
and millions of other educational images are available through Britannica
Image Quest. For a free trial, please visit www.britannica.co.uk/trial
Soviet Propaganda Poster / Credit: TASS \ Universal Images
Group / Copyright © Universal Images Group / For Education
Use Only. This and millions of other educational images are
available through Britannica Image Quest. For a free trial,
please visit www.britannica.co.uk/trial
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Lesson 12
Resource 25
Soviet Union / May Day propaganda /1930 / Credit: akg-images / Universal
Images Group / Copyright © akg-images / For Education Use Only. This and
millions of other educational images are available through Britannica
Image Quest. For a free trial, please visit www.britannica.co.uk/trial
Lenin lived, Lenin lives, Long live Lenin’, Soviet propaganda poster by
Viktor Semenovich Ivanov / Credit: Universal History Archive/Universal
Images Group / Copyright © Universal Images Group / For Education Use
Only. This and millions of other educational images are available through
Britannica Image Quest. For a free trial, please
visit www.britannica.co.uk/trial
© www.teachit.co.uk 2016
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Soviet Propaganda Poster / Credit: TASS \ Universal Images
Group / Copyright © Universal Images Group / For Education
Use Only. This and millions of other educational images are
available through Britannica Image Quest. For a free trial,
please visit www.britannica.co.uk/trial
Anniversary of October Revolution,Poster / Credit: akg Images
/ Universal Images Group / Copyright © AKG Images / For
Education Use Only. This and millions of other educational
images are available through Britannica Image Quest. For a
free trial, please visit www.britannica.co.uk/trial
Page 80 of 153
Lesson 13
Chapter 7: Lesson 13
Starter activities
Rebuilding the windmill
1. Focus on the extract from ‘It was a bitter winter ...’ to ‘… Starvation seemed to
stare them in the face’. Students should write bullet points to explain why the
windmill is being re-built, what will be changed and what problems the animals
are facing with it. Choose one or two students at random to add a bullet point to
the board until you have a good selection of responses. (AO2)
2. Ask the class, why might Napoleon want the animals to believe that Snowball was
responsible for the destruction of the windmill? Ideally you would elicit the idea
that Napoleon didn’t want them to question his power or authority so it was
better to blame it on Snowball. (AO1, AO2)
True or false?
3. Using the same extract as above students decide which of the following
statements are true or false, Resource 26, True or False?):
Statement
True
False
The cold weather did not matter as the previous harvest was good.
The animals had to live on chaff and mangels.
The animals did not feel the cold because their bellies were full.
They ran out of corn and had to eat potatoes.
They managed to work on the windmill just the same as before.
The potatoes had a disease that made them inedible.
The animals were most inspired by Squealer’s words.
It was Boxer who made the most impression on the animals.
(AO1)
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Main activities
Rebellious hens
1. Students read from ‘One Sunday morning …’ to ‘… once a week to take them
away,’ which focuses on the hens’ rebellion, and work in pairs or small groups to
do one of the following:
a. Draw and write a comic strip story showing the hens’ rebellion, starting with
Napoleon’s call for them to provide eggs for sale and ending with the van driving
the eggs to market.
b. Write the Rebellion as a short story with the brave hens standing up to the
dictator and being crushed. They will need to base this on the events in these
paragraphs, but add details such as names and characters for the hens, dialogue,
and imaginary details. The story should not exceed 500 words.
c. Imagine they are one of the hens, who is torn between loyalty to her sister hens
and loyalty to the farm which needs money to provide food for all the animals.
Write a monologue in which this hen expresses her thoughts and feelings about
the Rebellion as it continues. (AO2, AO4)
Damage caused by Snowball
2. After reading from ‘Suddenly, early in the spring,…’ to ‘… But Boxer was still a
little uneasy,’ students design a flyer to be circulated to all the animals about
Snowball’s activities and the harm he has supposedly caused. It should include the
following:

a list of the damage Snowball is alleged to have caused

other damage that he might cause that could be more serious

reports of his possible hiding places and his alliances with other farmers

what the animals should do to protect themselves and the farm

what the animals should do if they suspect Snowball is nearby. (AO2, AO4)
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Lesson 13
Plenary activities
What if…?
1. Students work in pairs or small groups and compose five sentences beginning
‘What if…’ about the events from the beginning of the chapter to ‘… one a week
to take them away.’ They share ideas with the class and discuss what might have
happened differently if circumstances had changed or different decisions had
been made. (AO1)
Peer marking
2. Students should ‘mark’ each other’s leaflets using the two stars and a wish
structure, i.e. two positive points and one area that could be improved. They
should be looking to ensure everything that should have been included in the
leaflet is in there.
Extension activities/homework
Investigation
1. Students read from ‘Napoleon decreed that there should be a full investigation
into Snowball’s activities, …’ to ‘… destroyed at the Battle of the Cowshed?’.
They dramatise these two scenes as a single scene in a new stage version of
Animal Farm. They decide whether to:
a. stage it as a full meeting of the animals with several of them reporting different
events until Napoleon enters and searches everywhere, finally declaring evidence
of Snowball
b. start with two or three characters discussing events and add other characters
entering with news of fresh events at intervals, finishing with Napoleon’s
declaration and perhaps a chorus of ‘Death to Snowball’
c. a different staging of their choice. (AO2)
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Lesson 13
How to bury bad news
2. Using Resource 27, ‘How to bury bad news’, students produce one of the
following:
a. An office style memo from Napoleon entitled ‘How to Bury Bad News’ in which he
tells the animals how to convince the outside world that Animal Farm has no
shortages.
b. A report from Whymper to Mr Frederick and Mr Pilkington, telling them what he
has seen at the farm and convincing them how well the animals are coping. (AO2,
AO4)
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Lesson 13
Resource 27
How to bury bad news
Napoleon and his entourage are experts at ‘burying’ bad news and
making things seem better than they are. Pretending you’re Napoleon,
write a memo to the other animals explaining why they must still give
the impression that the farm is a success, even if it isn’t!
There are some sentence starters to help you.
Memo
To:
From:
cc:
Date:
Re:
Animal
All Animals
Napoleon
Farm
Second Year of the Rebellion
How to bury Bad News
Comrades,
It is of the utmost importance that we pretend everything on the farm is going well because
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
We have had to overcome many problems, which have resulted in a food shortage. These
include
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
We are going to use Mr Whymper to help spread the news that the farm is doing well
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
To help give the impression that the farm is doing well, I would like you to
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
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Lesson 13
Resource 27
Napoleon has asked you (Mr Whymper) to write a report, letting the other farmers and
business owners know that Animal Farm is thriving. Complete the form making sure you
portray the farm as a ‘success’.
Report on Animal Farm (aka Manor Farm)
From Whymper and Whymper (Solicitors of Willingdon)
I visited the farm on
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
When I asked how the bad winter had affected them, Napoleon told me
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
I overheard some of the animals saying
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
When I went through the store rooms I noticed
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
My conclusion is
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
......................................................................................................
Signed ............................................................
On behalf of Whymper and Whymper.
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Lesson 14
Chapter 7: Lesson 14
Starter activities
Squealer’s sneaky tactics
1. Using Resource 28, Squealer’s sneaky tactics, students work in pairs or small
groups exploring the accusations Squealer makes against Snowball and the tactics
he uses to make sure the animals believe him. (AO2)
What really happened at the Battle of the Cowshed
2. Students work in pairs or small groups and re-read from ‘The animals were
stupefied …’ to ‘… lurking among us at this moment.’
They then look back at Chapter 4, and the description of the Battle of the
Cowshed (from ‘This had long been expected …’ to ‘… The boy did not stir.’) They
compare these quotations of Squealer’s account with what really happened:

‘He was Jones’s secret agent all the time.’

‘Snowball suddenly turned and fled, and many animals followed him.’

‘Comrade Napoleon sprang forward with a cry of ‘Death to Humanity!’ and
sank his teeth in Jones’s leg.’

‘That was part of the arrangement!’ cried Squealer. ‘Jones’s shot only
grazed him.’
Students find three quotations that describe the animals’ reactions to Squealer’s
account and discuss whether he has overreached himself with his propaganda – do
the animals believe him?
Students share ideas with the rest of the class. (AO1, AO2)
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Lesson 14
Main activities
The purges
1. Students watch a short video clip about Stalin’s purges before doing the activities
in this section. It can be found at:
history.com/topics/joseph-stalin/videos/stalinspurges?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false
NB There are some upsetting images in this video so we advise you to watch it
before showing your class, to check it is suitable. Alternatively, you could just
listen to the audio.
Students read from ‘Presently the tumult died down …’ to ‘… I shall get up a full
hour earlier in the mornings,’ focusing on the confessions and executions of
various animals. They work in small groups to discuss how this is similar to Stalin’s
purges.
They then prepare two different online newspaper lead stories:
a. The Truth – Napoleon’s version of Pravda which will give the ‘official’
account of the traitors’ confessions and executions.
b. Liberty – an imaginary underground newspaper that circulates in secret and
gives the real account of the false confessions and mass slaughter of
animals who dared to question the regime. (AO2, AO4)
How do the animals feel?
2. Students work in groups of three or four and read from ‘When it was all over …’ to
‘… she lacked the words to express them,’ focusing on the aftermath of the
slaughter and the shock and distress of the animals.
Give students some time to make notes about how their particular animal might
feel then they should improvise the conversation.
They discuss the animals’ reactions and feelings, including Boxers. Each member
of the group is allocated an animal and they should improvise a conversation
explaining their thoughts about what has happened.
For the purpose of this exercise, they may imagine that Benjamin is willing to
express his opinions for once. (AO1, AO2)
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Lesson 14
Reading
Read Chapter 8 with a focus on Napoleon’s increasing dominance. (AO1)
Plenary activities
Thought tunnels
Get students into two lines facing each other. Each student takes it in turn to
walk through the line as a ‘character’ from the book. As they walk slowly along
the line, the other students voice that character’s thoughts about the slaughters.
Do they notice any similarities between the characters? (AO1)
Squealer deceives
Match students up so those that created a story for The Truth should swap theirs
with a classmate who wrote a story for Liberty. They should read the story and
try to identify where they have a raised similar point but expressed it in opposing
ways. (AO3)
Extension activities/homework
Clover’s diary
1. Students explore Clover’s thoughts as she looks over Animal Farm, then write a
diary entry about the day’s events and her feelings as she looks back to Old
Major’s speech. (AO2, AO4)
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Lesson 14
Guide to dictatorship
2. Students write ‘Napoleon’s Guide to Dictatorship’ using this chapter and details
from previous chapters to help them. They should include:

how to use idealism to overthrow the previous rulers

how to gain control of the food supplies – vital and therefore a valuable
tool

how to form an elite secret service to eliminate opposition

how to use symbols for your own purposes

how to use propaganda and the re-writing of history for your purpose

how to spread fear through creating a common enemy so you can be seen
as a protector.
They could illustrate it with suitably ‘patriotic’ pictures or pictures designed to
create fear or repulsion. (AO2, AO4)
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Lesson 14
Resource 28
Squealer’s sneaky tactics
Read from ‘Comrades! Cried Squealer …’ to ‘…
destroyed at the Battle of the Cowshed,’ in Chapter 7.
1. Find two accusations that Squealer makes about Snowball and one alleged piece
of evidence that Squealer mentions in support of these accusations.
a. .............................................................................................
.............................................................................................
b. .............................................................................................
.............................................................................................
2. Discuss what factors Squealer is relying on to make the animals believe him from
the list below. Rate each statement from 1 to 5, where 1 is the weakest and 5 is
the strongest tactic.
Statement
Rating
Squealer is safe mentioning documents as the animals can’t
read.
The animals will believe Squealer because he tells the truth.
The animals have already been brainwashed about Snowball’s
supposed wickedness.
The animals will not remember what Snowball was really
like.
The animals will pretend to believe Squealer because they
are afraid of the dogs.
None of the animals liked Snowball when he was at the farm.
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Lesson 15
Chapter 8: Lesson 15
Starter activities
60 second challenge
1. Students are given 60 seconds to write down three events from the previous
chapter which reflect the changes happening on the farm and number them in
order of importance. They compare ideas with three or four other students and
then three are chosen at random to write one of their events on the board. (AO1)
Twisting the figures
2. The pigs really start to manipulate and twist the facts in this chapter to give a
false impression of the farm’s success. Get students to write a sentence about the
following topics, manipulating the figures or adding embellishment to make them
sound better than they are.
For example:

unemployment figures

students passing exams

school sports fixture results, e.g. football/netball. (AO3)
Main activities
The rise of Napoleon
1. Using Resource 30, The cult of Napoleon students start to explore the
development of Napoleon as a ‘cult’ figure and compare his actions with those of
Stalin.
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Lesson 15
Lying pigs
2. The pigs continue to manipulate the rest of the animals in this chapter. Resource
31, Manipulation of facts contains key extracts that students should plot on a line
from ‘Stretching the truth’ to ‘Bare faced lie’. They then explore why the pigs
need to lie and how important Snowball is to Napoleon’s rise. (AO2, AO3)
Plenary activities
Windmill joy
1. The building of the windmill represents Stalin’s ‘five year plans’ which set
impossible targets for the production of agricultural and manufactured goods.
Find three quotations that express the animals’ feelings about the finished
windmill. (AO1, AO2)
Just a minute!
2. Put students into pairs and ask them to talk about what they’ve learnt from the
book so far. They have a one minute time limit and it’s up to you how strict you
want to be with regards to not allowing repetition or deviation! (AO1)
Extension activities/homework
Birthday celebrations
1. Students imagine it is Napoleon’s fifth anniversary as leader, and write the
following:

a greetings card

a banner

Squealer’s speech at the celebrations.
These should all contain appropriately flattering messages. (AO4)
Writing task
2. Students should write Napoleon’s speech after the completion of the windmill,
then write Squealer’s reply on behalf of the animals. Neither speech should
exceed 200 words. (AO2, AO4)
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Lesson 15
Resource 30
The cult of Napoleon
Joseph Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union and it is
Napoleon who represents him in this text. Stalin controlled
the propaganda so well that he gained a ‘cult’ following of
people. Even though most people were miserable under
Stalin’s rule, and lots of people died, he made sure the press
only ever said good things about him. They started to call him
the Father of Nations and he became the focus of literature,
poetry, music and paintings.
Complete the column headed ‘Napoleon’ with references
and/or quotations to show the way in which Orwell has used
Stalin’s cult of personality.
Stalin
Napoleon
The cult of processions and icons,
taken from religion.
The use of the title ‘father’ and the
idea of the Soviets people as his
‘children’.
The writing of poems or songs in
Stalin’s praise.
The re-writing of history to give Stalin
a more important role in the struggle
for freedom.
Fear of retribution made people afraid
to speak against Stalin so it seemed
everyone worshipped him.
The publishing of letters from ordinary
people praising Stalin and attributing
their success to him.
The awarding of various titles, such as
‘Great’, ‘Beloved’ etc. that made it
appear Stalin was loved and admired.
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Lesson 15
Resource 31
Manipulation of facts
The pigs regularly manipulate facts to their
advantage. ‘Plot’ the below along the timeline,
with least to most manipulation running from left to
right. As you read the rest of the novel you can add
further examples of your own.
A. Napoleon has taken on the burden of leadership and eliminated voting only
because he feared that the animals might make the wrong decisions.
B. Napoleon opposed the windmill just to get rid of Snowball, who was a bad
influence.
C. Napoleon announces Animal Farm will start trading with humans, not for
commercial use but for the benefit of the windmill.
D. The animals have misremembered the fourth Commandment and it actually reads
‘No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets’.
E. Napoleon announces that Snowball destroyed the windmill.
F. Snowball is blamed for lots of things going wrong on the farm.
G. The production figures are higher than ever.
Stretching
the truth
Bare faced lie
When you have plotted the statements, write a paragraph explaining why the pigs need
to manipulate the facts so much and how useful it is having Snowball as a scapegoat for
Napoleon.
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Lesson 16
Chapter 8: Lesson 16
Starter activities
Accusations against Frederick
1. Students work in pairs or small groups. Using the paragraph starting ‘At about the
same time it was given out that Napoleon had arranged …’ students have two
minutes to list all the accusations made against Frederick in this paragraph.
Get students to feed back their answers. (AO1)
Animalism charades
2. Remind students of the original Commandments by getting them to play
Animalism charades. Put students into pairs. One person should mime one of the
original Seven Commandments to their partner, a bit like charades, until the
partner guesses which Commandment they are miming. They then swap and keep
swapping until all the Commandments have been guessed. (AO1)
Main activities
The Battle of the Windmill
1. Students read from ‘The very next morning the attack came …’ to ‘… the
unfortunate affair of the bank notes was forgotten,’ the section focusing on the
Battle of the Windmill.
The Battle of the Windmill is said to represent the Battle of Moscow (1941-1942).
It followed the sudden invasion of the Soviet Union by Hitler, breaking the nonaggression pact. The German forces nearly succeeded but were defeated by the
Russian winter and a furious Soviet counter-attack.
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Lesson 16
Working in pairs, students imagine one of them is involved as an onlooker in the
battle on the animals’ side, the other on Frederick’s side, and both are texting
updates to a friend as it continues. Each text should convey:

a stage in the battle

a comment on the action

a comment on the feelings or thoughts of the animals/men

a comment on the onlooker’s thoughts and/or feelings. (AO2, AO3)
How Animalism has changed
2. Students work in pairs or small groups. The alteration to two of the
Commandments takes place in this chapter. Students remind themselves of the
original Commandments in Chapter 2 and then create a spider diagram to show
how the pigs have re-written the principles of Animalism and the history of events
for their own purposes.
Students share their ideas with the class. (AO2)
Reading
3. Read Chapter 9 with a focus on the changing social order. (AO1)
Plenary activities
Irony in victory
1. Students work in pairs or small groups and re-read the account of the victory
celebrations in paragraphs 21-23. They discuss how Orwell uses irony in the
following:

Squealer’s ‘unaccountable’ absence during the battle

his dismissal of the windmill’s destruction and the assertion they could
build six more

his statement that the victory was due to Napoleon’s leadership

‘Napoleon himself’ heading the funeral procession

the gift of an apple to every animal

the creation of The Order of the Green Banner.
Students write their comments with evidence and share them with the class.
(AO1, AO2)
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Reality vs ‘spin’
2. Sort the following words from the battle into two groups. One group should
reflect the reality of the animals’ situation after the defeat. The other group
should reflect what happens after Squealer has ‘spun’ the truth and convinced
the animals that they had in fact ‘won’ the battle. Compare the differences
between the two groups of words and discuss how effective Squealer is at
manipulating their thoughts. (AO2)
weary
solemn
bleeding
victory
limp
celebrations
tears
songs
dead
speeches
sorrowful
gifts
destroyed
rejoicings
Extension activities/homework
War memorial
1. Students design an appropriate war memorial for the animals killed in the Battle
of the Cowshed. It should have the following:

a suitable statue or other sculpture

the names and species of the dead

an appropriate inscription - perhaps a quotation from Napoleon

the name and date of the battle in which they died

some lines from a poem – maybe composed by Minimus. (AO1, AO4)
Press release
2. Students prepare two press releases for the local newspapers:
a. one that reports the battle from the animals’ point of view
b. one that reports the battle from Frederick’s point of view
Both sides should claim victory. (AO1, AO4)
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Lesson 17
Chapter 9: Lesson 17
Starter activities
Injured Boxer
1. Students work in pairs or small groups and re-read paragraph 1. They are given
three minutes in which to discuss and write five bullet points on Boxer’s attitude
to his injury.
They share ideas with the class. (AO1, AO2)
New order
2. The new social order is confirmed in this chapter with the pigs now totally
separate from the other animals. Give students another example of when the
social order is clearly set. You could hand out or display the following groups of
people that appear on Britain’s Got Talent and get students to arrange them so
they reflect the ‘social order’ of the programme.
Simon Cowell
Ant and Dec
The other judges
The contestants
Have a whole class discussion about the animals on the farm. What is the social
order there? (AO3)
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Main activities
New social order
1. Students work in small groups to discuss what the following quotations suggest
about the new social order on the farm. They should put them in order of most to
least important in how they show the new order on the farm.
They should focus on the action being described, who it affects, whether it will
affect future processes etc. (AO1, AO2)
Once again all
rations were
reduced, except
those of the pigs
and the dogs.
… when a pig and
any other animal
met on the path,
the other animal
must stand aside.
… in those days they had
been slaves and now they
were free.
… the young pigs …
were discouraged
from playing with
the other young
animals.
Rations, reduced in
December, were
reduced again in
February… But the pigs
seemed comfortable
enough, and in fact were
putting on weight if
anything.
… every pig was now
receiving a ration of
a pint of beer daily,
with half a gallon
for Napoleon
himself ….
Moses returns
2. Students work in pairs or small groups to discuss the possible reasons for Moses
the Raven’s return and his toleration by the pigs, who don’t believe his stories, in
the context of Stalin’s behaviour after the Battle of Moscow.
Joseph Stalin revived the Russian Orthodox Church to intensify
patriotic support for the war effort and presented Russia as a
defender of Christian civilization, because he saw the church
had an ability to arouse the people in a way that the party could
not and because he wanted western help.
Students use their notes to create a new home page for Moses’ website reflecting
his ideas. They could base it on the following quotations:
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‘Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a
heartless world, just as it is the soul of a soulless situation. It is
the opium of the people.’
Karl Marx.
‘Their lives now, they reasoned, were hungry and laborious; was
it not right and just that a better world should exist somewhere
else?’
Animal Farm, Chapter 9. (AO3, AO4)
Plenary activities
Tennis
1. Play a game of class tennis. Give a student one of the following topics, ask them
to say something about it – this could be a plot point, a character observation or a
general analysis. When they have said something they nominate another student
to offer a point. When you have run out of things to say, move on to the next
topic. Try to keep a quick pace!

New class structure on the farm

Squealer’s use of figures

Clover’s view of Boxer

The return of Moses

Napoleon’s many children

The hardship of their lives (AO1, AO2, AO3)
Quiz time
2. Test students’ knowledge with a quick pub-style PowerPoint quiz using Resource
33, Quiz. (AO2)
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Extension activities/homework
Guide to maintaining the social order
1. Students write Napoleon and Squealer’s guide to keeping the lower animals in
their place. They should include:

reducing rations for them while increasing them for pigs

ensuring respect for the pigs

the use of ceremonies to keep them happy

the work of Moses for the animals who believe

keeping them too busy to create trouble

using statistics and lies to convince them they are better off.
They can put this into a pamphlet, a letter or a cartoon strip. (AO2, AO4)
New republic
2. Students should consider why Animal Farm becomes a Republic. The difference
from the founding of Animal Farm was that it was a socialist democracy.
In a republic the sovereignty is in each individual person.
In a democracy the sovereignty is in the group.
Bearing this in mind, students should do the following:
a. design a poster for Napoleon’s election as president of the new republic
b. write a speech for Squealer in which he convinces the animals that their
lives will be better under a Republic with President Napoleon.
(AO2, AO3)
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Resource 33
We’ve included a screenshot of this PowerPoint here so you can see
the resource. To access this resource please log in to the Teachit
English website and type ‘26520’ into the search bar.
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Resource 33
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Resource 33
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Resource 33
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Lesson 18
Chapter 9: Lesson 18
Starter activities
Epitaphs and obituaries
1. Using Resource 34, Epitaphs and obituaries show students a selection of epitaphs
and obituaries. Get them to highlight the words or phrases that are common
throughout. Have a whole class discussion about the sort of language used. (AO3)
Changes in Boxer
2. Students work in pairs or small groups and are given three minutes to brainstorm
the changes in Boxer in the paragraph from ‘After his hoof had healed up …’ to ‘…
so long as a good store of stone was accumulated before he went on pension’.
They share ideas with the class. (AO2)
Main activities
Writing Boxer’s epitaph and obituary
1. Students read the paragraph where Napoleon speaks about Boxer and do the
following:

write an epitaph for Boxer’s gravestone

write an obituary for Boxer for The Willingdon Times. (AO2, AO4)
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Persuasive Squealer
2. Students work in pairs or small groups and read from ‘Three days later …’ to the
end of the chapter. They discuss how Squealer convinces the animals that Boxer
had been properly cared for. They look at how and why Squealer uses the
following techniques:

graphic (though fictitious) description of Boxer’s last moments

emotional tears

pretend anger

explanation of the sign on the van. (AO2)
Reading
3. Read Chapter 10, focusing on how the situation on the farm has come full circle.
(AO1, AO2)
Plenary activities
Freeze framing
1. Students work in groups of five or six and produce freeze frames for:

Boxer’s collapse

the moment Benjamin reads the sign on the van

Boxer’s memorial procession.
(AO2)
Boxer’s contribution
2. In pairs students think about Boxer’s contribution to the farm. One student gives
one sentence about Boxer’s contribution or a word to describe him, the second
student then does the same. Give students two minutes for this activity and
encourage them to be ‘quick fire’.
They share ideas with the rest of the class. (AO2)
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Extension activities/homework
Napoleon’s speech
1. Students write Napoleon’s speech at the Sunday meeting. They write it as a
eulogy (a speech made in praise of a dead person at their funeral). It should
contain all the contributions Boxer made to Animal Farm and finish with the
announcement of the sending of the laurel wreath. The speech should be around
200 words and include references and quotations from the text. (AO2, AO4)
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Resource 34
Epitaphs and obituaries

An epitaph is a phrase written in memory of a person that is inscribed into their
tombstone.

An obituary is a notice of death that appears in a newspaper. This usually consists
of a biography of the person and their achievements in life.
Look at the following examples and highlight any words or phrases that are common
throughout. What sort of language is used?
Provincetown, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. / Credit: Darlyne A. Murawski / National Geographic Society / Universal Images Group /
Copyright © National Geographic Society / For Education Use Only. This and millions of other educational images are available through
Britannica Image Quest. For a free trial, please visit www.britannica.co.uk/trial
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Resource 34
Provincetown, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. / Credit: Darlyne A. Murawski / National Geographic Society / Universal Images Group /
Copyright © National Geographic Society / For Education Use Only. This and millions of other educational images are available through
Britannica Image Quest. For a free trial, please visit www.britannica.co.uk/trial
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Resource 34
The Times. The obituary of Mr. Coleridge-Taylor. Image taken from The Times. Originally published/produced in 2nd September 1912.
2nd September 1912. / Credit: British Library / Universal Images Group / Copyright © The British Library / For Education Use Only. This
and millions of other educational images are available through Britannica Image Quest. For a free trial, please
visit www.britannica.co.uk/trial
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Resource 34
PETER GUTHRIE TAIT - (1831-1901). Scottish physicist and mathematician. Obituary from an English newspaper of 1901. / Credit:
The Granger Collection / Universal Images Group / Copyright © The Granger Collection / For Education Use Only. This and millions of
other educational images are available through Britannica Image Quest. For a free trial, please visit www.britannica.co.uk/trial
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Lesson 19
Chapter 10: Lesson 19
Starter activities
Changes in the animals
1. Students read from the beginning of the chapter to ‘… but it was doubtful
whether they understood very much of it’. Give them three minutes to write
down the changes that have happened among the animals throughout the book
and the attitudes of the new farm animals.
They share ideas with the class. (AO1, AO2)
What happened to the animals?
2. Using Resource 35, What happened to the animals? students should sort the
characters into different groups, depending on what state they’re now in. (AO2)
Main activities
Coming full circle
1. Using Resource 36, Coming full circle students work in pairs to match quotations
from the beginning chapters of the book against those from the end of the book
and think about what has changed for the better and what has got worse. (AO2)
Map of the farm
2. Using Resource 37, Map of the farm students should mark on the map where key
events have taken place throughout the book adding notes and quotes. (AO1,
AO2)
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Plenary activities
Themes in the text
1. Students work in pairs to complete an acrostic of Animal Farm that mirrors the
themes of the novel.
They share ideas with the class. (AO2, AO3)
Key themes
2. Students work in small groups to analyse the word cloud of Chapter 10 on
Resource 38, word cloud. They group words into large (most often used) medium
(fairly often used) or small (least used) and discuss what this shows about the
importance of the concepts or themes.
They share ideas with the class. (AO2)
Extension activities
Coat of arms
1. Using Resource 39, Coat of arms show students a selection of coats of arms. They
should then make their own for Animal Farm. Students write a description of
their coat of arms and their reasons for choosing the various elements
underneath. (AO2, AO4)
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Resource 35
What happened to the animals?
Sort the characters into the appropriate groups.
Dead / forgotten
Clover
Boxer
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Overfed but happy
Napoleon
Squealer
Muriel
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Bluebell
Tired and hungry
Jessie
Pincher
Benjamin
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Lesson 19
Resource 36
Coming full circle
One of Orwell’s goals in writing Animal Farm was to
portray the Russian Revolution and show that often a
rebellion doesn’t change things for the ‘workers’, in fact
they can often be worse off than before.
Match up the quotations on the left (taken from the
beginning of the book) with those on the right (taken
from the last chapter).
1. Our lives are miserable,
laborious, and short.
Some day it [the Rebellion] was coming.
2. Man is the only creature
that consumes without
producing.
… from pig to man again; but it was
impossible to say which was which.
3. I do not know when the
Rebellion will come.
They were generally hungry, they slept on
straw, they drank from the pool, they
laboured in the fields.
4. Jones will sell you to
the knacker.
Boxer was forgotten.
5. All the habits of man
are equal.
Neither pigs nor dogs produced any food by
their own labour.
Thinking about the whole chapter, complete the following table. In the left-hand column
write the things that have got better, in the middle column the things that have stayed
the same and in the right-hand column the things that have got worse.
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Resource 36
Better
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Worse
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Stayed the same
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Resource 37
Animal Farm map
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Resource 38
Word cloud
Look at the words taken from Chapter 10. Group the words into large (which are the
most often used) medium (which are fairly often used) or small (which are the least
used) and discuss what this shows about the importance of the concepts or themes.
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Resource 39
Coat of arms
Use the following examples to inspire your own Animal Farm coat of arms.
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Lesson 20
Chapter 10: Lesson 20
Starter activities
Structure
1. Students re-read the paragraphs starting ‘It was just after the sheep had
returned’ down to ‘…the pigs had marched back into the farmhouse.’
There are two paragraphs that are given a single line each. Students should
brainstorm ideas about why this might be and what effect it has. (AO2)
Pig or human?
2. Using Resource 40, Pig or human? students either draw or label the image with
the human characteristics that the pigs have taken on. (AO2)
Main activities
Different viewpoints
1. Students work in groups of three, each person looking at the chapter from the
viewpoint of one of the following:
a. Mr. Pilkington
b. Napoleon
c. Clover
Students make notes on how ‘they’ feel about the events in this chapter. They
then share their ideas as a group. Each group then sends one person to another
group to share their ideas. (AO2)
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Revising the main characters
2. Students work in small groups and use the questions cards in Resource 41,
Familiar with the farm to look at the main characters in the novel. (AO1, AO2)
Totalitarian state
3. Using the pig outline on Resource 40, Pig or human? students should add quotes
and notes around the images that explain how the pigs have created a totalitarian
state. (AO2, AO3)
Plenary activities
Facebook update
1. Students who have completed the first main activity could use their notes and
ideas to write a Facebook update for their character.
They share ideas with the class. (AO2, AO4)
Final Commandment
2. Discuss the final Commandment that has been amended to ‘All animals are equal
but some are more equal than others’. What is this significance of this? (AO1,
AO2)
Extension activities/homework
Whole novel structure
1. Students examine the structure of the whole novel using Resource 42, Plotting the
rise and fall and doing the activities. (AO1, AO2)
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Author’s intention
2. Students look at the extract from Orwell’s letter below to the editor of Politics
magazine in the USA. They should write a paragraph in response to Orwell’s
claims. Do they agree with what he’s said, are there any other points in the novel
that could have been turning points? (AO1, AO2, AO3)
Of course I intended it primarily as a satire on the Russian
revolution. But I did mean it to have a wider application in so
much that I meant that that kind of revolution (violent
conspiratorial revolution, led by unconsciously power-hungry
people) can only lead to a change of masters. I meant the moral
to be that revolutions only effect a radical improvement when
the masses are alert and know how to chuck out their leaders as
soon as the latter have done their job. The turning-point of the
story was supposed to be when the pigs kept the milk and apples
for themselves. If the other animals had had the sense to put
their foot down then, it would have been all right.
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Resource 40
Pig or human?
Label or draw on the image below, showing the human characteristics that the pigs have
adopted.
Squealer
Napoleon
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Resource 41
Familiar with the farm
Card 1 – Napoleon
Card 2 – Squealer
1. What does his name suggest?
2. What contribution does Napoleon make to
the revolution?
3. How does he behave towards Snowball?
4. How does he communicate with the other
animals?
5. How does he finally seize power?
6. What is his view of the farm and the other
animals?
7. How does he behave over the windmill?
8. Why does he make Animal Farm a republic?
9. How does he behave towards his
neighbours over trade?
10. How does he treat Boxer when he becomes
ill?
11. What human behaviour does he imitate
towards the end of the novel?
12. What is his final act of betrayal?
1. What does his name suggest?
2. What role does he have after the Rebellion?
3. How does he teach the sheep about
Animalism?
4. How does he explain the missing milk and
apples?
5. What does he tell the animals about the
reason for building the windmill?
6. How and why does he change the
Commandments?
7. What is his explanation for the windmill’s
destruction?
8. How does he create an atmosphere of fear
and mistrust about Snowball’s supposed
visits to the farm?
9. How does he present Napoleon to the other
animals?
10. How does he prevent the animals
questioning their situation?
11. Where does his loyalty lie?
12. Why do the other animals believe him?
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Resource 41
Card 3 – Boxer
Card 4 – Snowball
1. What is his role in the Rebellion?
2. What is his personal motto?
3. How does he set an example to the animals
after the Rebellion?
4. What is his main asset?
5. What is his main drawback?
6. How does he respond to Napoleon?
7. What is his attitude towards Snowball’s
expulsion?
8. How does he defend Snowball against
Squealer?
9. What is his relationship with Clover?
10. How does he feel about Benjamin?
11. What is the final reward for all his loyalty
and hard work?
12. How is his death presented to the other
animals?
1. What does his name suggest?
2. What part did he play in the Rebellion?
3. What was his role in the Battle of the
Cowshed?
4. How does he use his writing and drawing
skills?
5. How does he make use of the books in the
farmhouse?
6. Why does he suggest a windmill would be
useful?
7. What is his vision for the farm?
8. Why does he pose a threat to Napoleon?
9. How does Napoleon get rid of him?
10. How do Napoleon and Squealer use
Snowball after he has gone?
11. What do the other animals think of Snowball
a. at the Battle of the Cowshed?
b. after Napoleon links him with Jones?
Card 5 – Clover
Card 6 – Moses
1. What does Clover’s protection of the lost
ducklings at the first meeting suggest about
her?
2. What does she tell Mollie?
3. How does she question the changing
Commandments?
4. What is her relationship with Boxer?
5. How does Clover react to the executions?
6. What doubts does she have about where the
revolution has taken them after the deaths?
7. How does she help Boxer with his wounds
after the Battle of the Windmill?
8. What does she try and persuade Boxer to do
then?
9. How does she react to Boxer’s collapse?
10. Why does she lead the way to the farmhouse
at the end of the book?
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
What does his name suggest?
What is his relationship with Jones?
What is his role on Manor Farm?
What promises does he make to the
animals?
How does Jones reward him?
What happens to him after the Rebellion?
When and why does he return to the farm?
What is his relationship with the pigs after
he comes back?
What does he tell the animals he has seen
on his travels?
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Lesson 20
Resource 41
Suggested answers
Napoleon
1.
His name is the same as that of Napoleon Bonaparte who was a dictator and Emperor.
2.
He makes little or no contribution to the Rebellion except to enter the farmhouse and send for
paint. He and Snowball are mentioned together and it is Napoleon who prevents them touching
the milk.
3.
Snowball does the organisation and Napoleon ignores it all, except to collect the puppies and
hide them away. Gradually there are many arguments between them and Napoleon trains the
pigs to start bleating when he is losing an argument. He is scornful about the windmill and
when Snowball wins the animals over, he sets his dogs on him and drives him from the farm by
force.
4.
He takes control of the farm using the dogs and the sheep to silence opposition.
5.
He communicates with the animals through Squealer, who is very persuasive. Occasionally he
makes a prepared speech, but often does not appear at all.
6.
He treats the farm like his personal kingdom and the animals like slaves, using Squealer to tell
lies and the dogs to terrorise any who oppose him.
7.
He makes Animal Farm a republic so he can become President and increase his personal power.
8.
He plays his trading partners off against each other, although this misfires on him. He uses the
money to get more riches for the pigs, while the other animals starve.
9.
He sells Boxer to the knackers and uses the money to buy alcohol and brewing equipment.
10. Finally he begins to walk on his hind legs, wear clothes and carry a whip. He forms an alliance
with his human neighbours and turns into a human being as he re-names the farm ‘Manor Farm’
again.
Squealer
1.
His name suggests the noise made by a pig, but also means one who ‘squeals’ or betrays others.
2.
He becomes the pigs’ mouthpiece or go-between, explaining their actions so that they seem
justified, even when they are clearly not.
3.
He explains that the pigs need the milk and apples because it has been scientifically proved
that they are necessary for pigs’ health and the pigs need to stay healthy because they are
brain workers who run everything. Without this Jones would come back.
4.
He explains that Snowball stole the idea for the windmill from plans drawn up by Napoleon and
Napoleon pretended to be against the windmill in order to get rid of Snowball’s bad influence.
5.
He changes the Commandments by adding phrases at the end where necessary to support
Napoleon’s actions and convincing the animals their memories are faulty.
6.
He explains the destruction of the windmill as Snowball’s doing and creates an atmosphere of
fear by saying that Snowball is a traitor with many agents spying on the farm. Every misfortune
is blamed on Snowball and ‘traitors’ are found who make false confessions before being
executed.
7.
He presents Napoleon to the animals as the main hero of all the battles and the saviour of the
Rebellion, to whose wise rule they owe their freedom and their food.
8.
He prevents the animals questioning their situation by blinding them with a blizzard of facts
and figures supposedly proving that things are better than ever.
9.
His loyalty lies totally with Napoleon, which is in his own best interests. He has no conscience
and is happy to send Boxer to his death for daring to question his lies about Snowball, and then
to give a deceitful speech about Boxer’s peaceful death in hospital afterwards.
10. The other animals believe him because they have no other source of information except their
memories, which they don’t trust any longer because of his lies and his twisting of the past.
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Resource 41
Boxer
1.
He helps the Rebellion firstly by learning Animalism from the pigs and passing it on to the other
animals using simple arguments. He uses his strength to knock a stable boy unconscious, but is
terribly upset when he thinks he has killed him. He is a gentle giant.
2.
His personal motto is ‘I will work harder’.
3.
He sets an example to the others by getting up earlier than them and working until later.
4.
His main asset is his enormous strength, which he uses for the good of the community,
especially when building the windmill. He is also very loyal to the farm.
5.
His main drawback is his lack of intelligence, which prevents him from seeing what the pigs are
really like.
6.
His reaction to Napoleon is admiration for his cleverness and it leads him to adopt a second
motto, ‘Napoleon is always right.’
7.
He also admires Snowball, both for his brains and for the courage he shows at the Battle of the
Cowshed.
8.
He defends Snowball against Squealer by saying that he does not believe he is a traitor and that
he fought bravely at the Battle of the Cowshed. It is only when he hears that Napoleon has
announced that Snowball is a traitor that he gives in. He is worried by Snowball’s expulsion
and the banning of debate, and feels that questions need to be asked but he can’t think of the
right words.
9.
He and Clover are very close and have the same ideas and attitudes for the most part.
10. He is fond of Benjamin although he thinks he is a gloomy creature who should be more
cheerful.
11. The reward for his tremendous work and unfailing loyalty is to be sent away to the glue factory
so the pigs can buy more alcohol.
12. His death is presented as a peaceful hero’s death with Napoleon telling lies about sending a
wreath for his grave and saying that all animals should adopt his maxims.
Snowball
1.
His name suggests both purity and something that doesn’t last.
2.
He works tirelessly for the Rebellion, teaching the other animals and writing out the
Commandments. He has the best ideas and a clear vision of how to realise Old Major’s dream,
although he is happy to take the milk and apples with the other pigs.
3.
He shows himself as a true leader at the Battle of the Cowshed, being compared with Julius
Caesar, whose campaigns he uses as a blueprint. He is also brave, attacking Jones despite
being shot by him.
4.
He uses his writing skills to display the Commandments and to re-christen the farm.
5.
He also draws up complicated plans for building the windmill, using various books from the
farmhouse.
6.
He wants to create electricity using the windmill to drive a generator, so that the animals
would have machines to do some of their work and some luxury in their stalls. He wants to
improve their lives.
7.
His vision for the farm is a prosperous happy place, where the animals would produce enough
food for everyone with the minimum of labour and have leisure time to enjoy themselves.
8.
He poses a threat to Napoleon’s desire to seize power for himself and enrich himself at the
expense of the others.
9.
Napoleon uses brute force, in the shape of the dogs, to drive Snowball from the farm – he only
just escapes with his life.
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10. Napoleon and Squealer then gradually blacken Snowball’s memory and turn him into a cowardly
traitor with undercover agents trying to destroy Animal Farm.
11. At first the other animals support Snowball, because he was the hero of the Battle of the
Cowshed and he promised them a new and splendid way of life, but as time goes on Squealer
persuades them that their memories are faulty and they believe the lies he spreads. He is used
as a threat to keep the others unified against him, rather than the humans.
Clover
1.
Clover is shown protecting a brood of lost ducklings, which suggests her kind and motherly
feelings towards the other animals. She and Boxer are careful where they put their great
hooves in case they tread on a smaller creature.
2.
She tries to persuade Mollie that it is wrong to want ribbons and sugar and to communicate
with humans – without much success.
3.
She is troubled by the fact that she remembers rules laid down by Old Major and agreed by the
animals, which seem to be changing, but she blames her faulty memory.
4.
She and Boxer are very close and agree on most things, although Clover is more questioning
than Boxer.
5.
She is terribly upset by the executions and cannot believe such things are happening. She is
the focal point for the other unhappy animals and she starts the singing of ‘Beasts of England’
for comfort, until that too is banned,
6.
She wonders what the Rebellion has all been for if it ends with animals killing each other but
she has to accept it.
7.
After Boxer is wounded she chews herbs into poultices to place on his wound until it heals.
8.
She tries to persuade Boxer that he should take things more easily because he is not getting
younger.
9.
She reacts to Boxer’s collapse by sending a message to the pigs, who send some pink medicine
from the bathroom cabinet.
10. At the end of the book, she is the oldest animal on the farm, except for Benjamin, and she uses
her senior position to lead the other animals up to the farmhouse and look in at the windows to
see what the row is all about. Her old eyes watch as the pigs and men become the same.
Moses
1.
His name is that of the Jewish leader in the Old Testament who took his people to the
Promised Land.
2.
He is Jones’s special pet and tells tales on the animals.
3.
He keeps the downtrodden animals happy by telling them of the wonderful place they will go
after death – for those that believe him.
4.
He promises them a land called Sugarcandy Mountain, which is full of linseed cake and lump
sugar where clover is always in bloom.
5.
Jones gives him crusts soaked in beer as a reward.
6.
After the Rebellion, he disappears and there is no sign of him.
7.
He returns to the farm after Napoleon is President of the republic and in the same position as
Jones at the start.
8.
It is to the pigs’ advantage to have Moses spreading his future promises as these take the
animals’ minds off their miseries.
9.
He tells the animals that while he has been absent he has travelled to Sugarcandy Mountain
and seen its wonders for himself.
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Resource 42
Plotting the rise and fall
The plot of a novel is the way a narrative fits together. Each event causes
another.
The structure of a novel arranges the events of the plot in a particular way.
Sometimes this follows the pattern shown in the diagram below. There is also a
circular element to Orwell’s plot, as the events at the beginning of the novel are
duplicated at the end.
Climax
Exposition
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Exposition
This is the introduction part of a story where we get to know the
characters and setting and the plot itself is set up. In Animal Farm
this is the first two chapters where the revolution happens and the
animals begin to organise themselves.
Rising action
This is the series of events that move a story forward towards the
‘high point’ or climax. In Animal Farm this includes the gradual
takeover by the pigs, the Battle of the Cowshed, the expulsion of
Snowball, the rewriting of history, the building of the windmill, the
Battle of the Windmill and its rebuilding.
Climax
This is the point in a story where there is no return. In this novel it is
when Napoleon declares that Animal Farm is a republic with himself as
President.
Falling
action
This concerns the aftermath of the climax and its results. In Orwell’s
book, this is the treatment of Boxer and the enslavement of the
animals.
Denouement
This is the ending or final event which shows the consequences of the
whole story. In Animal Farm this is when the pigs turn into humans
and the animals realise there is no difference between them and their
original oppressors.
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Resource 42

Draw the plot diagram on a large sheet of paper and write the main events of Animal
Farm in the appropriate places. Choose relevant quotations to represent the key
points.

Read the quotations below:
‘Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give
milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast
enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals.’
(Old Major’s speech, Chapter 1)
‘But still, neither pigs nor dogs produced any food by their own labour; and there
were very many of them, and their appetites were always good.’
(Chapter 10)
Activity
Use the two extracts above as the basis for two scenes in a new animated film
version of the book.
You will need to write a script for your two scenes, giving actions and camera
angles. If you go to simplyscripts.com/movie.html you will be able to download
the screenplay from an animated movie called ‘Up’, which will show you how to lay
out your script.
Storyboard your scenes, together with dialogue/voice-over as appropriate.
Think about how you could bring out the parallels between the beginning and the
ending of the story and choose suitable music to accompany each scene.
Aim for structure in your scenes – use the narrative triangle to help you plan.
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Exam practice
AQA style questions
George Orwell: Animal Farm
How does Orwell use the character of Old Major to explore ideas about freedom and
Rebellion in Animal Farm?
Write about:


how Orwell presents the character of Old Major
how Orwell uses the character of Old Major to present ideas about freedom and
Rebellion.
[30 marks]
AO4 [4 marks]
OR
‘Only get rid of Man, and the produce of our labour would be our own. Almost overnight
we would become rich and free.’ How far is this idea of oppression important in Animal
Farm?
Write about:


what you think Orwell is saying about oppression
how Orwell presents these ideas through events in the novel.
[30 marks]
AO4 [4 marks]
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AQA style questions
George Orwell: Animal Farm
How does Orwell use the character of Squealer to explore the idea of spreading
propaganda?
Write about:


how Orwell presents the character of Squealer
how Orwell uses the character of Squealer to present ideas about spreading
propaganda.
[30 marks]
AO4 [4 marks]
OR
‘With their superior knowledge it was natural they should assume the leadership’. How
important are the pigs to the success of the Rebellion?
Write about:


what you think Orwell is saying about the pigs and their leadership
how Orwell presents these ideas through the events of the novel.
[30 marks]
AO4 [4 marks]
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Exam practice
AQA style questions
George Orwell: Animal Farm
How does Orwell use the characters of the dogs to explore the idea of power and terror?
Write about:


how Orwell presents the characters of the dogs
how Orwell uses the characters of the dogs to present ideas about power and
terror in the novel.
[30 marks]
AO4 [4 marks]
OR
‘He [Squealer] assured them that the resolution against engaging in trade and using
money had never been passed, or even suggested. It was pure imagination’. How far is
the idea of corruption important in Animal Farm?
Write about:


what you think Orwell is saying about corruption
how Orwell presents these ideas through the events of the novel.
[30 marks]
AO4 [4 marks]
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Exam practice
AQA style questions
George Orwell: Animal Farm
How does Orwell use the character of Snowball to explore ideas about using a
scapegoat?
Write about:


how Orwell presents the character of Snowball
how Orwell uses the character of Snowball to present ideas about using a
scapegoat in the novel.
[30 marks]
AO4 [4 marks]
OR
‘Napoleon now called on them to confess their crimes’. How far is the idea of
dictatorship important in Animal Farm?
Write about:


what you think Orwell is saying about a totalitarian regime
how Orwell presents these ideas through the events of the novel.
[30 marks]
AO4 [4 marks]
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Exam practice
AQA style questions
George Orwell: Animal Farm
How does Orwell use the character of Boxer to explore ideas about loyalty and
dedication?
Write about:


his Orwell presents the character of Boxer
how Orwell uses the character of Boxer to present ideas about power and loyalty.
[30 marks]
AO4 [4 marks]
OR
‘Sugarcandy Mountain, that happy country where we poor animals shall rest for ever
from our labours’. How far is the idea of religion important in Animal Farm?
Write about:


what you think Orwell is saying about using religion to get society to ‘toe the line’
how Orwell presents these ideas through the events of the novel.
[30 marks]
AO4 [4 marks]
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Exam practice
Edexcel style questions
Animal Farm: George Orwell
Your response will be marked for the range of appropriate vocabulary and sentence
structures, and accurate use of spelling and punctuation.
EITHER
‘Now, as it turned out, the Rebellion was achieved much earlier and more
easily than anyone had expected.’
Examine the significance of the character of Mr Jones in the novel.
You must refer to the context of the novel in your answer.
(Total for Question = 40 marks (includes 8 marks for the range of appropriate
vocabulary and sentence structures, and accurate use of spelling and punctuation))
OR
‘I will sing you that song now, comrades. I am old and my voice is hoarse, but when I
have taught you the tune, you can sing it better for yourselves. It is called ‘Beasts of
England’.’
Explore the significance of this song in Animal Farm.
You must refer to the context of the novel in your answer.
(Total for Question = 40 marks (includes 8 marks for the range of appropriate
vocabulary and sentence structures, and accurate use of spelling and punctuation))
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Exam practice
Edexcel style questions
Animal Farm: George Orwell
Your response will be marked for the range of appropriate vocabulary and sentence
structures, and accurate use of spelling and punctuation.
EITHER
‘The reading and writing classes, however, were a great success. By the autumn almost
every animal on the farm was literate in some degree.’
Examine the importance of education in Animal Farm.
You must refer to the context of the novel in your answer.
(Total for Question = 40 marks (includes 8 marks for the range of appropriate
vocabulary and sentence structures, and accurate use of spelling and punctuation))
OR
‘Snowball, who had studied an old book of Julius Caesar’s campaigns which he had
found in the farmhouse, was in charge of the defensive operations.’
Explore Snowball’s role in the management of Animal Farm.
You must refer to the context of the novel in your answer.
(Total for Question = 40 marks (includes 8 marks for the range of appropriate
vocabulary and sentence structures, and accurate use of spelling and punctuation))
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Exam practice
Edexcel style questions
Animal Farm: George Orwell
Your response will be marked for the range of appropriate vocabulary and sentence
structures, and accurate use of spelling and punctuation.
EITHER
‘Squealer, who happened to be passing at this moment, attended by two or three dogs,
was able to put the whole matter in its proper perspective.’
Explore the significance of the character of Squealer in Animal Farm.
You must refer to the context of the novel in your answer.
(Total for Question = 40 marks (includes 8 marks for the range of appropriate
vocabulary and sentence structures, and accurate use of spelling and punctuation))
OR
‘On the third Sunday after Snowball’s expulsion, the animals were somewhat surprised
to hear Napoleon announce that the windmill was to be built after all.’.
Explore the importance of the windmill in Animal Farm.
You must refer to the context of the novel in your answer.
(Total for Question = 40 marks (includes 8 marks for the range of appropriate
vocabulary and sentence structures, and accurate use of spelling and punctuation))
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Exam practice
Edexcel style questions
Animal Farm: George Orwell
Your response will be marked for the range of appropriate vocabulary and sentence
structures, and accurate use of spelling and punctuation.
EITHER
‘When they had finished their confession the dogs promptly tore their throats out.’
Examine the significance of the characters of the dogs in the novel.
You must refer to the context of the novel in your answer.
(Total for Question = 40 marks (includes 8 marks for the range of appropriate
vocabulary and sentence structures, and accurate use of spelling and punctuation))
OR
‘The animals distrusted Pilkington, as a human being, but greatly preferred him to
Frederick, whom they both feared and hated.’
Explore the relationships between Animal Farm and its neighbours.
You must refer to the context of the novel in your answer.
(Total for Question = 40 marks (includes 8 marks for the range of appropriate
vocabulary and sentence structures, and accurate use of spelling and punctuation))
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Exam practice
Edexcel style questions
Animal Farm: George Orwell
Your response will be marked for the range of appropriate vocabulary and sentence
structures, and accurate use of spelling and punctuation.
EITHER
‘Boxer professed not to be sorry for what had happened. If he made a good recovery, he
might expect to live another three years, and he looked forward to the peaceful days
that he would spend in the corner of the big pasture.’
Explore the significance of the character of Boxer in Animal Farm.
You must refer to the context of the novel in your answer.
(Total for Question = 40 marks (includes 8 marks for the range of appropriate
vocabulary and sentence structures, and accurate use of spelling and punctuation))
OR
‘ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS’
Explore the importance of equality in Animal Farm.
You must refer to the context of the novel in your answer.
(Total for Question = 40 marks (includes 8 marks for the range of appropriate
vocabulary and sentence structures, and accurate use of spelling and punctuation))
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Exam practice
OCR style questions
Animal Farm by George Orwell and Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Read the two extracts below and then answer both part a) and part b).
You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on part a) and 30 minutes on part b).
For part a) you should focus only on the extracts here rather than referring to the rest of
your studied text.
a. Compare the way in which the groups organise themselves and make rules in
these two extracts.
You should consider:



the situations the two groups find themselves in
how the groups start to organise themselves and the way they make rules
how the writers’ use of language and techniques creates effects.
[20]
b. Explore another episode in Animal Farm where the rules are considered
important.
[20]
Extract 1 from: Animal Farm by George Orwell
In this extract the pigs use Major’s speech to create the Seven Commandments.
After this they went back to the farm buildings, where Snowball and Napoleon sent for a
ladder which they caused to be set against the end wall of the big barn. They explained
that by their studies of the past three months the pigs had succeeded in reducing the
principles of Animalism to Seven Commandments. These Seven Commandments would
now be inscribed on the wall; they would form an unalterable law by which all the
animals on Animal Farm must live for ever after. With some difficulty (for it is not easy
for a pig to balance himself on a ladder) Snowball climbed up and set to work, with
Squealer a few rungs below him holding the paint-pot. The Commandments were written
on the tarred wall in great white letters that could be read thirty yards away. They ran
thus:
Animal Farm by George Orwell (Copyright © George Orwell, 1945) by permission of Bill Hamilton as the
Literary Executor of the Estate of the Late Sonia Brownell.
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Exam practice
THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS
1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
3. No animal shall wear clothes.
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
5. No animal shall drink alcohol.
6. No animal shall kill any other animal.
7. All animals are equal.
Extract 2 from: Lord of the Flies by William Golding
NB For copyright reasons we are unable to publish the full extract.
A party of schoolboys is stranded on a desert island after their plane crashes. Ralph finds
a conch shell and uses it to summon the boys to a meeting where he is voted leader.
They agree that whoever holds the conch is allowed to speak.
Chapter 2
Read from ‘Ralph took the conch from him and looked round the circle of boys,’ to ‘then
waved the conch for silence’.
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Exam practice
OCR style questions
Animal Farm by George Orwell and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
Read the two extracts below and then answer both part a) and part b).
You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on part a) and 30 minutes on part b).
For part a) you should focus only on the extracts here rather than referring to the rest of
your studied text.
a. Compare how rumours are presented in these two extracts.
You should consider:



the nature of the rumours
why people might spread them and why they might be believed
how the writers’ use of language and techniques creates effects.
[20]
b. Explore another moment in Animal Farm that shows the spreading and effects of
rumours.
[20]
Extract 1 from: Animal Farm by George Orwell
In this extract the human farmers near Animal Farm are worried that the Rebellion might
spread to their own farms.
Nevertheless, they were both thoroughly frightened by the Rebellion on Animal Farm,
and very anxious to prevent their own animals from learning too much about it. At first
they pretended to laugh to scorn the idea of animals managing a farm for themselves.
The whole thing would be over in a fortnight, they said. They put it about that the
animals on the Manor Farm (they insisted on calling it the Manor Farm; they would not
tolerate the name ‘Animal Farm’) were perpetually fighting among themselves and were
also rapidly starving to death. When time passed and the animals had evidently not
starved to death, Frederick and Pilkington changed their tune and began to talk of the
terrible wickedness that now flourished on Animal Farm. It was given out that the
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animals there practised cannibalism, tortured one another with red-hot horseshoes, and
had their females in common. This was what came of rebelling against the laws of
Nature, Frederick and Pilkington said.
However, these stories were never fully believed. Rumours of a wonderful farm, where
the human beings had been turned out and the animals managed their own affairs,
continued to circulate in vague and distorted forms, and throughout that year a wave of
rebelliousness ran through the countryside.
Animal Farm by George Orwell (Copyright © George Orwell, 1945) by permission of Bill Hamilton as the
Literary Executor of the Estate of the Late Sonia Brownell.
Extract 2 from: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
NB Due to copyright we aren’t able to publish the full extract.
In this extract Scout, the narrator, who is six years old, is talking about a mysterious
neighbour called Boo Radley who is never seen.
Chapter 1
Read from ‘Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom,’ to ‘a baseball hit into the
Radley yard was a lost ball and no questions asked.’
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Exam practice
OCR style questions
Animal Farm by George Orwell and The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G.Wells
Read the two extracts below and then answer both part a) and part b).
You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on part a) and 30 minutes on part b).
For part a) you should focus only on the extracts here rather than referring to the rest of
your studied text.
a. Compare how the effects of violence and intimidation are presented in these two
extracts.
You should consider:



the situations faced by the victims of the violence and intimidation
the behaviour and possible motives of the perpetrators
how the writers’ use of language and techniques creates effects.
[20]
b. Explore another episode in Animal Farm that shows how Napoleon uses violence
and intimidation against the animals.
[20]
Extract 1 from: Animal Farm by George Orwell
In this extract Napoleon suddenly reveals the dogs he has trained since taking them from
Bluebell and Jessie and sets them on Snowball.
At this there was a terrible baying sound outside, and nine enormous dogs wearing brassstudded collars came bounding into the barn. They dashed straight for Snowball, who
only sprang from his place just in time to escape their snapping jaws. In a moment he
was out of the door and they were after him. Too amazed and frightened to speak, all
the animals crowded through the door to watch the chase. Snowball was racing across
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the long pasture that led to the road. He was running as only a pig can run, but the dogs
were close on his heels. Suddenly he slipped and it seemed certain that they had him.
Then he was up again, running faster than ever, then the dogs were gaining on him
again. One of them all but closed his jaws on Snowball’s tail, but Snowball whisked it
free just in time. Then he put on an extra spurt and, with a few inches to spare, slipped
through a hole in the hedge and was seen no more.
Animal Farm by George Orwell (Copyright © George Orwell, 1945) by permission of Bill Hamilton as the
Literary Executor of the Estate of the Late Sonia Brownell.
Extract 2 from: The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells
The narrator is stranded on an island where a well-known vivisector is experimenting on turning
animals into humans.
For a moment I stood horror-struck. I turned and saw the passage behind me blocked by
another heavy brute, with a huge grey face and twinkling little eyes, advancing towards
me. I looked round and saw to the right of me and a half-dozen yards in front of me a
narrow gap in the wall of rock through which a ray of light slanted into the shadows.
‘Stop!’ cried Moreau as I strode towards this, and then, ‘Hold him!’
At that, first one face turned towards me and then others. Their bestial minds were
happily slow. I dashed my shoulder into a clumsy monster who was turning to see what
Moreau meant, and flung him forward into another. I felt his hands fly round, clutching
at me and missing me. The little pink sloth-creature dashed at me, and I gashed down
its ugly face with the nail in my stick and in another minute was scrambling up a steep
side pathway, a kind of sloping chimney, out of the ravine.
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Exam practice
OCR style questions
Animal Farm by George Orwell and Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Read the two extracts below and then answer both part a) and part b).
You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on part a) and 30 minutes on part b).
For part a) you should focus only on the extracts here rather than referring to the rest of
your studied text.
a. Compare how the battles are presented in these two extracts.
You should consider:



the situation of those under attack and how they try to defend themselves
how each attack is launched
how the writers’ use of language and techniques creates effects.
[20]
b. Explore another episode in Animal Farm where the animals, or some of them, are
under attack and what happens.
[20]
Extract 1 from: Animal Farm by George Orwell
In this extract Mr. Frederick and his men launch an attack on Animal Farm intending to
destroy the windmill.
The very next morning the attack came. The animals were at breakfast when the lookouts came racing in with the news that Frederick and his followers had already come
through the five-barred gate. Boldly enough the animals sallied forth to meet them, but
this time they did not have the easy victory that they had had in the Battle of the
Cowshed. There were fifteen men, with half a dozen guns between them, and they
opened fire as soon as they got within fifty yards. The animals could not face the
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terrible explosions and the stinging pellets, and in spite of the efforts of Napoleon and
Boxer to rally them, they were soon driven back. A number of them were already
wounded. They took refuge in the farm buildings and peeped cautiously out from chinks
and knot-holes. The whole of the big pasture, including the windmill, was in the hands
of the enemy. For the moment even Napoleon seemed at a loss. He paced up and down
without a word, his tail rigid and twitching. Wistful glances were sent in the direction of
Foxwood. If Pilkington and his men would help them, the day might yet be won.
Animal Farm by George Orwell (Copyright © George Orwell, 1945) by permission of Bill Hamilton as the
Literary Executor of the Estate of the Late Sonia Brownell.
Extract 2 from: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
In this extract the captain of the ship and some of the men are in a house on the island and are
being attacked by pirates.
Nor had we much time left to us for thought. Suddenly, with a loud huzza, a little cloud
of pirates leaped from the woods on the north side and ran straight on the stockade. At
the same moment, the fire was once more opened from the woods, and a rifle ball sang
through the doorway and knocked the doctor’s musket into bits.
The boarders swarmed over the fence like monkeys. Squire and Gray fired again and yet
again; three men fell, one forwards into the enclosure, two back on the outside. But of
these, one was evidently more frightened than hurt, for he was on his feet again in a
crack and instantly disappeared among the trees.
Two had bit the dust, one had fled, four had made good their footing inside our
defences, while from the shelter of the woods seven or eight men, each evidently
supplied with several muskets, kept up a hot though useless fire on the log-house.
The four who had boarded made straight before them for the building, shouting as they
ran, and the men among the trees shouted back to encourage them. Several shots were
fired, but such was the hurry of the marksmen that not one appears to have taken
effect. In a moment, the four pirates had swarmed up the mound and were upon us.
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Exam practice
OCR style questions
Animal Farm by George Orwell and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.
Read the two extracts below and then answer both part a) and part b).
You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on part a) and 30 minutes on part b).
For part a) you should focus only on the extracts here rather than referring to the rest of
your studied text.
a. Compare how the ending of a dream is presented in these two extracts.
You should consider:



the way in which the dream is shattered
the point of view used and what effect this has on the reader
how the writers’ use of language and techniques creates effects.
[20]
b. Explore another moment in Animal Farm where the pigs are shown to be rejecting
the principles of Animalism.
[20]
Extract 1 from: Animal Farm by George Orwell
In this extract Napoleon and the pigs are giving a party for their human neighbours and
Napoleon is announcing some changes.
Hitherto the animals on the farm had had a rather foolish custom of addressing one
another as ‘Comrade’. This was to be suppressed. There had also been a very strange
custom, whose origin was unknown, of marching every Sunday morning past a boar’s
skull which was nailed to a post in the garden. This, too, would be suppressed, and the
skull had already been buried. His visitors might have observed, too, the green flag
which flew from the masthead. If so, they would perhaps have noted that the white hoof
and horn with which it had previously been marked had now been removed. It would be
a plain green flag from now onwards.
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Exam practice
He had only one criticism, he said, to make of Mr. Pilkington’s excellent and neighbourly
speech. Mr. Pilkington had referred throughout to ‘Animal Farm.’ He could not of course
know – for he, Napoleon, was only now for the first time announcing it –that the name
‘Animal Farm’ had been abolished. Henceforward the farm was to be known as ‘The
Manor Farm’ – which, he believed, was its correct and original name.
Animal Farm by George Orwell (Copyright © George Orwell, 1945) by permission of Bill Hamilton as the
Literary Executor of the Estate of the Late Sonia Brownell.
Extract 2 from: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
NB Due to copyright we aren’t able to publish the full extract.
George and Lennie, who is strong but simple-minded, have been working on a
Californian farm. They make an agreement with Candy, an old stockman, to buy an
imaginary farm they always wanted together but Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife
- the wife of the boss’s son.
Chapter 5
Read from ‘Old Candy watched him go’ to ‘His eyes blinded with tears and he turned
and went weakly out of the barn, and he rubbed his bristly whiskers with his wrist
stump.’
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