Unit Plan—Fahrenheit 451 and the Utopian Novel
Brynne Bona-Miner
April 25, 2004
University of Utah
English 5420
Janet Kaufman
Introduction/Rationale
One of the most powerful ways to illustrate how society works is to ask an
individual how they would change it, then look at the effect those changes have on the
whole. This unit is intended to introduce students to the idea of the utopian/dystopian
novel—and by doing so—to their own ideas of utopia. The students will read Fahrenheit
451 and selections from other utopian novels, documents from the historical context of
the author and examples of real life utopian experiments.
Utopian novels are specific portraits of what an author sees as the problems of
his/her society and how those problems will affect society if allowed to go unchecked.
This unit is designed to teach students to question the proposed problems/solutions of
their own society and show them how they can get involved to improve conditions.
Students will read from the works and participate in 2 unit projects. One will be to
describe in detail what their utopia would contain. Social institutions, organization,
government, priorities and beliefs of the people will all be explained in a portfolio
culminating in a presentation of their perfect society to their peers. The second project
will be for the student to spend 10 hours in a capacity where they believe they can make a
difference to their community or their society. Students will include a short write-up of
this experience in their portfolios and will have the opportunity to invite their mentors to
the exhibition of their utopian creations.
This unit will hopefully instill in the students a belief that though our societies are
not perfect, by being aware of the things that need improvement as well as the things that
make it great, we can all hope to make a difference now and avoid the necessity to create
utopian/dystopian novels. The student will also be able to take ideas from their reading
and implement them in their own lives. This unit is valuable because it teaches the
student that writing is directly linked to how we perceive our world, and writing also has
potential to change that world, and they can harness that power for the change they want
to see. If, like Gandi said, we should be the change we want to see in the world, this unit
will give students another opportunity to create change in their own worlds.
Unit Plan Outline
Desired Overarching Understanding:
Understand the different types and styles of writing, such as poetry, prose, novels,
essays, fiction and non-fiction and recognize that using different writing styles can
change their influence on the reader. Understand that through writing, societies can be
influenced and changed.
Desired Unit Understanding:
The student will be able to recognize and define the form and style of the utopian
novel, especially the similarities that they contain in organization and purpose. Most
utopian novels are an author’s reaction to their society and students will be able to read a
utopian idea and understand the context from which it originates. Students will also be
able to recognize the social context and purpose of this style and understand that they can
use it to influence the society they are part of.
Essential Questions
Who— Who is the writer? Who is the audience?
What—Assumptions/beliefs/needs/ideals/dreams/goals/strengths/weaknesses does the
writer/reader bring to the work?
Where—Is the location of the writer/reader/work important? How is it relevant on a local
scale and how does it translate cross-culturally?
When—How is the time frame of the writer/reader/work important? How is this work
relevant over time?
Why—Why did the writer publish this specific work? What worth can we derive from it?
How—How does the writer voice his ideas? Style, form, mechanics, grammar?
Unit Questions
Why do we create utopias? Do the same reasons apply to dystopias?
What similarities are seen in the utopian ideal and the utopian novel? What differences?
How does the social context of the writer change their writing and how does the context
change our perception of the work?
How can we use what we learn in utopian fiction in our own lives? Can a utopian society
really exist?
Do we as readers change the meaning of a novel? Can a work have different implications
depending on the audience?
What social context was Bradbury writing in? Does that have any influence today?
How can our society be changed or improved?
Evidence of Student Understanding
Performance Tasks/Projects
Organize your own utopian society.
Using an idea from the texts, organize a project to make your community more like a
utopia.
Before reading the text, students will create an outline of what they think will happen/is
going on from a poster from the movie version.
Artistic Eye worksheet visualizing the motivations and ideas of Montag/Clarisse.
Poem about themes of novel
Summaries of 5 utopian societies and background to one with reasoning behind selection.
Research and group presentation on real-life utopian experiments
Presentation of student’s utopian society
Write-up from community project
Quizzes/Tests/Prompts
Final Project
Other Evidence
Contribution to class discussion/group work
Debate on validity/relevance of Fahrenheit 451
Student Self-Assessment
Knowledge/Skills Needed
Knowledge
In-depth knowledge of Fahrenheit 451
Basics of a variety of Utopian Novels or Novels with utopian elements. (Herland, Brave
New World, Gulliver’s Travels, 1984, Walden Pond, Utopia, Robinson Crusoe, The
Giver)
Similarities and differences in form, audience, and purpose
Historical/Social context of the novels, modern implications
Skills
Analyze texts for meaning and agenda
Discuss opinions in group setting
Organize beliefs into observable projects
Experiences to promote needed skills/knowledge
Read portions of novels
Study outlines of utopian societies (factual and fictional)
Historical descriptions of social context
Secondary sources—Non-fiction/essays regarding purpose and background of novels
Video/Music influences
Class discussion/Group work
Getting inside story by creating own/modifying original
What will Students Understand?
Standard 1
Use comprehension strategies before, during and after reading
Standard 2
Students read functional, informational, and literary texts from different periods,
cultures, and genres.
Standard 7
Students use process strategies before, during, and after composing.
Standard 10
Students present in functional, informational, and literary situations for various
purposes and audiences
Design Standards
Identify Desired Results
To what extent are the targeted understandings
Big ideas in need of uncoverage
Specific enough to guide teaching and assessing
Framed by provocative essential and unit questions
Determine Acceptable Evidence
To what extent does the assessment evidence provide
A valid and reliable measure of targeted understandings
Sufficient info to support inferences about individual
understanding
Opportunities for students to exhibit their understandings
thru authentic performance tasks
Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction
To what extent will
Students know where they’re going and why
Students be engaged in digging into the big ideas
Students receive explicit instruction on the knowledge/
skills needed to equip for required performances
Students have opportunities to rehearse, revise and refine
Their work based on feedback
Students self-assess and set goals prior to unit-end
Extensively
Somewhat
Extensively
Extensively
Extensively
Extensively
Extensively
Extensively
Somewhat
Extensively
Extensively
Six Facets of Understanding
Through which facets will students develop and reveal their understanding?
Application: Students will be able to re-create a utopia of their own using
ideas from other utopian novels and also will apply their
knowledge of society and change to their communities in service
learning experiences.
Interpretation: Students will read and assess what the reading means to
them personally and also to other groups of readers.
Explanation: Students will be able to read a work and explain both what
happened and the context of the work, the plot and the purpose.
Unit Design Considerations
W—How will you help students know where they are headed and why?
Daily assignments go into a portfolio culminating in final project
Intro both final projects on first day of unit, giving time to brainstorm and
percolate ideas
Use novel as background to discussion on purpose and meaning as well as current
social issues which engage students
H—How will you hook the student through engaging and thought provoking
experiences that point toward essential and unit questions, core ideas and
performance tasks?
Allow students to experience social change through service learning
Allow students to create an entirely personal paradise
Daily connections between text and everyday life
E—What learning experiences will engage students in exploring the big ideas and
essential and unit questions? What instruction is needed to equip students for the
final performances?
Tasks are multi-dimensional and involve various types of thinking/creativity
Flexibility of final project allows for in-depth immersion with text and creativity
of expression
R—How will you cause students to reflect and rethink to dig deeper into the core
ideas? How will you guide students in revising and refining their work based on
feedback and self-assessment?
Group discussions will require in-depth analysis of text, not merely plot summary
Tasks will use complex understanding of texts
Students will have multiple opportunities to discuss and revise work with teacher
and with peers
E—How will students exhibit their understanding through final performances and
products? How will you guide them in self-evaluation to identify the strengths and
weaknesses in their work and set future goals?
Students will self-evaluate with rubrics and in-class instructions
Students will exhibit understanding through final portfolio and presentation.
Sources/Materials Used
Fahrenheit 451—Ray Bradbury
Selections from the following which the teacher deems relevant/useful/interesting for use
as examples of utopias and indicative of the organization of the utopian novel:
The Giver—Lois Lowry
1984—George Orwell
Brave New World—Aldous Huxley
Gulliver’s Travels and “A Modest Proposal”—Jonathan Swift
Herland—Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Robinson Crusoe—Robert Louis Stevenson
Wiggins and McTighe was used for examples of rubrics and worksheets on planning this
lesson.
Daily Designs
This unit is designed to take place over six weeks on a block schedule, or
approximately fifteen classes of 90 minutes. The schedule can be adjusted to fit with
other types of schedules by shortening required readings or discussions and also by
assigning some in-class or group work to be done at home. Students will include their
assessment materials in a portfolio which will be submitted with the final projects at the
end of the unit. Portfolios will be checked periodically, preferably once a week, in order
to ensure that students are keeping current with their daily assignments instead of leaving
all of their portfolio construction for the end of the unit.
Day 1
Objective: To introduce students to the unit, including examples of utopias and some of
the documents we will be studying.
Action: Instructor will lecture on utopias for roughly half of the class, looking at
historical examples, having students brainstorm on what they already know about utopian
novels and utopian experiments. If students have no previous experience or background
knowledge, examples will be provided for study. The final half of class will be spent in a
brainstorming activity involving 3 aspects. First, the students will look at a poster from
the movie version of Fahrenheit 451 and hypothesize about what they think the book will
be about and what the characters are like, hopefully using their skills in interpretation to
take a scene and make a story out of it. Students will also have time to browse classroom
resources for options for their final service learning projects, coming up with a proposal
of where they would like to get involved for the final. Finally, students will be able to
start looking at the ways they would like their utopias to function, brainstorming on what
they see as problems and possible solutions. These activities will be largely individually
directed, the teacher will roam and make sure students understand and are on task,
helping if needed or offering suggestions to students who are stuck.
Assessment: As long as students are involved and engaged in their brainstorming, the
need for outside assessment should only be minimal. Students will place all of their
brainstorming materials in their portfolios, and bring a one-paragraph proposal for both
their final projects for the next class period. Students will also be given a copy of
Fahrenheit 451 for at home reading and be ready to discuss the first half of the first
chapter in class next time.
Day 2
Objective: Look at the beginning of Fahrenheit 451, focusing on characterization and
how we deduce things like setting, time, place and mental pictures from the text.
Action: Class will be organized into a discussion forum about how descriptions help us
to form images of characters. Discussion topics might include:
-the way that movies can be realistic or believable interpretations and how
movies can also ruin what pictures are formed by the text
-how authors use their language and forms of writing to create a time or place
-what we as readers bring to a novel, the assumptions that we use to form pictures
of what is going on in the novel
-why we feel the need to visualize the people we read about, why we want to
understand their motivations and background
Discussion will take about ¾ of the class time, leaving time for students to start their
“Artistic Eye” worksheet for a character, preferably either Montag or Clarisse.
Assessment: Students will contribute in discussion and prove through involvement that
they have read assigned reading and are familiar with text, they will also work on an
assignment which allows them to visualize what motivations and ideas the characters in
the novel have. Starting with a blank profile outline of a human head, the students will
represent in pictures and catch-phrases what they think is going through the characters
mind in terms of motivations and desires and include the worksheet in their portfolio.
The worksheet will be started in class but students will probably need to work on it at
home as well. Students will also need to finish the first chapter of Fahrenheit 451 in
order to be prepared for next class’ discussion.
Day 3
Objective: Complete the first chapter and look at the double climax of most utopian
novels, focusing on the action of Fahrenheit 451.
Action: The first part of class will be spent on a short lecture on the idea that utopian
novels tend to have two climactic moments, the individual climax, where the main
character or characters have a realization of their unhappiness and make a life-altering
decision, such as Montag’s decision to take his books out of hiding, and the second peak
of action which falls more toward the traditional plot-line of climax, where society learns
of the betrayal by the character and the character must deal with society’s repercussions.
The students will also have opportunities to add opinions using background knowledge
and their own assessment, but class will be largely teacher led until students break into
small groups to work on homework assignment.
Assessment: Students will be asked to write a letter from themselves to their society
explaining why they think a change needs to be made. If students desire, they can write
letters to the Editor of their local newspaper, Mayor of their town, Governor of their state,
a leader of some other capacity in their community or possibly their Senators or
Representatives or President in the national government. If students wish, they can form
their letters in a group, using each other for proofreading and editing and submit their
letters to the actual target. Students will also have an opportunity to meet quickly with
the teacher regarding their proposals for the final project, getting in-person feedback and
clearance to start working. Students will make sure they all have a copy of their letter to
go into their portfolio and start the second chapter of Fahrenheit 451 for discussion next
time.
Day 4
Objective: Look at character motivation as well as personal motivation in taking risks
and taking a stand as well, focusing on why Montag makes the decision to show his
books in public and what could prompt us to make such a dangerous choice.
Action: Discussion in class about motivation and choices, focusing on why we make
dangerous or difficult choices. Students will then get into groups of about 4 students and
discuss a book that was influential to them personally. Students will be asked to think of
a book they thought changed them in some way, or stuck with them and why they think
that was so. The groups will also have an opportunity to talk about how far they think
they would go to be able to keep this book, or what they think would be lost if no one
else could read this book. If groups or students choose, they can also move on to
discussing what they feel are difficult/dangerous decisions they make in their lives, why
they make them and what their motivation is for doing so. If the student does not feel
comfortable sharing this, or feels that they don’t have anything to add, ask them to
pretend they are in Montag’s shoes, what would they have done.
Assessment: Teacher will travel to all groups and ensure that they are staying on task.
Also, students will be asked to complete the novel for the next class and write a journal
entry or poem to add to their portfolio regarding something that they discussed in their
groups.
Day 5
Objective: Look at how Fahrenheit 451 reaches its conclusion and introduce debate
topics.
Action: Discuss the conclusion of the story. Are things resolved, do the students feel it
is a “good” ending, would it be better another way, what do the students think happens to
Montag and the Book People, did Beatty deserve to be killed, what happened to Clarisse.
Tie up loose ends in the story and allow students to discuss what they liked and disliked
about the story and the society of the story. Do they think their society could ever be like
this one? Near the end of class, assign students into groups for debate, into the Firemen
and the Book-People. Have each group nominate one of their members to be Beatty and
one to be Granger and act as leaders of their teams. Explain that each group needs to be
able to bring evidence, not merely emotion to their side of the debate about how the city
should be reconstructed. Allow the students time to talk about their positions and assign
what they would like to research or study.
Assessment: Make sure students participate in discussion, and that every student feels
included in their team. Spend enough time with each side so that they are clear on the
requirements for the debate and are able to obtain resources for research and outside
study of their respective positions. Ideally, this day will be at the end of a week so that
the students will have time to prepare over the weekend.
Day 6
Objective: Discussion of the general themes of the novel and time in class to prepare for
debate.
Action: Discussion which looks at how our society could become like that in the novel,
focus on importance/validity of reading and literature, tolerance for opinions of others,
look at the intrusion of media on our minds. Allow students time to discuss final game
plan for debate, however, the students need to be aware that they will not have the whole
class period and need to come prepared and be willing to do outside work.
Assessment: Talk to both groups individually, make sure each is clear on procedure and
material. Also, talk to leaders of each group and make sure that they feel their peers are
all working and will come prepared for the next class.
Day 7
Objective: Debate on how the city/society should be rebuilt.
Action: Two groups will sit facing each other on two sides of the room, one person from
each side will be able to speak at once, statements need to be information/fact based and
not emotionally charged or derogatory in any way. Students who don’t wish to
participate or who were absent for group assignments will be able to function as
mediators and also as judges of conduct. Entire class period will be devoted to debate, if
discussion seems to lag or the students have trouble filling the time, teacher will be ready
with prompts in the form of questions for the students to discuss.
Assessment: Students will be able to prove their preparation in their responses, each
member of the group needs to respond at least once, and though the group has some
opportunities to converse with each other, most of the discussion will be individually
based. Students will be able to prove their competence in research, public speaking,
persuasion and interpretation. Students will be asked to write a short synopsis about what
they thought went well, what could have been better and what their personal opinion on
the discussion was which will be included in their portfolio.
Day 8
Objective: Wrap up Fahrenheit 451, introduce rest of unit.
Action: Discussion on debate, novel, themes, ideas. Allow students to step out of role of
debater and discuss personal opinions, look at how debate went, what was successful,
what could have been changed. If time is left over, allow students most of the time for
working on final projects. Students can get into groups to discuss what is working in
their utopias and what is not, proofreading of organization, teacher assistance and so forth.
Assessment: Students will need to be able to produce a working copy of their utopias, as
well as contribute to final discussion about the novel. (This day will function as a sort of
breather, allowing the projects which still need to be wrapped up to finish as well as
catching what was not covered beforehand)
Day 9
Objective: Look at a variety of novels in the utopian/dystopian genre so that students can
get ideas for their final projects.
Action: Students will have access to a variety of first chapters or key passages from a
variety of novels such as The Giver, 1984, Brave New World, Gulliver’s Travels,
Herland, Robinson Crusoe, as well as essays such as “A Modest Proposal” by Swift, and
other relevant readings. Students will select three which interest them, read and
summarize, as well as hypothesize on what they don’t know about the story, not focusing
on plot unknowns but on what they want to know about what is going on in the
organization of the society.
Assessment: Students will include their summaries and hypotheses in their portfolio, the
teacher will also be roaming about, asking and answering questions to make sure the
students are able to stay on task and get what they need out of the activity.
Day 10
Objective: Continue with novel exploration.
Action: Students will choose two other selections for a total of five, and once those are
finished they will be asked to choose one that interests them the most and study further.
Students will have access to a packet of information which includes authorial background,
how the story was received, motivations for writing, societal context author was writing
from, outline of the society in the novel and how the story continues/ends for the
character. Students will be asked to look at what an author creates and why perhaps that
work was created at that particular time.
Assessment: Students will turn this into a one page paper on authorial
motivations/triggers and what effect an author’s society has on his/her writing—
especially utopian writing. This will go into their portfolio and the information learned
can be used as a pattern for their own final projects.
Day 11
Objective: True life utopian experiments such as Walden Pond and why they were
successful or unsuccessful.
Action: Mini-lesson on utopian experiments, focus on why they worked or didn’t, and
the larger context they grew from. Students will then form small groups and research a
particular utopian experiment which appeals to them, such as Walden Pond or a cult, or
communes of the Sixties and present findings to class in short discussion. Students will
be asked to explain why they feel these experiments were attempted and what were their
strengths and weaknesses and what their impact has been on society.
Assessment: Presentations by students and the depth of research with respect to
experiments.
Day 12
Objective: Work day for final project
Action: Students will be asked to solidify their utopian dream, working on a name,
characteristics, how it is similar and how it is different from our society today, why it is
necessary to make this change, who will be in charge, what will be the goals of society.
Students will be able to ask for the assistance of their peers but will be creating individual
projects. Students will also be able to brainstorm or start creating the ways they would
like to present.
Assessment: Teacher will roam and check that students all have a strong base to work
from and are reaching their creative potential. Each student will have the opportunity to
check what they have already with teacher for feedback.
Day 13
Objective: Work day for final project
Action: Students will create their presentation booths. Students will need to bring
whatever raw materials the teacher cannot provide to class in order to create the precise
presentation. Images, decorations, artifacts will all need to be solidified so that the
students can present next class.
Assessment: Teacher will approve final project for Gallery walk and presentation to
parents. Class will set up projects or arrange to come back later so that next class can be
devoted to Gallery.
Day 14
Objective: Gallery Walk where students can view and critique work of peers.
Action: Students will have booths set up and space set aside for comments. Class will be
allowed to roam and critique their peers work respectfully, commenting on what they like
or agreed with, in addition to what they thought could have been done better or they
didn’t agree with. Students can be as anonymous as they like. If they want, students
should invite their parents and also their community contacts to come and view projects.
If possible, a night-time viewing session would be desirable so that parents who work
during the day have an opportunity to participate.
Assessment: Success of final project at fulfilling requirements of rubric.
Day 15
Objective: Finalize unit, discuss what students feel they have learned as well as service
learning experience.
Action: Discussion of success of Gallery Walk and projects in general. Allow each
student a 2-3 minute time slot to discuss what they did for their community and how they
feel it went.
Assessment: Students will submit portfolio as well as service learning write-up and
representation of Utopia for teacher grading.
Service
Presentation
Organization
Interpretation
Application
Rubric for Final Project/Portfolio
Superb(10)
Good(6)
Okay(2)
Fluent, flexible and efficient;
able to use knowledge and skill
and adjust understandings in
variety of demanding contexts
Able to perform well with
knowledge and skill in a few
key contexts, with limited
adaptability to diverse contexts
can perform only with coaching or
relies on highly scripted, singular
“plug-in” skills, procedures, or
approaches
a powerful interpretation and
analysis of the significance;
tells a rich and insightful story;
provides a rich history or
context; sees deeply and
incisively into diverse
interpretations
a helpful interpretation or
analysis of the significance;
tells a clear and instructive
story; provides a useful history
or context; sees different levels
of interpretation
a simplistic or superficial reading; a
decoding
with little or no interpretation; no sense
of wider importance or significance; a
restatement of what was taught or read
organization enhances and
showcases the central idea or
theme. The order, structure or
presentation of information is
compelling and moves the
reader through the text.
format enhances the ability of
the reader to understand and
connect to the message. It is
pleasing to and catches the eye.
organizational structure is
strong enough to move the
reader through the text without
too much confusion
The writer lacks a clear sense of
direction. Ideas, details or events seem
strung together in a loose or random
fashion, there is no identifiable internal
structure.
writer’s message is
understandable in this format.
reader receives a garbled message due
to the presentation of this text.
10 hours of service to
community and one page writeup of experiences
Missing hours or write-up but
effort has been made, either
partial time or partial
explanation
Service not done or not documented