Project Handout:
Violent Revolutions vs. Non-violent Revolutions
10th Grade Humanities
Teacher: Brooke Gonzales
Definition of Revolution:
 a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving
 the overthrow of a government by those who are governed
Essential Questions:
 What should the role of a government be?
 What happens when a government no longer serves the needs of its people?
 How have people throughout history accomplished social change?
 Are violent revolutions effective in achieving long term positive change?
 What are the long term impacts of non-violent social movements?
Product(s):
 Timeline of revolutions on classroom wall created by our entire class.
 Individual writing assignments.
 Propaganda artwork on the novel Animal Farm.
 Presentation on non-violent revolution of student’s choice.
 A final product (a piece of writing, propaganda, painting, video, etc.) educating the public
about non-violence to be a part of a larger class museum.
Process:
 Students will create a timeline as a class of violent revolutions throughout world history.
 Students will analyze revolutionary writing and art.
 Students will read Animal Farm.
 Students will discuss, write, and create art about Animal Farm.
 Students will research and present on a non-violent revolution throughout world history.
 Students will create a final product to educate the general public about non-violence.
Calendar:
See the following pages. Please note that this is an overview of the unit and that activities and
timeframes are subject to change.
Calendar
Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Week Five
Week Six
Violent Revolutions
Class Revolution Timeline on Wall:
Students will get into groups of three and be
given one of the following violent
revolutions to be a part of our class timeline:
-American Revolution
-French Revolution
-Haitian Revolution
-Brazilian Revolution
-Russian Revolution
-Cuban Revolution
-Mexican Revolution
-Communist Revolution in China
Revolutionary Writing and Art
How are people convinced to fight?
-One way is through writing and art.
Revolutionary primary sources
Revolutionary propaganda
Novel: Animal Farm
Animal Farm
Novel: Animal Farm
Animal Farm
Novel: Animal Farm
-Animal Farm Essay
-Socratic Seminar:
Are violent revolutions successful? What is
the alternative? Have non-violent social
movements been effective in accomplishing
change?
Non-violent Revolutions
-An alternative to revolutions: non-violent
social movements for change
-Student presentations
Non-violence
Final product
Deliverables:
Poster on historical revolution
Deliverables:
-Written analysis of revolutionary
primary sources
-Written analysis of revolutionary
propaganda
-Animal Farm journal
Deliverables:
-Animal Farm journal
Deliverables:
- Revolutionary Propaganda:
Create your own piece of propaganda
for Animal Farm.
-Animal Farm Essay
-Socratic Seminar
Museum: Class discussion on
museum to make some beginning
decisions.
Deliverables:
-Power point presentation on an
example of a non-violent social
movement:
Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Cesar Chavez, environmental justice
movement, etc. (students choose)
Museum: Group proposal submitted.
Small groups will be selected. The
proposal must include group
members, group topic, the type of
product they will create, and who the
group leader is. The group leader will
report to Brooke Gonzales with
updates.
Deliverable:
Final product
Final Product:
The culminating product of our unit will be the creation of a Museum of Non-Violence. The audience
for this museum will be another 10th grade humanities class who is learning about similar topics. We
will also be visiting the museum they create. Throughout the course of this unit, students will meet as
a large class and in smaller groups to determine what this might look like. The following questions
will need answering:
 What do we want people to learn from our museum?
 How will we set up our museum?
 How will we invite people?
 What different types of things do museums have?
 How can we incorporate different “exhibits” into our museum?
Once basic decisions are made as a class, students will get into groups of 2-4 to create their product
that will be a part of the larger class Museum of Non-Violence.
Unit Checklist
Assignment
Points Possible
Poster for class timeline of revolutions
20
Individual writing assignments
20
Animal Farm Journal
40
Propaganda artwork on Animal Farm
20
Animal Farm Essay
50
Participation in Socratic Seminar(s)
20
Presentation on non-violent revolution of student’s
choice
40
Final product: Museum of Non-Violence (each
group will have a final product that will be a part
of the larger museum)
70
Teacher Comments:
Points Received