April Master Class

Think about while you study: 

• Animal Farm is an allegory, or symbolic story about the Russian revolution of 1917. How does having a basic understanding of this history make reading the book mean more? (Don't worry, you're soon about to gain a basic understanding...)
• Even if you didn't know what happened in the Russian revolution, what principles of good and bad government can you find?  How would you like to be one of the working animals in this story?  Which character(s) do you think are most like you? Which do you like the most? The least? 

Watch these videos:
To help you understand the story and symbolism of the book better, I recommend you watch them before you read, but it’s up to you when to watch them. 

EITHER THESE: Series of ten “60-Second Recap” videos about Animal Farm. Scroll down on the right side. (Videos 11 and 12 are only outtakes so you can skip those).

OR THESE: Summary (3 min) and Characters (2 min) and Summary of Russian Revolution (9 min) 

Read: Animal Farm, by George Orwell.

Here is a free e-book version. 

Write 

• Write a list of the characters and who they represent.
• Write about the importance of remembering. Read Helaman 5:1-14. What happened when the animals forgot about their original laws? 
• Write what options you think the working animals had. What do you think you would have done if you were one of the hard working animals and society turned that way? What does this book make you appreciate about living in America? 
• Hand in your paper to Sister Edwards or Sister Cloward. Write your name on it. It can be hand written, typed and printed, or emailed. We just want to see what you're thinking. 

Create -- Choose ONE of the following: 

• Create a way to teach the class the parallels between Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution of 1917. You could write a paper, create a poster, a multimedia presentation, a poem, song, etc. Feel free to do more research for a better understanding. 
• Another topic you could write a paper or find a creative way to teach is to compare and contrast America's Constitutional government with the Communistic government they had at Animal Farm and in Russia. 
• Write a list of all the principles of good and bad government you can find in this book. Shoot for at least a dozen. Feel free to use Ezra Taft Benson's Proper Role of Government to help you compare good and bad principles of government. '
• After reading the book, write a manual on "How to Control the Masses."  
• Write your answers to several of the questions on this list. Come prepared to share with the class. 
• Create your own inspirement to help you internalize what you learned from the book.  

Only if you want to (optional): Watch the animated movie.