1

I always feel like

Somebodys watchin me

Have you ever felt this feeling? Well guess what There
is something to it!

In this unit you will be reading two books about characters who have had their
power taken away from them. You are going to be placed as a researcher in order
to find out what it is like to lose power and whether we are in jeopardy of losing
the rights that we have today. Questions you will be asked are:
How does surveillance impact the identities of characters in 1984?
How does surveillance impact the identities of characters in Little Brother?
How can surveillance impact social relationship both in these texts and in the real
world?
What is the story of surveillance that each writer is telling?
How have you been affected by constant observation?

When is surveillance intrusive?

When is surveillance necessary?

This is an overview of the work that we will be doing over this unit. Changes may
occur throughout the unit, so this is not a map that is necessarily set in stone.
Remember to be filling out your organizers as you read!
DAY ONE

Students Read:
1984 part 1 I I V
Little Brother
Chapter 1 - 3

DAY TWO

Students Read:
1984 part 1 V - VII
Little Brother
Chapter 4-6

DAY THREE

Students Read:
1984 Finish part 1
Little Brother
Chapter 7 9
Blog permission
slip.

DAY SIX

Hw: Writing
Assignment #3
Students Read:
1984 Finish part
2
Little Brother
Chapter 16 -17

DAY ELEVEN

Hw: Continue
researching
surveillance
method.

DAY SEVEN

Students Read:
1984 Part 3 I II
Little Brother
Chapter 18-19

DAY EIGHT

Students Read:
1984 Finish part 3
Little Brother
Chapter 20-21

DAY TWELVE

Hw: Finish organizer
for essay.
Students Read:
1984 Principles of
Newspeak
Little Brother
Appendix
DAY SEVENTEEN

Hw: Finish final copy
of essay.
Analyze essay for
what you would like
to include in the
podcast and how you
will design it.

DAY SIXTEEN

Hw: Write
conclusion.

DAY FOUR

Hw: Writing
Assignment #2.
Students Read:
1984 part 2 I - IV
Little Brother
Chapter 10 12

DAY NINE

Hw: Writing
Assignment #4

DAY FIVE

Students Read:
1984 Part 2 V - IX
Little Brother
Chapter 13 -15

DAY THIRTEEN

Hw: Finish outline
of ideas on
organizer given in
class.

DAY FOURTEEN

Hw: Write
introduction and
first body
paragraph.

DAY FIFTEEN

Hw: Write second
and third body
paragraphs.

DAY EIGHTEEN

Hw: Finish podcast
script.

DAY NINETEEN

Hw: Finish podcast.

DAY TWENTY

Podcast
presentations!

Hw: None!
Congratulations on
your amazing
podcasts!!

DAY TEN

Hw: Finish
Classwork
Finish your
presentation

Twitter!!
You will be able to log onto already created handles.
You will be able to tweet to each other under these handles.
When you Tweet you will need to record the date and time so
that I know you have done this. You are required to Tweet at
least twice per week, but you can gain extra credit by going
above and beyond this!
Each Tweet should be from the perspective of the characters
within these novels. Feel free to Tweet in response to a peer
from another characters perspective! Create a conversation! Ask
questions!
If you need help setting up a Twitter account visit this site:
https://support.twitter.com/articles/100990-signing-up-with-twitter
Or check out this article:
https://support.twitter.com/articles/215585-twitter-101-how-should-i-get-started-using-twitter
Twitter Handles and Passwords
Handle: @Big_Brother
Password:1984English10
Handle: @Winston_Smith
Password: 1984English10
Handle: @Julia_1984
Password:1984English10
Handle: @Obrien_1984
Password: 1984English10
Handle: @Goldstein
Password: 1984English10
You can use the hashtag #DownwithBigBrother as our conversation meeting point.
Remember that you need to Tweet at least twice a week. One should be an original post from
you and one should be in response to a peers post.

Note: As the teacher, I reserve the right to delete any posts that I find to be harmful or opposing
to the work that we are trying to do. However, for now I trust that you will use this technology in
a mature and responsible way.

Tweet Log
Date
11.4.2016

Time
11:35 am

What you said

@Winston_Smith We need to stand up for
ourselves! Meet me tonight.
#DownwithBigBrother

Blogger!!
Throughout the unit, you will be keeping a blog. There will be
two uses for this blog:
-You will be keeping a running list of the types of surveillance
that you find in each novel and the page on which you found
these examples. This will help you to make comparisons between
the novels and real life.
-We will be going over these lists in class so that if you have
missed some you can add them to your list. We will also be
discussing the usage and impact these surveillance techniques
have on society.
Your other blog assignments are listed below. Each of them is assigned at certain points in the
unit that are shown in the beginning calendar of the classes.
Feel free to be creative and add what you think the character would be feeling/thinking.
Remember to also integrate facts from the novels and make sure that what you are creating (or
making up) reflects the characters actual traits within the novels. Students may make use of
images, videos, etc in their blog as they see fit.
#1. Consider what you have read of the novels so far. Write at least 2 paragraphs explaining
some of the differences and similarities between Winston and Marcus. Why are these important?
What do they say about the government that these two characters are living under? What does
this say about how people might feel about our own government? Cite your support.
#2. Write a blog post from the viewpoint of either Winston or Marcus. Describe what you are
going through. Share your opinion (as the character) of what is happening and how it makes you
feel. Utilize the ways in which the character talks/acts for your own blog post.
#3. Write a blog post from the viewpoint of Big Brother. Why is surveillance important to you?
What does surveillance do? What answers would you have for those who doubt the reliability
and usage of surveillance?
#4. Write a blog post from the viewpoint of Julia or Ange. How does it feel knowing that you
have joined a resistance with someone that you love? What could you gain from this? How has
surveillance affected you, your past relationships, your work/school, etc?
#5. Write a blog from your own point of view. Now that you know all of this information about
surveillance both from the texts and from real life, how do you feel about surveillance? Give the

gist of your paper in at least 2 paragraphs. When is surveillance necessary? When does it go too
far? Do you think our government has gone too far in any way? (from what we have learned
during this unit)
For instructions on Blogger visit this site:
https://support.google.com/blogger/answer/1623800?hl=en
Rubric for Blog Posts

4 Consistently does all or almost all of the following:

Presents a focused and cohesive viewpoint.
Reflects the personality of the character through carefully selected word choices.
Selects and inserts high quality graphics and multimedia when appropriate to enhance the
contents visual appeal and increase readability.
Acknowledges all image and multimedia sources with captions or annotations.
Free of grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.

3 Does most or many of the following:

Presents a specific viewpoint.
Reflects a bit of the characters personality through word choices.
Selects and inserts graphics and multimedia that are mostly high quality and enhance and
clarify the content.
Acknowledges only a few multimedia and image sources and uses incomplete captions or
annotations.
Mostly free of grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.

2 Does most or many of the following:

Deviates from a specific viewpoint at times.
Reflects almost no personality and little attempt is made in word choice.
Selects and inserts many low-quality graphics and multimedia which do not enhance the
content.
Acknowledges only a few multimedia and image sources and uses incomplete captions or
annotations.
Some grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors that distract the reader.

1 Consistently does all or almost all of the following:

Presents no specific viewpoint.
Does not reflect the characters personality.
Does not insert any graphics, or uses only low-quality graphics and multimedia, which do
not enhance the content.
Does not acknowledge any image or multimedia sources, either with a caption or an
annotation.
Contains numerous grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors that confuse the reader.

Adapted from A+ Rubric:

https://www2.uwstout.edu/content/profdev/rubrics/blogrubric.html
Blog Permission Form
Dear Parent/Guardian:
I am planning to use a class weblog for the upcoming unit in relation to our text, 1984. A
weblog, or blog, is a fully functional web site that can be created and updated directly from a
web browser. More specifically, at this time we will be creating character blogs. Character blogs
are a type of blog written as though a fictional character, rather than an actual person, is making
the blog post.
A classroom weblog is a valuable teaching tool that engages every student in the writing
process, fosters collaboration, and allows the students to both reflect on their own writing and
react to the writing of others. The opportunity to publish online is a powerful motivator for
students because it gives them a voice, an audience, and the chance to get immediate feedback.
Writing character blogs will also give them a chance to show their understanding of characters
personalities and actions that we are studying. Class weblog submissions will be an extension to
classroom learning and will not be of a personal nature.
I want to stress that your childs privacy will be maintained. The public may be privy to
these posts, but only in order to show how the students are working through their understandings
of the text and to comment on their own feelings about what the students are talking about. Only
first names will be used, and no other references to any students identity, location, or other
personal information will be permitted. I will oversee all student weblog contributions, and I will
exercise administrative access privileges whenever necessary. We will also adhere to the
schools Acceptable Use Policies for the Internet.
I am excited about using this as an opportunity for students to practice and refine their
communication skills. I plan to begin developing the class weblog as soon as all permission slips
have been returned. Before your student can contribute to the weblog, I will need to receive the
signed permission form below.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me through school email.
Erika Jackson
English Department
Please detach and return the following:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I give permission for _________________________________ to contribute to the class Weblog.
(Students name)
Signature: ___________________________________________
Date: ______________________________________________

Adapted from the Unit Plan of Sarah Brown

http://smago.coe.uga.edu/VirtualLibrary/FSU/FSU2010_SarahBrown_ThePowerofGovernment.
pdf

Vocabulary
As you move through the readings, you will be given specific words as vocabulary to fill out this
chart. You will also be able to pick out any words from your texts that you dont understand.
This organizer will be created and filled out on Gliffy so that you can save them as a JPEG file
and paste them in your blog.

Dictionary Definition

Context (pg #s and sentence

examples)

Definition (In my own words)

Concept/Term

For a tutorial on Gliffy watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urFiwmMBQ4E

Importance to deeper meaning

As you work through both Little Brother and 1984 you will be asked to record all the methods of
surveillance that you find through the usage of an online graphic organizer such as this one from
Gliffy. Keeping track online will ensure that you do not lose the information. This will also be
your chance to elaborate on the usage of these surveillance methods in the different societies.

10

Organization Chart for Winston and Marcus. As you read, fill in similarities and differences for
ways in which surveillance affects both Winston and Marcus. Make sure to fill in the
surveillance method that you are discussing as you write the similarities and differences. Cite the
page numbers for each instance.
Similarities

Differences

11

Chart for tracking articles and information.

Article/Text

Why is this
information
important to the
unit?

What surveillance
methods are being
used?
What are the
features of this
surveillance?

Who is benefiting
from these
methods? How?
Who holds the
power?

How is this
particular form
of surveillance
affecting
different
characters?

12

13

Assessing Article Choice

Part of your work this semester will involve researching certain contexts in society to figure out
the ways in which surveillance is being used and the extent to which this usage is successful or a
failure.
It is important to use your informational literacies in order to decide which information is
reliable and valid.
Here are some ways in which you can assess the appropriateness of your articles.
Article Choice
Article selected is current (<10 years) and topic is appropriate.
Form and Content
Are you using a cheaply produced brochure by an organization interested in self-promotion
and fundraising, or a book published by a government agency or established press?
Is the material written with grace and clarity, organized effectively, and professional in
appearance, or is the writing style embarrassing, the organization haphazard, the text
awash in typos?
Authors credibility and bias
This could be established by your finding out and providing efficient biographical
information on the author and interpreting the authors agenda through the tone of the
text, the kinds of examples provided, and the specific audience to whom the author is
writing.
This could also be attributed for in whether the author has accounted for his or her own
biases within the piece.
What type of research is this? Is it for a credible newspaper? Or is it for the National
Enquirer?
Have other people cited this author?
Authors professional affiliation
Note whether the author has any professional affiliation, and how this affiliation connects
to the authors work. The most credible resources often have ties to professional
organizations with standards for membership, for instance. The most credible web pages
are often affiliated with a professional sponsoring organization.
Examine the layout choices. How do they represent their sponsors or donors? How do they
represent their community of writers?
Sources cited
This not only gives you a potential reading list, it helps you determine the quality of your
sources research. Are the cited sources primary or secondary? encyclopedia or journal
articles? biased or objective?
Adapted from:
https://www.e-education.psu.edu/styleforstudents/c5_p3.html

14

A.nnotate!!

As you find information pertaining to the issue of surveillance you will be keeping track of them
on a website called a.nnotate. Here you can keep track of these articles, pictures, song lyrics, etc.
You will create a folder called 1984 Research and within this folder you will be able to upload
your documents and websites and annotate them with highlights and notes.
This will help you with your final paper as well as to better understand the state of surveillance
in todays society.
You will share your documents and annotations with me so that I can see what you are getting
from your articles, respond to any questions, and clear up any misunderstandings.
For a quick tutorial of how to use this website watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alItvfa_Nb0

15

Final Assignment!!
Throughout this unit you will be tracking the characters of Winston and Marcus and the ways that
surveillance impacts their identities and actions within the novels. You will then be doing your own
research on a particular type of surveillance that you are interested in. You will use annotation
strategies learned in prior classes as well as ones that you will be learning during this unit to pull from
the novels and these articles answers to the questions given below. You will then be comparing and
contrasting this type of surveillance from its uses in the novels we have read to the information you
have found in your research about the real world.

Write a 3-5 page compare/contrast paper in which you discuss a certain type of surveillance.

The paper should be at least 5 paragraphs long with 3 of these being body paragraphs.
You should use at least 3 outside sources in your essay.

Within your paper you will want to answer a few questions:


-What factors affect the extent to which the surveillance method is successful or not in these contexts?
-What do you think about the pros and cons of surveillance in this particular context?
-Who is being privileged by this power?
-Who is having their privileges taken away by this power?
-What are the impacts of your form of surveillance on characters and their identities, actions, cultural
practices, etc?
-Has this affected you? How?
-Make sure to use both of the novels as well as your articles in your writing.

Comment [SH1]: Much better description!

16

Preliminary Rubric for Research Paper
Criteria
Purpose

Content

Organization

Word Choice

Exemplary

Good

Acceptable

Unacceptable

The writers
surveillance
method and
features are
apparent to the
reader.
The writer also
makes explicit the
ways in which his
or her specific form
of surveillance
impacts characters
in the novels as
well as from their
outside sources.

The writings
surveillance
method and
features are clear,
but may sometimes
stray from the ways
in which these
methods impact the
characters in the
novels as well as
those from their
outside sources.

The writers
chosen
surveillance
method and
features is not
consistently clear
throughout the
paper. The reader
struggles to
understand the
impact that this
method has on
characters in the
novels and in
outside readings.

The surveillance
method,
features, and
impacts are
generally
unclear.

Balanced
presentation of
relevant and
legitimate
information that
clearly supports a
central purpose or
argument and
shows a thoughtful,
in-depth analysis of
a significant topic.

Reader gains
important insights.
Information
provides
reasonable support
for a central
purpose or
argument and
displays evidence
of a basic analysis
of a significant
topic.
The ideas are
arranged logically
to support the
central purpose or
argument. They are
usually clearly
linked to each
other. For the most
part, the reader can
follow the line of
reasoning.

Reader gains
some insights.
Information
supports a central
purpose or
argument at
times. Analysis is
basic or general.

Reader gains
few insights.
Central purpose
or argument is
not clearly
identified.
Analysis is
vague or not
evident. Reader
is confused or
may be
misinformed.
The writing is
not logically
organized.
Frequently,
ideas fail to
make sense
together. The
reader cannot
identify a line of
reasoning and
loses interest.

The ideas are

arranged logically
to support the
purpose or
argument. They
flow smoothly from
one to another and
are clearly linked to
each other. The
reader can follow
the line of
reasoning.
Word choice is
consistently precise
and accurate. The
writer uses strong
verbs, nouns, and
adjectives to

Word choice is
generally good.
The writer often
goes beyond the
generic word to
find one more

In general, the
writing is
arranged
logically,
although
occasionally
ideas fail to make
sense together.
The reader is
fairly clear about
what writer
intends.
Word choice is
adequate, and the
range of words is
limited. Some
words are used
inappropriately.

Many words are

used
inappropriately,
confusing the
reader.

17

convey meaning.

Grammar,
Spelling,
Writing
Mechanics
(punctuation,
italics,
capitalization
, etc.)

Use of
References

Quality of
References

APA Citation

The writing is free

or almost free of
errors.
Grammar aligns
with specific
audience and
purpose.

Compelling
evidence from
legitimate sources
is given to support
claims. Attribution
is clear and fairly
represented.

precise and
effective. The
writer uses strong
verbs, nouns, and
adjectives to
convey meaning.
There are
occasional errors,
but they dont
represent a major
distraction or
obscure meaning.
Grammar aligns
with specific
audience and
purpose.
Legitimate sources
that support claims
are generally
present and
attribution is, for
the most part, clear
and fairly
represented.

References are
approved sources
that meet the
requirements given
earlier in the
semester. The
reader is confident
that the information
and ideas can be
trusted.

Although most
references meet the
requirements, a few
are questionable.
The reader is
uncertain of the
reliability of some
of the sources.

APA format is used

accurately and
consistently in the
paper and on the
References page.

APA format is used

with minor errors.

The writer uses

adequate verbs,
nouns, and
adjectives to
convey meaning.
The writing has
many errors, and
the reader is
distracted by
them.
Grammar sways
at points from
specific audience
and purpose.

There are so
many errors that
meaning is
obscured. The
reader is
confused.

Although
attributions are
occasionally
given, many
statements seem
unsubstantiated.
The reader is
confused about
the source of
information and
ideas.
Most of the
references are
from sources that
do not meet the
requirements and
have uncertain
reliability. The
reader doubts the
accuracy of much
of the material
presented.
There were
frequent errors in
APA format.

References are
seldom cited to
support
statements.

There are
virtually no
sources that are
reliable. The
reader seriously
doubts the value
of the material
and stops
reading.
Format of the
document is not
recognizable as
APA.

18

Podcast Assignment
Now you are going to take this work you have done and turn it into a digital
masterpiece. You are going to create a podcast PSA about your chosen
surveillance method.
What is a PSA you ask??
A PSA is a public service announcement. You have probably all seen the
videos showing the dangers of texting and driving right? These can get pretty
intense. The reason these exist is to show the public what can happen when
you are not paying attention to the road. A PSA in general is a message
created in the public interest to raise awareness and change public opinion
about a social issue.
Youre challenge, is to take the paper you have created and make a PSA
podcast announcement. You will need to:
Describe your surveillance method
How does this surveillance method relate to the United States today?
Why does the public need to know?
How are these methods shown in the novels?

Incorporate at least two quotes from your paper (one from each novel) that shows the usage of
your surveillance method in the novels.
Incorporate at least one quote from your paper (from an outside source/article) that shows the
usage of your surveillance method in the United States.
I have put up a tutorial video on how to use GarageBand as well as placing the link here. We will
also be watching this video in class and discussing the features of this particular genre.
However, if you have more experience with a tool like Audacity or Windows Movie Maker you
are more than welcome to use that as well.
Feel free to use other peoples voices in the creation of your podcast.

Comment [SH2]: I love the progression from writing a longer

paper and pulling out from that paper points they will make in a
podcast that is shorter. Excellent.