Stalin, Communism, and the Russian Revolution! Oh My!
My students need ten copies each of two nonfiction books from the World Almanac Library, "Dictatorship" and "Communism", in addition to one copy of "All Art is Propaganda: Critical Essays", by George Orwell.
I teach English to 10th graders at a public high school in Central New York. In this community where more than half of the population is below the poverty level, resources are scarce and budget cuts make acquiring new supplies for students next to impossible. My students are eager to learn, but they need materials to do so.
One of the novels the 10th graders read is Animal Farm by George Orwell. The problem with fully understanding this novel is that students must have knowledge of the historical background of Joseph Stalin's rise to power.
Another problem we face is encouraging our students to read nonfiction in preparation for the upcoming NYS English Regents Exam. In addition, I have discovered that my students seem to think that once they leave one teacher's classroom, they don't need to think about that subject until they return the next day. I want them to see that what they learn in one content area is absolutely applicable to other content areas.
Fortunately, during 10th grade, students are also required to take Global Studies II, which includes a unit on Stalin and the Russian Revolution. If I can obtain some nonfiction resources about this time period, I can use them in my classroom at the same time the students are learning about the Russian Revolution in their Global classes. These include ten copies each of two nonfiction books from the World Almanac Library, Dictatorship and Communism, in addition to one copy of All Art is Propaganda: Critical Essays by George Orwell. Together, we can teach them that what they learn in one content area is applicable to another.
With your help, we will kill three proverbial birds with one stone. Students will learn the historical background they need to understand Animal Farm, they will practice reading nonfiction in preparation for the NYS Regents Exam, and they will see that content areas do overlap.
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