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| Ayn Rand's Anthem Lesson Plan |
| Title Ayn Rand�s Anthem: A Cultural Studies Approach Overview This lesson is a five-day plan, but can be modified. Students will interact with the text in a contemporary literature class for 9th through 12th graders. An effective approach may be to coordinate this lesson with the history or social students department when students will be studying fascism, Nazism, or the Holocaust. Student Goals 1. To understand the historical context within which Anthem is placed. 2. To identify major literary elements of the story. 3. To make correlations between the protagonist and students� own life experiences. 4. To evaluate the story using contemporary parallelisms with regard to the media, right-wing hate groups, and contemporary martyrs like David Koresh or Timothy McVeigh. Materials/Resources Needed Anthem, paper, pen/pencil, and crayons, colored pencils, or markers. Activities or Procedures Day 1/Chapters 1-6: Start class in a large circle and begin with a brief discussion of setting, character, and historical context. (15-20 min.) Break the class up into small groups (4 students/group), and supply each group with pre-determined and different discussion questions. Encourage each person to assume a group role (i.e. leader, timekeeper, notekeeper, presenter, etc.) (15-20 min.) Meet back in a large group and discuss each of the group�s answers. Day 2/Chapters 7-12: Begin class with allowing students to draw a scene from Anthem which they found particularly striking (those not willing to draw may use the time to journal). (15-20 min.) Allow each student to present their work, if they so choose. Stay in a large group for a discussion of Chapters 7-12, and provide a handout of further discussion questions. Prompt the students for a writing assignment to begin on Day 3. If there is time today, allow students to free-write. Topic: Tie something from your personal life to the actions of Equality 7-2521. Describe a time or place when something you did was unpopular and how did that make you feel? This is simply a suggestion. Students can take the essays in any direction they choose, as long as the themes of Anthem are touched upon. Day 3: Begin/continue writing personal essays. (Allow students to choose whichever spots in the room they feel comfortable writing in.) After some time, begin meeting with students one-on-one in brief writing conferences. Day 4: Revise/Edit/Conferences for half of class. Begin new Lesson Plan for other half. Day 5: Turn in personal essays. Allow students to read them aloud, if they choose. Continue with new Lesson Plan. Accommodation *At the freshman level, I might want to stick more closely to the text; at higher levels, delve into the concepts and historical context more. Extensions *A good musical connection would be to bring in Rush�s 2112, an excellent concept album based quite closely on Anthem. Compare these great lyrics to Rand�s vision in the novel. *Recommend Orwell�s 1984 or Animal Farm or Aldous Huxley�s Brave New World. *Find a good film adaptation of any of the above, to either show in class or recommend. Assessment Students will demonstrate achievement of goals through class participation and the writing of effective personal essays. Additionally, I will get some sense of whether or not the lesson was interesting to students by their participation in small/large group discussions. Anthem discussion questions |
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