Introduction to Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

 Introduction to Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

The second quarter began with Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Aside from a deeply-rooted “geeky” personality, I became very eager to explore censorship, government control, and general dystopian ideas with my students. 

Pop culture is exploding with dystopic teen fiction and movies currently, so I knew the building interest would be easier than with other novels that I have taught over the course of my career.

Banned Books

My very first activity coincided with Banned Books Week. There is a plethora of resources for information on banning books, but I choose to use  Banned  Books Week. 

I am fortunate enough to have computers in my classroom, so I allowed the students to make a collaborative mini-inquiry project. After the students had been assigned to their small groups, they began to do research on their individual parts: Banned Books that Shaped America, Mapping Censorship, Heroes and Highlighting Censorship: Tucson Unified School District. 

After obtaining their individual information, the students determine the method in which they want it presented to the class. Their options are a formal speech, a visual project presentation, or a PowerPoint/Prezi presentation.

Short Stories

Prior to beginning the main focus of a unit, I use short stories to reinforce literary analysis and the examination of elements of fiction. I use stories with similar themes to build text-to-text connection and the ability to identify and argue theme. 

This is the sample
that is on the right side
of the bulletin
board. 

I used “The Pedestrian”  by Ray Bradbury and “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Both stories work well to demonstrate a dystopian society that is maintained through an oppressive government and technology.  I have my students annotate their text and write a brief analysis with each piece that we read. After the selection and individual work is done, we hold a Socratic seminar regarding the topics and questions generated.

These two pieces work very well for a comparison essay. You can utilize a Venn diagram, Cornell Notes, a bubble map or a 3-sectioned T-chart. I allow my students to choose whichever strategy works before for their pre-writing process. This works well for different learning styles and gives them ownership of their creation.

Twilight Zone

Most people are visual learners and our current students have been raised on technology. Incorporating an old T.V. show does a couple of things: it shows universal theme and how far we have progressed.

“Time Enough at Last”  maintains the loss of knowledge by way of discarding books. Upon completion of the show, I have the students review various pieces of art and propraganda. In small groups, the students must compare the video to one of the visual representations of book burning and will create claims based on the standard (student-generated prompt). The students will use poster-size chart paper to create a visual aid to represent their thoughts. The students will participate in a Gallery Walk, making notes of strengths and weaknesses on each poster with Post-its.

 Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 

I work in an urban school with a high poverty rate. This makes at-home reading difficult because we have a shortage of books and a lack of technology in the students’ homes. Therefore, we do our reading in class.

I start the class with a Do Now/Bell Ringer that pertains to the subject matter or a reflective writing prompt about the previous reading. This is especially easy at this time due to current events worldwide.

Next, I spend a small portion of my time providing instruction and information. We also address any areas of concern and commentary.

After reading the selection in their small groups, the students work collaboratively on their graphic organizer. These snapshots are from my smart book; for the download go to Dialectical Journal: Literature Circle Activities

 I have the students recreate the graphic organizer in their journal. This one in particular is a combination of a dialectical journal, Cornell notes, and Literature Circles. The students are able to work collaboratively while providing individual work and avoiding the argument of how much their partners are contributing.

Common Core State Standards Used

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.5

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.5

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.7

Until Next Time,

Learn LOUDLY!!!

P.S. If you enjoy using lyrics as poetry and are looking for connections, Lit Tunes offers the following suggestions:

• "In the Year 2525" by Zeger and Evans Summer of Peace Love and Music
• "Choose Your Own Perfume" by Chris Hawkins SIBL Contest Winners                       
• “Conformity 451" by Norine Braun SIBL Contest Winners                                
• "Let Down" by Radiohead OK Computer               
• "Fahrenheit 451" by Utopia Swing to the Right  
• “The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel Wednesday Morning, 3 AM