Aileen Weaver3/9/2015

Anthem Philosophical Concepts Lesson Plan

*Note: Precede this lesson with lesson on dystopian and utopian societies*

Rationale:

Students have begun to read the novelette Anthem by Ayn Rand, which includes many philosophical concepts that they may not be familiar with. It is important for the students to become familiar with and know these concepts to gain a better perspective of the story. The discussion of dystopian literature can often lead to questions about philosophical concepts that are used in these stories. Giving students background for these discussions is vital to helping them understand the material for this unit.

Materials:

For Students

- Pen/Pencil- Reading notebooks

For Teacher

- *Philosophical Concepts Handout* o Should be given to students to read for homework the night before the lesson o Read together as a class to ensure students have at least read the material once

- Projector- Computer w/Microsoft PowerPoint and Philosophical Concepts PowerPoint (attached with lesson

plan on D2L)- Microsoft Word or way to write a list with the class

Student Objectives:

- Introduce and explain philosophical concepts that will be discussed throughout the Anthem unit- Share opinions on philosophical concepts with classmates- Gaining understanding of how to apply philosophical concepts to the students reading of Anthem

Standards:

CC.1.2.9–10.C

Apply appropriate strategies to analyze, interpret, and evaluate how an author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events

CC.1.2.9–10.J

Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening

CC.1.2.9–10.K

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade-level reading and content

CC.1.5.9–10.A

Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grade-level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively

Aileen Weaver3/9/2015

Lesson/Activity(s):

6 minutes: Reintroduce definition of dystopian societies and ask students to define what they think a dystopian society would look like. Short writing assignment (two to three sentences), ask students to write their own definition of a dystopian society (write prompt on board for students that have difficulties with verbal instructions). Ask what they thought of the reading they were assigned, discuss any confusion/concerns they had while reading. Write down answers to prompt and questions students have on the board or project on a Microsoft Word document. Print out copies for students with IEP’s.

20 minutes: Present PowerPoint with the Philosophical Concepts Breakdown handout which provides a more detailed explanation of the concepts given on the previous handout. Throughout the presentation, ask questions and get student contribution/thoughts on different concepts. Do they think these philosophical concepts would work well in today’s society? Why or why not? Make sure students are taking notes on handouts/in notebooks throughout presentation.

15 minutes: Give students time to discuss philosophies and how they relate to Anthem/where do they see these philosophies in their lives today. Assign one philosophy to each group and give a specific page example from the book for them to connect the philosophy and the text that is given to them. Ask students to make notes of topics and questions in their notebooks or on handouts that they would like to talk about more in depth.

4 minutes: Conclude with summary of PowerPoint, ask students to continue to read over philosophical concepts hand out and think about how they are relevant to the novelette (Anthem).

Assessment: Students will be sharing aloud with the class and given a quiz on Chapter One from Anthem within the next lesson, which will include philosophical concepts that they reviewed in class. Quiz will include a word bank with philosophical concepts and short definitions to help students connect the concepts to the text examples on the quiz.

Adaptations:

- Mixed Ability and Language Groupings:- Use the short story Harrison Bergeron to introduce the idea of dystopian texts- Give students a second handout and worksheet and review both in class. Do not send students

home without reviewing both the handout and worksheet thoroughly.- Break down concepts even further for students (elaborate handouts) - Extend time for students to discuss concepts- Students with auditory disability will be allowed to record the lesson so they may review

lesson concepts after class has taken place- Students with writing difficulties will be given a quiz with more in depth word bank in an

attempt to assist with fill in the blank and one short answer question. Short answers will be graded on answer alone, not grammatical and spelling correctness.

Aileen Weaver3/9/2015

AnthemRelevant Philosophical Concepts

Collectivism- The subjugation of the individual to a group – whether to a race, class

or state does not mattero Subjugation – to bring under control and govern as a subject; to

control- Holds that man must be chained to a collective action and collective

thought for the sake of what is called ‘the common good’o What is the common good??

Individualism- Regards man – every man – as an independent, sovereign entity who

possesses an inalienable right to his own life, a right derived from his nature as a rational being

o Sovereign – supreme, independent authority over a region, state… or person?

o Entity – an individual person, place or thingo Inalienable Right – a right that cannot be taken away, denied or

transferredo Rational Being – a person that thinks sensibly or logically

- Holds that a civilized society . . . can be achieved only on the basis of the recognition of individual rights

- A group has no such rights other than the individual rights of its members

Altruism- Man has no right to exist for his own sake- Service to others is the only justification of his existence- Self-sacrifice is his highest moral duty, virtue and value…- Views the self as a standard of the evil and the selfless as a standard

of the goodEgoism

- Each man’s primary moral obligation is to achieve his own welfare, well-being, or self-interest…

Aileen Weaver3/9/2015

o Welfare, well-being, self-interest – What do these words mean to you???

- He should be ‘selfish’ in the sense of being the beneficiary of his own moral actions

o Beneficiary – a person who derives advantage from somethingConformity

- The act or habit of bringing (oneself) into harmony or agreement with others

- Adhering to conventional behavioro Adhering – to believe in and follow the practices of a religion or a

society- Conventional behavior examples:

o ‘Bless you’o ‘I’m sorry’o ‘Please’ and ‘thank you’o Holding the door for someone

Obedience- Complying with a command- Yielding to those in authority- Who do you obey? Is obedience a form of respect? Or is it just a

conventional behavior, how you were taught to act when you were young?

Independence- One’s acceptance of the responsibility of forming one’s own

judgment and of living by the work of one’s own mind- Forming one’s own judgment

o Making a decisiono How do you go about making decision?

- Living by the work of one’s own mindo Consequenceso Does independence come with the freedom to do whatever you

want without having to handle the consequences of your decisions?

o Why or why not??- The virtue of freedom