Outcomes

What do you want students to know and be able to do? How is this related to your principled approach?
Ultimately, we want students to be able to access the transactional third space without using transitional objects because this results in individuals who have progressed into transactional thinkers. When students have evolved into transactional thinkers and transactional beings, they see and understand how their own being is an integral part of the global community (212). The cultivation of this thinking evolves from spending time in third spaces, enough time to take away the knowledge that transforms into wisdom when focused and applied in the real-world. Citing our authors’ framework, the crystallization of a world-view of coexistence and the internalization of a sense of social responsibility without relying on texts as transitional objects always begins with personally and socially relevant understandings and abilities derived from spending time with a transactional text. In our case, the text is George Orwell’s //1984//. In the context of //1984//, we strive for our students to leave the transactional text with understanding that will impact their day-to-day functions, as well as their decisions that relate to community building and socio-cultural interactions. In this context, the transactional power of studying //1984// comes from the "understandings."

What students will **know**:
 * Student will know and understand their values, specifically in regards to
 * how they are governed
 * surveillance
 * propaganda
 * democratic processes
 * freedom and safety
 * Students will know persuasive techniques and appeals
 * Students will know and be able to identify various propaganda techniques
 * Students will know how genre affects the delivery and meaning of a text
 * Students will know the political, social, and historical context of //1984//
 * Students will know who George Orwell is and understand his cultural significance

What students will **be able to do**:
 * Students will be able to think critically about their role and function within society
 * Students will be able to read and think critically about different texts
 * Students will be able to think, write, and speak personally and critically in response to questions inspired by //1984// and its historical, social, and cultural context
 * Students will be able to produce effective writing from different genres
 * Students will be able to detect persuasive techniques, as well as produce persuasive writing of their own
 * Students will be able to detect propaganda and its function in an effort to avoid manipulation
 * Students will be able to identify and use the literary terms which aid in the meaning of a text
 * Students will be able to use new vocabulary acquired through reading various texts
 * Students will be able to think critically and form reasonable arguments about undefined or controversial issues
 * Students will be able to identify and discuss the relevance of in-class reading and writing in their lives and the world around them.

What students will be able to **understand**:
 * Students will understand their personal responsibility in the democratic process
 * In order to achieve a truly democratic world, students must understand they must be the change they strive for, as change begins with the individual first


 * Students will understand that language is power
 * The Party seeks to diminish the opportunity for dissent by narrowing the language. Students must understand that their words are power and that the depth of the language is representative of the potential for change.


 * Students will understand the relationship between language and thought


 * Students will understand the role of memory and history in forming personal, national, and global identities
 * The Party seeks to alter history. If history can be altered, the motivation for action is flimsy, as there is no precedent. Our past is important because it dictates our future.


 * Students will understand that perception dictates reality


 * Students will understand the effects and consequences of class struggle
 * Students must realize the the class struggle of //1984// parallels struggles present today. A division between people exists based on wealth, and as long as that division exists to cloud our perception of human value, we'll never be a truly democratic world.


 * Students will understand that freedom and safety are in perpetual conflict
 * Too often we feel or are convinced that we must freedom for safety or vice-versa. A dialog exists based on this idea; students must questions the value of safety without freedom. An assumption may exist that the Party sacrifices citizens' freedom to ensure their safety; O'Brien reveals a different reason.


 * Students will understand the conflict that exists between privacy and public disclosure
 * For decades privacy was one of the most sought-after rights in this nation. Today, as highly a contested a topic privacy still is, a large number of people are willing to forfeit their sense of privacy with the introduction of certain technologies and the potential for fame and/or recognition. Where is the line with privacy and what value does it really hold in our lives, especially with the presence of technologies that didn't exist a hundred years ago. Why do some of us not appear to fear a future without privacy like in //1984//?


 * Students will understand that the nature of truth is debatable (relative vs. absolute)
 * This idea goes back to history and how the perception of history shapes our actions in the present. But aside from that, do truths exist absolutely or are truths relative to context. Do shades of gray exist? The Party avoids shades of gray, and this results in extreme actions.


 * Students will understand their relationship with propaganda
 * We exist hardly a waking moment without being flooded with some sort of propaganda. What exactly does this mean for our thinking, especially when we consider all of the propaganda we aren't consciously aware of? Citizens in 1984 are never left in a moment of silence, as they are bombarded with propaganda. If their thought isn't directed entirely by the Big Brother, they're too run down or distracted for a moment of reflection; does this happen to us?


 * Students will understand the argument for ignorance as a tool for manipulation and/or happiness (ignorance is bliss)
 * Some will argue that ignorance is preferable because reality is too depressing. What does this mean in terms of how you open yourself up to manipulation? Are the Proles better off?


 * Students will understand the role of technology as a tool that functions for good and bad
 * Undoubtedly, life is better with technology. Or is it? With advances comes certain drawbacks? Is the risk and potential injustices worth the benefits?


 * Students will understand that absolutes are dangerous


 * Students will understand the necessity of moderation


 * Students will understand that blind trust is dangerous
 * Media access doesn't warrant trust. Power does not equal moral conscience.


 * Students will understand that terrorists and revolutionaries are often labeled interchangeably, depending on perspective and context
 * Again, history and personal interests create a flexible reality, all dependent on perception.


 * Students will understand that methods are not always justifiable in the terms of their end goal


 * Students will understand that happiness, like freedom, is variable depending upon context


 * Students will understand social connection as a vital component of humanity
 * The Party works to eliminate any potential for meaningful human relationships; do we need human connection to maintain our humanity?


 * Students will understand the power of individuals working as a collective
 * The Proles outnumber the Party and could easily rise up against Big Brother. However, they're not tuned into their power because the inner-party keeps them distracted with alcohol, poverty, and pornography.