Consider using these 1984 pre-reading activities as you prepare students for Orwell’s mind-bending masterpiece.

1984 Pre-Reading Activities (overview)

1. Anticipation Guide
2. 1984 Cover Stories
3. Theme Stations
4. Propaganda Gallery (historical context)
5. Author Preview
6. 1984 Pre-Reading Slideshow
7. Debate: Surveillance and the Right to Privacy
8. Geography Futures
9. Research Topics Jigsaw
10. Genre Read (speculative fiction / dystopia)
11. Predicto-grams (novel excerpts)
12. A New World Order (YOURS!)

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1. Anticipation Guide

1984 Anticipation Guide

Anticipation guides enable the discussion of the novel’s theme subjects without spoiling the story. Most students enjoy sharing their own points of view before considering those of the author. The statements of this pre-reading activity initiate discussions on totalitarianism, psychological manipulation, privacy, governmental power, and social hierarchy.

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2. 1984 Cover Stories

This preview activity is especially effective with visual learners. 1984 and its adaptations have donned dozens (possibly hundreds) of different covers. Teachers can use this to excellent advantage. Have the students consider some of the cover art, and watch their imaginations take over.

1984 Book covers (7 Slides)

Before reading 1984, have students look at the cover art and make predictions about what elements of the design might mean. Based on the images, what might the story include? Are there any clues about setting, characters, events, or key details? What mood does the artwork create? What theme subjects might the book explore? What purposes did the designer(s) have in mind?

Depending on which covers you select, you can artfully prime students for the learning goals. For example, including the cover with a chess board introduces this element with more subtlety and interest than announcing, “Hey, there is a lot of symbolism and be on the lookout for anything to do with chess.”

Activity options:

• Students search for different examples and select one that speaks to them.
• Use discussion groups. Give each group a different work of art to examine and present.
• Have everyone react individually to several covers of your choosing. Come together to share ideas.

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3. Theme Subject Stations

Orwell’s speculative world covers a lot of thematic ground. To narrow the focus for learning stations, have 8 theme stations focusing on the theme subjects of rewriting history, government control, freedom of speech, resistance/revolution, indoctrination, trust, privacy, and class (economic/social).

Label each learning station with a theme subject. Groups of 4-5 students travel from station to station every 5 minutes.  At each theme station, students should discuss their thoughts, but they must answer these pre-reading questions individually:

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4. Propaganda Gallery (historical context)

PROPAGANDA SLIDES

Introduce the historical context of 1984 using propaganda materials from the era. These primary sources not only get students thinking about the ideological conflicts of the mid-20th century but also about the methods of persuasion, manipulation, and indoctrination that influenced Orwell’s dystopic vision.

Serving options:

• Assign each group one example to analyze and explain.
• Challenge each student to find an interesting example from the 30s or 40s to present. (Remind students to research using reputable sources as there are many imitations and adaptations of these materials.)
• Go through the gallery examples as a class and have students respond to each.
• Assign each cooperative group a topic (e.g., American economy) and have them assemble a small gallery of propaganda examples.

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5. Author Preview

Despite Orwell’s premature demise, he left a wealth of short works that can be read in conjunction with 1984. You might read one of his essays, short stories, or personal narratives as a class to familiarize students with Orwell’s style of language, experiences, and perspectives.

“Such, Such Were the Joys” – An essay about Orwell’s time at a boarding school in England. The work exposes the oppressive, classist environment and its lasting impact on him.

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6. Introduction Slideshow and Notes

This slideshow provides a straightforward method in explaining background, previewing the novel, and identifying the learning goals. Students need not retain all of the information, but they should have some idea about the book’s content and and why it is considered important by many.

Slide 19 provides an opportunity to establish your expectations regarding sensitive and disturbing content. As an added bonus, a content warning always seems to pique student interest.

Slideshow formats:

• Use the PDF slideshow as shown. (The accompanying notes handout is also available.)
• Get the editable PowerPoint file that comes with the lesson plans.

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7. Debate: Surveillance and the Right to Privacy

The issue of surveillance and privacy rights has increased significance in this age of AI analysis and data mining. Encourage deeper thought on this issue by having students conduct a classroom debate.

The debate outlined below focuses on surveillance and privacy, but students could debate a number of topics relevant to 1984 before reading. They might debate economic models (capitalism vs. socialism), political parties, patriotism, or limitations on freedom of speech.

Debate Topic:
Should governments and commercial interests have broad surveillance powers, or should individual privacy rights be protected from excessive tracking and data collection?

Overview:
In this debate, two teams will argue whether broad surveillance by governments and corporations is justified. One team will argue in favor of surveillance to maintain security and efficiency, while the other team will argue against it, emphasizing the importance of privacy and individual rights.

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8. Geography Futures

Prepare students for the setting of 1984 with pre-reading questions about the world’s political future. Ask them to speculate on whether humanity is headed toward a future with more independent nations or less independent nations.

Historically, the world has been trending toward the creation of more and more sovereign states. However, larger governing bodies like NATO, the United Nations, and the European Union seem to tell a different story. Are such organizations setting the stage for the super-states of the future?

Geography Futures questions:

• How many independent countries were there in the year 1900?
• How many countries were there when Orwell was writing the book (1948)?
• How many countries actually existed in the year 1984?
• Roughly how many countries exist today? (The exact number is a disputed issue.)
• How does the European Union work? How many countries are members?
• How many countries belong to the United Nations?
• How many independent countries do you think there will there be in 2084? Explain your prediction. 

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9. Pre-Reading Research Topics

Have students lead the learning by presenting on research topics related to the novel. If you have every student research and present a topic, this will take a long time. You can limit the time expended by this pre-reading assignment by focusing on these topics in cooperative groups:

• Stalinist Russia
• Secret Police: The Gestapo or the NKVD
• Free Speech (a history)
• China’s Central Committee
• North Korea under the Kim Dynasty
• Nazi Youth Groups: The HJ and the BDM (focus on purpose)
• The Science of Brainwashing

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10. Genre Read (speculative fiction / dystopia)

Helpful clip: “Science Fiction vs Speculative Fiction” (7 minutes, introduction only) from Book Odyssey – A deep dive into speculative genres. 

Explain that 1984 is an example of dystopia fiction, fiction that imagines a horrible existence for humanity. Dystopia fiction falls within the broader genre of speculative fiction (along with science fiction, supernatural fiction, and alternate histories). Other works in the genre of dystopia fiction include The Handmaid’s Tale, The Hunger Games, The Road, A Clockwork Orange, Divergent, and Brave New World.

Read a short example of speculative fiction / dystopia fiction as a class to get students thinking about genre.

Reading suggestions:

• “The Last Curiosity” by Amy Tan (5 pages) – What if AI decided to try being human in every way?
• “Cooking Time” by Anita Ray (6 pages) – A time-travelling, teen chef goes rogue. (Quick and easy to read)
• “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury (5 pages) – What will a smart house (shockingly prescient for 1950) do after humanity departs?
• “The Perfect Match” by Ken Liu (12 pages, 52 minutes of audio) – Will big data lead to unlimited surveillance and control? Is it already too late?
• “Examination Day” by Henry Slesar (3 pages) – What if the government took extreme measures to regulate intelligence?
• “The Martians Claim Canada” by Margaret Atwood (4 pages) – Musical-loving Martians meet misadventure with misguided mushrooms. (Silly fun)

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11. Predicto-grams

Each student or group receives a predicto-gram, a short excerpt from the novel that is vague or ambiguous without context. Ask students to make wild guesses about the circumstances and meaning of the quote. They should be ready to share their quote and their thoughts.

… For the first time the magnitude of what he had undertaken came home to him. How could you communicate with the future? It was of its nature impossible. Either the future would resemble the present, in which case it would not listen to him: or it would be different from it, and his predicament would be meaningless. (7) 

… he was walking through a pitch-dark room. And someone sitting to one side of him had said as he passed: “We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness.” It was said very quietly, almost casually—a statement, not a command. He had walked on without pausing. What was curious was that at the time, in the dream, the words had not made much impression on him. It was only later and by degrees that they had seemed to take on significance. He could not now remember whether it was before or after having the dream that he had seen O’Brien for the first time, nor could he remember when he had first identified the voice as O’Brien’s. But at any rate the identification existed. It was O’Brien who had spoken to him out of the dark. (25)

“Under the spreading chestnut tree

 I sold you and you sold me:

There lie they, and here lie we

Under the spreading chestnut tree.” (77)

“One of ’em pushed me once,” said the old man. “I recollect it as if it was yesterday. It was Boat Race night—terribly rowdy they used to get on Boat Race night—and I bumps into a young bloke on Shaftesbury Avenue. Quite a gent, ‘e was–dress shirt, top ‘at, black overcoat. ‘E was kind of zig-zagging across the pavement, and I bumps into ‘im accidental-like. ‘E says, ‘Why can’t you look where you’re going?’ ‘e says. I say, ‘Ju think you’ve bought the bleeding pavement?’ ‘E says, ‘I’ll twist your bloody ‘ead off if you get fresh with me.’ I says, ‘You’re drunk. I’ll give you in charge in ‘alf a minute,’ I says. An’ if you’ll believe me, ‘e puts ‘is ‘and on my chest and gives me a shove as pretty near sent me under the wheels of a bus. Well, I was young in them days, and I was going to ‘ave fetched ‘im one, only—” (91)

… Winston looked out into the field beyond, and underwent a curious, slow shock of recognition. He knew it by sight. An old, close-bitten pasture, with a footpath wandering across it and a molehill here and there. In the ragged hedge on the opposite side the boughs of the elm trees swayed just perceptibly in the breeze, and their leaves stirred faintly in dense masses like women’s hair. Surely somewhere nearby, but out of sight, there must be a stream with green pools where dace were swimming.

…“It’s the Golden Country–almost,” he murmured. (123)

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12. A New World Order (YOURS!)

At long last, the Revolution is over. You are the undisputed, victorious leader of the new world order. Your forces have crushed your enemies and silenced the critics. You hold absolute authority and total control. You can make society whatever you want it to be. Will you try to make a life a utopia for all? Will you make life a dystopic nightmare for everyone but yourself?

NAME OF SOCIETY:

IDEOLOGY / DOCTRINE: What ideas form the foundation of society?

EMBLEM / SYMBOL: This is not necessarily a logo. It could also be a person, event, object, or place.

VALUES: What does this society want its children to care about?

SLOGAN: This could be a formal motto or just a common expression.

LEADERSHIP / GOVERNANCE: Who makes the decision and how do they make them?

SOCIAL STRUCTURE: Are there different groups that serve different functions? Are they all equal? Explain.

MISCELLANEOUS: Provide any additional explanations needed to understand your societal vision.

• ECONOMY
• ARTS & CULTURE
• TECHNOLOGY
• EDUCATION
• LANGUAGE
• DRESS CODE
• LIFESTYLE
• TRADITIONS

Closing reflection: Imagine a totalitarian state that provided a fabulous standard of living for everyone. Would people willingly trade their freedom of speech and individuality for comfort and wealth?

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Thank you for visiting 1984 Pre-Reading Lessons / Activities.

In most teaching situations, dropping a long-form text in the students laps and saying, “Let’s talk about this in a week,” yields sub-optimal results. Even your most ardent readers and enthusiastic learners will appreciate some frontloading of context, theme subjects, and learning goals.  In other words, “Why are we reading this?”

At the very least, students must understand that, despite the title, 1984 should still be read as a speculation and not retrospective. These 1984 pre-reading activities increase the likelihood that your class’s exploration of Orwell’s terrifying vision will be productive and engaging.

1984 FREE stuff (ideas and samples)

1984 STORE (complete resources)