Animal Farm writing lesson one Objective To write a poem in the same tone as another poem Main activity Students write a poem in the same tone as Minimus' 'Comrade Napoleon.' Introduction What kind of animal is Minimus? What is his role on the farm? What is the name of the poem he writes about Napoleon? Development Read Minimus' poem 'Comrade Napoleon' in chapter eight. Friend of the fatherless! Fountain of happiness! Lord of the swill-­‐bucket! Oh, how my soul is on Fire when I gaze at thy Calm and commanding eye, Like the sun in the sky, Comrade Napoleon! Thou art the giver of All that thy creatures love, Full belly twice a day, clean straw to roll upon; Every beast great or small Sleeps at peace in his stall, Thou watchest over all, Comrade Napoleon Had I a sucking-­‐pig, Ere he had grown as big Even as a pint bottle or as a rolling-­‐pin, He should have learned to be Faithful and true to thee, Yes, his first squeak should be 'Comrade Napoleon!' What words indicate that Napoleon is the leader of a farm? What other farming vocabulary could we add to this list? What positive adjectives give the impression that Napoleon is a father figure? What other adjectives can we add to the list? How many stanzas does the poem have? (Four) How many lines are in each stanza? (Seven) © Education Umbrella, 2014 What is the rhyming scheme? (A, A, B, C, C, C, B) Main activity Write a poem in the style of Minimus. Use the same structure and rhyming scheme. Include the vocabulary from the previous exercise and your own ideas. Each student reads his/her poem to the class in a joyful and patriotic tone. © Education Umbrella, 2014