These are alternative calendars for the official English with Mrs. Lamp 1984 unit, available here!
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1984 Unit Calendar — 15 Days (45-Minute Classes)
Page numbers match the Signet Classics edition of 1984
Adapted from the full 20-day calendar. The essay unit (5 days) is kept exactly as-is; the reading/discussion portion is condensed from 15 days to 10 by combining intro activities into Day 1 and moving from 3–4 in-class reading days per Part down to 2, with slightly larger homework reading chunks to compensate.
| DATE | DATE | DATE | DATE | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Context Reading + highlighting Discuss main ideas Video: youtube.com/watch?v=oe64p-QzhNE Read the Pimlott Intro & answer the reading questions with a small group HW: Read pp. 1–29 | Journaling (5 questions in reading packet) Work on the Part One Questions (SG) for pp. 1–29 Discuss as a class HW: pp. 29–70 | Work on the Part One Questions (SG) for pp. 29–70 Discuss as a class Time permitting: “Opinion Questions” from packet HW: pp. 70–104 | 30 min: Quiz over Part One! 15 min: Finish Part One Questions with small group HW: pp. 105–136 | Work on the Part Two Questions (SG) for pp. 105–136 Discuss as a class HW: pp. 136–181 |
| Work on the Part Two Questions (SG) for pp. 136–181 Discuss as a class HW: pp. 181–224 | 30 min: Quiz over Part Two! 15 min: Finish Part Two Questions with small group HW: pp. 225–261 | Do the poem questions with a small group (last page of unit packet) Work on the Part Three Questions (SG) for pp. 225–261 Discuss as a class HW: pp. 261–300 | Work on the Part Three Questions (SG) for pp. 261–300 Discuss as a class HW: pp. 300–312 (finish the novel) + study for quiz | 30 min: Quiz over Part Three! 15 min: Finish Part Three Questions with small group HW: Study for the timed essay! |
| Timed Essay over 1984 | Essay Writing Time (Timed and typed directions here if you do not have your own lessons) | Essay Writing Time | Essay Writing Time | Essay Writing Time Essays are due by the end of class. |
Optional: Passage-Based/Text-Based Quizzes and Tests are included in the full unit available here. You could incorporate these as homework or use them instead of the final 2 essays.
How this differs from the calendar included in the full unit (seen here)
- Reading section condensed: Day 1 now combines the context reading, video, class discussion, and the Pimlott Intro group work that were originally split across two separate days. Each Part now gets 2 in-class reading/discussion days instead of 3–4, followed by its quiz day.
- Bigger HW chunks: To cover the same ~312 pages in fewer discussion days, nightly reading assignments run larger (up to ~45 pages some nights, vs. ~20–35 in the original).
- Enrichment activities preserved: Journaling, Opinion Questions, and the Poem Questions all still appear; they’re folded into existing discussion days (Days 2, 3, and 8) rather than getting standalone days.
- If this schedule feels tight for your students: The easiest lever to loosen is combining the two remaining writing days at the end into one longer block, which would free up a day to restore a third reading day for Part Two (the longest part, at ~119 pages).
1984 Unit Calendar — 15 Days (45-Minute Classes)
Page numbers match the Signet Classics edition of 1984
Adapted from the full 20-day calendar. This version keeps the reading/discussion pacing as close to the original as possible. Part One is untouched, and it shortens the essay part instead, from 5 days down to 3.
| DATE | DATE | DATE | DATE | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Context Reading + highlighting Discuss main ideas Video: youtube.com/watch?v=oe64p-QzhNE Read the Pimlott Intro & answer the reading questions with a small group HW: Read pp. 1–29 | Journaling (5 questions in reading packet) Work on the Part One Questions (SG) Discuss as a class HW: pp. 29–63 | Work on the Part One Questions (SG) Discuss as a class Time permitting: “Opinion Questions” from packet HW: pp. 63–81 | Work on the Part One Questions (SG) Discuss as a class HW: pp. 81–104 | 30 min: Quiz over Part One! 15 min: Finish Part One Questions with small group HW: pp. 105–145 |
| Work on the Part Two Questions (SG) Discuss as a class HW: pp. 145–185 | Work on the Part Two Questions (SG) Discuss as a class HW: pp. 185–224 | Work on the Part Two Questions (SG) Discuss as a class HW: (finish reviewing pp. 105–224; study for quiz) | 30 min: Quiz over Part Two! 15 min: Finish Part Two Questions with small group HW: pp. 225–268 | Do the poem questions with a small group (last page of unit packet) Work on the Part Three Questions (SG) Discuss as a class HW: pp. 268–312 |
| Work on the Part Three Questions (SG) Discuss as a class HW: Study for quiz | 30 min: Quiz over Part Three! 15 min: Finish Part Three Questions with small group HW: Study for the timed essay! | Timed Essay over 1984 | Essay Writing Time (Timed and typed directions here if you do not have your own lessons) | Essay Writing Time Essays are due by the end of class. |
Optional: Passage-Based/Text-Based Quizzes and Tests are included in the full unit available here. You could incorporate these as homework or use them instead of the final 2 essays.
How this differs from the calendar included in the full unit (seen here)
- Part One is fully intact (Days 1–5): You’ll have the same three discussion days and page chunks as the original (29–63, 63–81, 81–104), plus Journaling and Opinion Questions folded in, just as in the original plans. Only the two separate intro-activity days are merged into Day 1.
- Part Two trimmed by one day (Days 6–9): There are three discussion days instead of four, with slightly larger nightly reading chunks (~40 pages instead of ~30), allowing you to cover pp. 105–224 in less time.
- Part Three trimmed by one day (Days 10–12): There are two discussion days instead of three, covering pp. 225–312 in two ~44-page chunks. The Poem Questions still get their own time on Day 10.
- Essay unit cut from 5 days to 3 (Days 13–15): Students lose two in-class drafting/revision days compared to the original unit calendar’s plan.
- If 3 essay days feels too thin for your students: The easiest way to buy back a 4th essay day is to fold Part Two’s Day 8 back into Day 7 (a slightly longer single discussion day covering pp. 145–224 at once) rather than trimming from Part Three, since Part Three’s plot compresses more naturally into two sittings.
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