What's Going On Around The Country!

• At New York University, Jody Polleck is using this 1984 Learning Station Lesson in her classroom.
  
  
• Angelia Poon Mui Cheng, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, writes that she is finalizing plans for a video conference link up with university students in America.
  
  
• Rhetoricians for Peace member Bonnie Kyburz is producing a documentary film about the 1984+20 Project. All who are participating in the project are invited to send film/tape footage, images, news clippings, interviews, and other forms of documentary evidence. For more information, please see the Rhetoricians for Peace Web site at http://www.rhetoriciansforpeace.org/prop84film.html
  
  
• Kathy Quesenbury, Summit High School, Mansfield, TX, writes, "Jane Powell, at the International School of Luxembourg, and I, at Summit High School in Mansfield, Texas, are currently corresponding via e-mail.  We haven't decided exactly what we are going to do, but we have been discussing a teleconference and e-mails. Additionally, I wanted to let you know how excited my students are. Everyday they ask if we have received a new e-mail from Jane." Jane writes that her students are "getting round to (asking questions) because initially they are asking questions to each other like what is the school like, what do you eat in Luxembourg/Texas, do you have part-time jobs etc., etc, - all the things they want to know about how they live, study, spend their spare time. From that point of view alone, this project has got students talking, breaking down stereotypes, making friendships and being curious about each others lifestyles, which is wonderful. In our school (ISL) I have opened up the Project to the whole community. So far, only a few people (staff members and students) have reacted to join in, but it's still early days. However, just as with the students in our classes, it has got people talking and even those not actually taking part in reading 1984 are talking informally about the novel and its parallels with society today." 
  
  
• Bhanu Kandel, Janapriya Multiple Campus, Pokhara, Nepal, writes,"We have decided to organize some programs in local level in the  schools and colleges we teach. We will be reading the important extracts from the book and we shall debate about the  capacity of the writers to forcast the future." Programs are scheduled for October 15.
  
  
• At the University of Richmond, Lee Carleton is planning a marathon reading with both campus and community groups on October 3, with concurrent discussion groups and a screening of the latest film version of 1984 in separate rooms. Carleton writes," I am now organizing the schedule of readers and arranging for light refreshments & coffee to be served throughout the day. I have had almost a dozen responses from students & faculty as well as people in the community. I may even see if I can get a group of drama students to mill around in with pale faces in grey coveralls." He hopes to have at least 40 particpants.
  
  
• Julie Calfee, Columbus North High School, Columbus, IN, will be directing a stage adaptation of 1984 at the high school on November 12-13 at 7:30 p.m. and November 14 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets will be available. Calfee writes that the play, "should be doubleplusgood."
  
  
• Glenda Berry, Librarian, Wailuku Public Library, Wailuku, HI, is reading 1984 as part of the Maui Readers Book Discussion Group. The Group is reading 1984 for their October meeting.
  
  
• Brian Fetterman, Hatsboro-Horsham Sr. High School, Horsham, PA, writes, "Wee Land Tong  (in Singapore) and I plan to video conference around the last week in October / first week in November. He is using their NIE (National Institute of Education) for the video conference since his university does not have the capabilities. I am the first one in my school district to attempt such a project and my class of 11th grade honors students is very excited about it."
  UPDATE!
  Brian writes,"I wanted to update you on the Video Conference that is to take place with Hatboro-Horsham High School and the National Institute of Education in Singapore. It is set for Tuesday October 26th at 8AM Eastern time. They are 12 hours ahead of us. We ran a practice conference with myself,  Mr. Wee Laing Tong, and Dr. Angelia Poon of the NIE in Singapore. The results were real-time with less than one second delay using the Internet 2 - impressive to say the least. I had our social studies department chairperson, Dan Maley, come to my class and conduct a lesson on the cultural / environmental / political environment of Singapore.   My students drafted questions and we have already shared some of them with Professor Tong in Singapore. We have a discussion format set up and are ready to go. Some of our local newspapers will be covering this event.  I have enclosed a press release in this email for your information. We will be recording this event through both digital video and photography." He also plans to share his video with Bonnie Kyburz, who is compiling a documentary on the 1984+20 Project!
  
  
• Alice Trupe, Director of the Writing Center and Associate Professor of English at Bridgewater College of Virginia, writes, "The local (regional)  library in Harrisonburg, VA, and Barnes & Noble are in process of collaborating to plan a discussion of 1984 on a Friday or Saturday in the late afternoon or early evening in mid-October. This evolved from my forwarding the NCTE announcement to the library when the announcement first came out, a subsequent contact early in the summer from a library staff member who scheduled me to lead a community discussion in the library in October, followed by her interaction with the new community relations manager at Barnes & Noble.  The nice thing is that, though my college is small and is located in the very small town of Bridgewater, we can have a broader impact in nearby Harrisonburg, where James Madison University and Eastern Mennonite University are located. The Barnes & Noble store in Harrisonburg attracts a substantial clientele of college students and professors. I am enthusiastic about the potential for significantly expanding involvement, and I suggest that others consider a similar venue."
  
  
• At Tidewater Community College with campuses in Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, and Norfolk, Virginia, Donna Reiss, Associate Professor of English and Humanities, Michele Marits, Instructor of English and Humanities, and Cynthia Horen, Writing Center Director, are developing a Website (http://www.tcc.edu/students/resources/1984plus20/) with resources for faculty across the disciplines, campus-wise and college-wide panel discussions and film showings, and individual class activities. They write that they're excited that faculty in math, Spanish, economics, information systems, humanities, literature, and composition are participating so far (project descriptions will be added to the Website). They also are setting up an interactive Weblog at http://itde.vccs.edu/1984/ for students to discuss 1984 across classes and campuses during October. Students and faculty interested in joining the conversation can enroll at the Weblog address. 
  
  
• Dan Smolla will be taking part in a book discussion group with 15-25 others at the Glenside Public Library District, Gendale Heights, IL on Tuesday, November 30. Dan writes that this will be a fairly informal discussion with occasional prompting questions or facts given by the monitor.
  
  
• Annie Hololob, community relations manager for Barnes and Noble Booksellers, Harrisonburg, VA, writes that the bookstore is planning a panel discussion with professors from Bridgewater College on October 16. This event is open to the public and will be combined with a fundraiser for the Massanutten Regional Library.
  
  
• Marilyn Seguin, professor of English at Kent State University, will host a discussion between her freshman English class and emeriti faculty and administrators via electronic discussion board, October 1-8.
  
  
• Karen Andronico, Assistant Principal of English at Herbert H. Lehman High School in the Bronx, writes that she is coordinating the activities related to the reading of 1984. She plans to have several classes read the book and discuss the book using several forums: class discussion, discussion forums on the web, letter writing, debates, etc. She would like to extend the reading of the novel on a schoolwide basis (4,300 students and 200+ teachers). She writes, "I love the idea of the reading marathon and I plan on trying to host that event. I will publicize this to the local community and to the parents and I will invite their participation as well. I'm sure we will come up with many more activities, so we'll keep you posted!"
  
  
• Terry Ann Tye, A. I. Root Middle School, Medina City, Ohio, writes, "I plan on having, if approved, a special 1984 night for students and their parents who have volunteered to read the novel. Students and their parents will first read the novel. In October, we will then have a discussion night at my school; a list of questions will be sent home with volunteers to discuss as they read certain chapters. Notecards with questions will be distributed to two groups, each consisting of a student and parent(s). After discussing the questions, they will trade questions with another group. We will then discuss the questions as a whole group. Students and their parent(s) may dress as though they were in 1984, if they choose."
  
  
• Jared Riddle,  Assistant Professor of English: Academic Skills/English & Communication Program Chair at Ivy Tech State College, De La Garza Campus, plans to invite the community to share in one class session of an academic skills college reading course where Orwell's novel will be discussed. He has arranged poster advertisement in local bookstores and libraries to encourage community participation and plans to contact local press requesting coverage of event.
  
  
• Linda Shelton in the Eng/Lit Department at Utah Valley State College, is using 1984 in her English 101 class (first year composition). The students are posting comments as they read on a weblog. Linda writes," It would be fun to share comments with some classes in other parts of the country. Our weblog is at http://english1010.blogspot.com/."
  
  
• Deborah Adelman at College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL, reports big plans for the college. Some of the events include presentations by C.O.D. faculty, film screenings, and a Reader’s Theater Project. In addition, they have planned several larger events, such as two days of discussion, presentations, film and poster board activities dedicated to critically exploring the use of images and text by media outlets and political agencies in constructing realities and politics in the Middle East. Visit their Web site devoted to the project at http://www.cod.edu/1984/doublethink.htm.
  
  
• Beth Kemper Graham, Campbellsville University, Campbellsville, KY, writes that they are planning to hold several events. "On October 11 we will hold a forum titled 'George Orwell's 1984: 20 Years Later.' Three of our faculty will do brief presentations, followed by a question-and-answer session. Dr. Ken McIntyre, a political science professor, will present 'Contrarianism and Free Speech: Orwell and the War on Terror'; Dr. Pam Robles, a communications and rhetoric professor, will present '1984+20 Campaign Doublespeak'; and I, a literature and composition professor, will present 'Utopia Gone Wrong: 1984+20 and Technology.' My composition students will attend the event and will write cultural analyses of the novel. Refreshments will be provided, and the community is invited. The local and campus newspapers are covering the event."
  
  
• Lisa Brewer, New River Community and Technical College, Summersville, WV, will host a showing of 1984 the movie on October 12, with a moderated discussion to follow. On October 21, a panel forum is planned with paper presentations and discussion to follow. She's using the events in collaboration with an academic lesson plan for her English 102 and English 205 classes.
  
  
• Robert Rozema, Grand Valley State University, is designing a game intended as a pre-reading activity for upper level secondary students reading 1984. The game is played in virtual space, within the Secondary Worlds MOO hosted by Western Michigan University. The game divides students into Thought Police, members of the Underground, and Party loyalists. Each player has a specific goal: Thought Police must identify and vaporize members of the Underground; Underground members try to recruit citizens, and citizens simply try to survive, either by joining the Underground or betraying their fellows. He writes, "The overall goal of the game--which I'm tentatively calling Thoughtcrime--is to reproduce, in virtual form, the paranoia and suspicion suffered by citizens in the Big Brother regime.  At the same time, the game allows students to experience the setting of the novel and get an early feel for its ideas. The game is still in its prototype stage, though it is nearing completion. I would love for interested ELA teachers to give it a test run in their own classrooms." If you're interested, please contact Robert Rozema at least two weeks prior to when you expect to use the game. For his contact information, please contact Lyndsey Tate.
  
  
• Wendy Carse, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, is teaching 1984 to two sections of an Intro to Literature course. Students are reading the novel and being assigned projects based on issues raised, including language issues and analysis of 1984 film adaptations. 80 students total will be participating.
  
  
• Carol Graham, Alpharetta High School Media Center, writes that her school is planning events with with interdisciplinary effort of English department, social studies department, media specialists, electronic media classes, drama classes. Carol says that on October 4, 2004, students and faculty of AHS will host an evening for the local community to explore 1984. Guests will find opportunities to view dramatic and film presentations by the AHS electronic media and drama classes and to attend community group discussions of the novel’s themes led by AP literature students.  Additionally, guests will participate in a guided tour of student presentations on Big Brother, a demonstration of the Two Minutes Hate, the infamous Room 101, and student analysis of modern propaganda. Finally, in response to Orwell’s message on the importance of being an informed citizen, guests will be invited to exercise activism through non-partisan voter registration sponsored by the Rock the Vote organization. More than 200 students were involved in the planning process and they hope to have at leats 500 participants on October 4. She writes, "Our ninth grade honors curriculum includes the novel so teachers planned the unit of study in line with NCTE’s emphasis. Our 1984 + 20 Project implementation is a culmination of their study. Our AP Lit students will lead the book discussion with an even balance of adults and students." Alpharetta High School Media Center used a press release to garner attention for their events. To read the release, click here.
  
  
• Nancy Knowles, Eastern Oregon University, is using 1984 in an English 436 course and a community book group. 1984 will be the first book addressed by the community book group, "Reading in the Blues." That group will meet Mondays during the fall term. Students taking English 436 will be reading Orwell's novel as part of a course on peace and war literature.
  
  
• Lorraine Cella, Westwood High School, Washington Township, NJ, writes that her students will read 1984, addressing essential questions and themes. Then they will write a companion piece, giving voice to one of Orwell's characters who are "silenced" or "unheard." Read her entire lesson plan at http://www.ncte.org/about/press/118172.htm.
  
  
• Danna Sides, Bountiful High School, Bountiful, UT, is using 1984  with her 150 Sophomore Honors English and College Prep English students. First, students created 1984+20 Research Center by bringing examples to create a data bank source for future research. Students also participated in  "Big Brother Is Watching," an original film/lyric/writing/art contest, where they created original work based on the novel and had their projects judged by independent panel. Last, students took part in discussions about "Thought Criminals," a creativity and critical thinking forum to discuss the impact of media and government on artists/writers and the individual and society.
  
  
• Ebony Burnside, 7th grade teacher, University Preparatory Academy, Seattle, WA, writes that her students read a portion of 1984 and then complete a creative writing assignment in which they imagine the change to a character's life/world due to an event he/she couldn't control, much like Orwell imagined 1984 if nuclear war became a reality. "Our service learning theme for the year is "How Can I Build a Healthy Community" and so I wanted to begin the year with a novel that dealt with the idea of community: what influences how one is run, what elements can be found in every community and the effect of certain events on a society. Our core work was The Giver, but my students read the first few pages of 1984 and discussed how the concept of nuclear war influenced Orwell's work. Students were asked to complete creative writing pieces which focused on one character and the influence of a major historical event on his/her life. The only guidelines were that the character have a name, that the piece only cover five minutes of his/her life and the incident be somewhat obvious to the reader. I received some amazing pieces, the events ranging from the invention of the lightbulb to the Rapture."
  
  
• Liz Rebmann, Morton High School, Morton, IL, writes, "I’ve been teaching a 9-week unit of dystopian & utopian fiction in my senior novels class for about 10 years. Though I often add and/or subtract novels, my current unit includes: The Giver, Animal Farm, 1984, Brave New World, Lord of the Flies, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Lost Horizon, and Fahrenheit 451.  We also watch excerpts from the movie Pleasantville. I have discussion questions, essays, and projects developed for all of these – and a final paper as well as a final project. I would be glad to share with anyone who would like information."
  
  
• Paralee Norman, Northwestern State University, Leesville, LA, is using 1984 as a course unit. Approximately 150 students will write one paper and view the 1940's version of the movie 1984. In addition, they were required to watch the Presidential debates and hold class discussions on 1984.  
  
  
• Pat Shea-Bischoff, Fordham University, Graduate School of Education, Lincoln Center Campus, New York, NY, writes that the school is planning "'1984+20: A Thoughtful Conversation.' Colleagues were invited to engage in a unique intellectual enterprise on Friday, October 29th. Roundtable discussions will focus on emerging, related topics about the key roles of language in politics and culture." Students, faculty, and administrators will join in the book discussion. 
  
  
• Allie Quade, Kalee Kite, Stephen Chow, Amanda Cermak, and Ileza Dantzig, students in Jen Breen's Honors Contemporary Literature at Brookline High School in Brookline, MA, have written essays about 1984.  
  
  
• Frances Mary D'Andrea, Atlanta, GA, writes that her book club "Bookworms" read 1984 during the month of October. "This was our regularly scheduled meeting, but last spring I had read about the 1984+20 event and suggested to the members that we put the book on our schedule for this month. Everyone enthusiastically agreed. Following our usual practice, I was this month's leader since I had suggested the book. Many of the Bookworms members are former teachers (most of the people in this book club are retired) and I knew they'd be familiar with the book if they hadn't actually taught it at some point. This particular group is also quite socially active and most members are quite involved in community groups such as Habitat for Humanity. Our conversations during Bookworms are usually quite lively and interesting--the members of this group often reflect on their own experiences with the civil rights movement in the 1960s and other social justice issues. This meeting was no exception: one member had been in the USO and spent two years in Vietnam and had strong feelings about the war images in 1984; one member had been involved in security issues during WWII and had strong feelings about government openness and accountability; one member expressed her concerns about encroachments on privacy, and so on. I found the resources listed on the NCTE web site to be quite valuable. I started the discussion with a short presentation of biographical information about George Orwell, his experiences with the Spanish Civil War and in India, etc., and about the times in which he lived. I then asked, "Why do you think NCTE proposed the reading of 1984 the month before the presidential election?"  . . .  and we were off!  We talked about loss of privacy, about abuse of language and why we need to be savvy "knowledge consumers" (considering sources, how language is used and what words are used, who benefits, etc.), and just how fragile democracy can be. I compared some of the themes in "1984" with some of the events in Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. It was a great discussion that could have gone on much longer."
  
  
• Jennifer Cardwell, Hewitt-Trussville High School, Trussville, AL, writes, "We have a book discussion group that meets once a month in the library.  Our librarian, Donna Speegle, bakes muffins and brings beverages and invites anyone to attend. During the month of October, the book chosen was 1984. We had a variety of students and educators attend. Since we also teach Animal Farm in the ninth grade, most students had a sense of Orwell's style of writing; therefore, the discussion was interesting and touched upon similarities between the two works. It also was a great springboard to open dialogue about the upcoming election. We also carried the discussion into English classes, as a follow up to discuss various elements of literature. I'm so glad we had the opportunity to participate in this National book forum. Thanks for the idea." 
  
  
• Kathleen Mulroy, Gwynedd-Mercy College, Gwynedd Valley, PA, writes that because of NCTE's 1984+20 Project, 1984 was adopted as required reading in Honors English and American Government. An Honors Colloquium in September featured clips from the film and discussion among 30 or so students, faculty, and staff. On Decemer 2, the film 1984 will be shown in its entirety and followed by a faculty-led discussion.
  
  
• Kara Moloney, University of Nevada, Reno, writes, "We had a book group discussion at the Northwest branch of the Washoe County Library, which although the turnout was low (7 people), was absolutely riveting. Lots of great discussion. In my English 102 courses, we've been talking about the book since the beginning of October. I was quite surprised by the quality of the discussion. In fact, I'm going to send some footage that one of my colleagues shot to Bonnie Kyburz. It's been an incredibly worthwhile endeavor, so I thank you for all of your great organization!"
  
  
• Lisa Tyler and Kay Berg, Sinclair Community College, Dayton, OH, write that they held a public marathon reading that was sponsored by the college's Departments of English, Communication, and Humanities. "Handouts with discussion questions were provided, the library set up a related display, and the bookstore had 1984 available for purchase
  (sign language interpretation of the reading was available). We did not keep attendance; people dropped in for brief stretches during the five-hour reading and at least two instructors brought classes. The Dayton Daily News covered the event on the front page of its 'Local' section"
  
  
• John Kendall, Rutgers Preparatory School, Somerset, NJ, has 26 AP English Language and Composition students that read 1984 for summer reading. They had to write a two to three page analysis of the book and were invited to make parallels to contemporary events. They are now doing a unit on "Civil Disobedience" and reading Thoreau, Martin Luther King, Jr, and Jonathan Swift, which they continue to relate to Orwell and 1984.
  
  
• Susan N. Wood, Florida State University, participated in a reception/social followed by a two-hour discussion of 1984. The group in attendance, including faculty in English Ed, the dean of COE, graduate, and undergrduate students, used Harvey Daniel's Literature Circles as a model for a democratic discussion where everyone participated equally. 
  
  
• Bridget Mueller, Regina High School, Iowa City, will conduct an interdisciplinary debate on November 24. The classes involved are Senior English, AP English, Government, AP Government, and Religion 12. Her classes have already started to dialogue with a class in Chicago, while the Government and Religion classes are creating support materials. The Government and Religion classes are also discussing law and morality in 1984 and in our society.
  
• John Kendall, Rutgers Preparatory School, Somerset, NJ, submitted six student essays. The essays were written by Jonathan Chao, Ken Feibush, Alison Jaworski, Halcyon Person, Christen Ronchetti, and Jared Sorin. 
  
   
• The following groups and programs will participate in the 1984+20 project:
  The Electronic Privacy Information Center
  The September Project
  The Original 1984 +20 Project
  Sigma Tau Delta, Bloomsburg University
  The University Film Series, Bloomsburg University
  
  
• Teachers at the following schools are reading 1984 with their students: 
  Long Island University
  West Chester University
  Louisiana State University
  The University of California at Santa Barbara
  DePaul University
  Humboldt State University
  Bloomsburg University
  The University of Hartford

Tell us what you're doing! Submit your event here.

To contact someone listed here, please email and Lyndsey Tate will provide contact information to you.