Project Based Learning: Fahrenheit 451 Analysis

In this project, students create a presentation that covers the predictions Ray Bradbury made in his futuristic tale.

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  Lesson Objectives

  
  

  By the end of the project, students will be able to:

  1. Read and analyze important passages fromFahrenheit 451
  2. Present research and opinions with clarity
  3. Accurately cite information in MLA style
  4. Make appropriate text-to text connections

  
  

  Materials Required

  Copies of Fahrenheit 451Any other materials that are needed based on the choice of the student

• Lesson Procedures

  Project-based learning is purpose-driven. Thus, I ask my students to answer this question with their projects: “To what extent did Ray Bradbury’s vision of the future become a reality?”

  Ideally, if your students have some experience with project-based learning or are fairly independent, then the sky becomes the limit for them. However, most students will need more guidance than being told to complete a project that answers one question. So, here are some guidelines to get your students rolling.

  1. Start by giving students a few areas they can focus on. Choose technology, censorship, and our increasingly calloused society. Help them brainstorm some of the more obvious parallels (like flat-screen TVs, iPod ear buds, etc.).
  2. If you need to, give them a set of choices for which way they will present their findings. Most students opt for a poster or a Power Point, but urge them to think outside the box—they could put together a pamphlet, create a storyboard, or write a series of articles for their own self-published newspaper.
  3. Require students to have at least three outside sources to detail the answer to the driving question: one print source, one video source, and one internet source. (A good project will go beyond the minimum requirements.)
  4. To ensure students truly connect their findings with the novel itself, you may also wish to set a number of passages required to analyze. More advanced students should be able to figure this out on their own, but some students may need a little guidance. Practice quotation analysis with the students first.
  5. Students should present their findings to the class. During their presentations, each student should clearly answer the driving question and use evidence to support his or her claims. For example, a student may have investigated the evolution of technology since Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451. He may put together a slideshow that covered how ear buds came into being, delved into high-speed cars, and discussed the latest 3D televisions, all within the context of the book. Another student may present a series of articles about strange ways the government tries to control people, quoting the book along the way.

  
  

  Assessment

  There are multiple ways to assess this project, depending on what you emphasize with your students. Ultimately, the assessment should be of how well students answer the question, “To what extent did Bradbury’s vision of the future become reality?” If you set minimum requirements for the project, you should evaluate how well students went above and beyond these requirements. You can also emphasize any skill within the project—writing, speech, or research skills.
• Defense of Differentiated Assessment
• This project provides the student with choice, based on their learning preferences and intelligences. A student with any learning style or intelligence can be successful in this project. It is broad, but still is able to assess certain standards and content areas.