Fahrenheit 451 (Pack)

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 73

Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Table of Contents

I. Fahrenheit 451 3

II. About the author and the


4
book

III. Questions for discussion 11

IV. Fahrenheit 451 Quotes 13

V. Fahrenheit 451 Summary 15

Steam and experiential learning

VI. The Phoenix 21

VII. A Fire Snake 33

VIII. A Fire Hydrant 37

IX. Dystopian World 42

X. A Paper Speaker 47

XI. Handmade paper and


62
Blackout Poetry
Fahrenheit 451
Sixty years after its original publication, Ray Bradbury’s internationally acclaimed novel
Fahrenheit 451 stands as a classic of world literature set in a bleak, dystopian future. Today
its message has grown more relevant than ever before.

Fahrenheit 451, dystopian novel, first published in 1953, that is regarded as perhaps the greatest
work by American author Ray Bradbury and has been praised for its stance against censorship and its
defense of literature as necessary both to the humanity of individuals and to civilization.
Fahrenheit 451 presents a future dystopian American society where books are outlawed and
“firemen” are charged with burning any that are found. It is named for the fact that at 451° paper
catches fire and burns.
Bradbury grew up in Waukegan, Illinois, and hung around the fire station as a kid along with his dad.
Later he heard about book burnings occurring in Germany, Russia and China, and the story of the
great libraries of Alexandria being destroyed by flames some 2,000 years ago. Bradbury frequented
libraries starting at the age of eight. As he never attended college, he considered libraries to be his
“university.” In his own words:
“When I heard about Hitler burning the books in the streets of Berlin, it bothered me terribly. I was 15
when that happened, I was thoroughly in love with libraries and he [Hitler] was burning me when he did
that…. The reason why I wrote Fahrenheit is that I am a library person and I am in danger of someday
writing something that people might not like and they might burn. So it was only natural that I sat down
and wrote Fahrenheit 451.”
The original title for the novel wasn’t Fahrenheit 451 but rather The Fireman. And it was only fitting
that Bradbury wrote it in a library─the basement of UCLA’s Powell Library─on a typewriter that he
rented for ten cents per half hour. He completed the story in nine days.
In a 1956 interview, Bradbury reminisced about the writing of the novel:
“I wrote this book at a time when I was worried about the way things were going in this country four years
ago [1952]. Too many people were afraid of their shadows; there was a threat of book burning. Many of
the books were being taken off the shelves at that time. And of course, things have changed a lot in four
years. Things are going back in a very healthy direction. But at the time I wanted to do some sort of story
where I could comment on what would happen to a country if we let ourselves go too far in this direction,
where all thinking stops, and the dragon swallows his tail, and we sort of vanish into a limbo and we
destroy ourselves by this sort of action.”

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury, American novelist, short
story writer, essayist, playwright, screenwriter
and poet,

1920 - 2012

https://www.storyjumper.com/book/read/96432416

"You can't try to do things. You simply must do things."


Ray Bradbury

His childhood was spent in the Midwestern small town of Waukegan,


Illinois, and he mastered his craft in Los Angeles, where he forged a
special creative bond with the city and its many cultures, raised his
family, and drew as feverishly as he wrote.

As a child, Bradbury loved horror films such as The Phantom of the


Opera (1925); the books of L. Frank Baum and Edgar Rice Burroughs,
and the first science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories.

Bradbury often told of an encounter with a carnival magician, Mr.


Electrico, in 1932 as a notable influence. Wreathed in static
electricity, Mr. Electrico touched the young Bradbury on the nose
and said, “Live forever!”

The next day, Bradbury returned to the carnival to ask Mr. Electrico’s
advice on a magic trick. After Mr. Electrico introduced him to the
other performers in the carnival, he told Bradbury that he was a
reincarnation of his best friend who died in World War I. Bradbury
later wrote, “a few days later I began to write, full-time. I have
written every single day of my life since that day.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Ray Bradbury
"If you don't like what you're doing, then don't do it."
Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury graduated from a Los Angeles high school in 1938.


Although his formal education ended there, he became a "student of
life," selling newspapers on L.A. street corners from 1938 to 1942,
spending his nights in the public library and his days at the
typewriter. He became a full-time writer in 1943, and contributed
numerous short stories to periodicals before publishing a collection
of them, Dark Carnival, in 1947.

He never bothered to get a driver’s license, instead using public


transportation or a bike for most of his life.

Ray Bradbury remained living at home with his parents until he


married at the age of 27 to Marguerite “Maggie” McClure. McClure
was his first and only romantic partner, and they married in 1947.
The couple had four daughters: Susan, Ramona, Bettina, and
Alexandra; Bettina went on to a career in screenwriting, which her
father had also done.

In 1949, when his wife was pregnant with their first child, Bradbury
headed to New York in hopes of selling more of his work. He was
largely unsuccessful, but during a meeting, one editor suggested he
could connect several of his stories and call it The Martian
Chronicles. Bradbury took to the idea and, in 1950, the novel was
published, largely by piecing together his previous short stories and
creating an overarching narrative.

That was his first major work, The Martian Chronicles, which detailed
the conflict between humans colonizing the red planet and the native
Martians they encountered there.
Television and comic book adaptations of Bradbury's short stories
began to appear in 1951, introducing him to a wider audience.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Ray Bradbury
"I don't try to describe the future. I try to prevent it."
Ray Bradbury

Bradbury's best-known work, Fahrenheit 451, published in 1953,


became an instant classic in the era of McCarthyism for its
exploration of themes of censorship and conformity. The novel deals
with themes ranging from the rise of mass media to McCarthy-era
censorship and political hysteria and more. Prior to this book,
Bradbury had written a couple of short stories with similar themes:
1948’s “Bright Phoenix” features conflict between a librarian and a
“Chief Censor” who burns books, and 1951’s “The Pedestrian” tells
the story of a man hounded by police for his “unusual” habit of going
out for a walk in a TV-obsessed society.

One of Bradbury’s most personal works, Dandelion Wine (1957), is


an autobiographical novel about a magical but too brief summer of a
12-year-old boy in Green Town, Illinois (a fictionalized version of his
childhood home of Waukegan).

In the 1970s Bradbury no longer wrote short fiction at his previous


pace, turning his energy to poetry and drama. Beginning in the
1970s, Bradbury began working significantly on adapting his
successful short stories into other media—specifically, into film,
television, and theatre.
The only one of his “major” titles that he did not personally adapt
was Fahrenheit 451. It was turned into two different films: one for
theatrical release in 1966, and one for premium cable network HBO
in 2018.

Bradbury continued writing even in his later years. He wrote a trio of


mystery novels, scattered from 1985 to 2002: Death Is a Lonely
Business in 1985, A Graveyard for Lunatics in 1990, and Let’s All Kill
Constance in 2002. His short story collections continued to be
published throughout his later years as well, with a combination of
previously published stories and new pieces.
His final novel, Farewell Summer (2006), was a sequel to Dandelion
Wine.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Ray Bradbury
"Looking back over a lifetime you see that love was the
answer to everything."
Ray Bradbury

In the final years of his life, Bradbury suffered from ongoing illnesses
and health problems. In 1999, he suffered a stroke that caused him
to need to use a wheelchair some of the time.

He still continued writing and even appearing at science fiction


conventions for a decade after his stroke. In 2012, he fell ill again,
and he died on June 5 after a prolonged illness.

IHis personal library was bequeathed to the Waukegan Public


Library, and he is buried in Westwood Village Memorial Park
Cemetery in Los Angeles, with a headstone inscribed with his name,
dates, and “Author of Fahrenheit 451.” His death inspired an
outpouring of support and commemorations, including an official
statement from the Obama White House and inclusion at the Oscars'
"In Memoriam."

"Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten
seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or
paid for in factories."
Ray Bradbury

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
8 things you don't know about
Ray Bradbury
Not only did Bradbury create fantastical worlds with pen and paper,
he also lived in a surreal world of his own creation. His Beverly Hills
office (just like his home basement office) was filled with items that
tickled his imagination: cartoons, figurines, stuffed animals, masks,
and magic. In fact, Bradbury was so often lost in his own imaginary
world that he would forget the demands of reality. He regularly
forgot the keys to his office, but he solved this minor inconvenience
by using a secret sliding panel.

Bradbury’s short story “The Rocket Man” from The Illustrated Man
inspired the hit song of the same name. Lyricist Bernie Taupin said he
was so enthralled by the way the story portrayed the work of the
astronauts as an everyday job that he “took the idea and ran with it”.
His songwriting partner, Elton John apparently loved the lyrics and
the tune came quickly: “It was a pretty easy song to write the melody
to,” he has said. “It’s a song about space, so it’s quite a spacious
song.”

Bradbury first met Marguerite “Maggie” McClure, the woman who


was to become his wife, in downtown L.A.’s Fowler Brothers
bookstore, where she worked as a clerk. She couldn’t take her eyes
off him, though not because of instant attraction: She thought he
was going to steal something, which, of course, he did—her heart.

"Even after his kids grew older and no longer thought it was cool to
go trick-or-treating, Bradbury still dressed up for the holiday and
enjoyed trick-or-treating all the same. He owned a number of
Halloween ties; in later years, he had a special orange one made that
he wore year-round with a white-collared shirt, white sneakers,
white socks pulled up to his shins, white shorts, and a white
windbreaker.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
8 things you don't know about
Ray Bradbury
In 1932, Bradbury received a toy dial typewriter for Christmas. Five
years later, he bought his first real typewriter for $10. Despite his
forecasts of some of the great technological developments of the
20th and 21st centuries, the typewriter remained one of the few
innovations Bradbury was really comfortable with. In Fahrenheit 451
and a number of short stories, he predicted radiotelephone “ear
thimbles”—what we today call Bluetooth headsets and EarPods—
which he depicted as cacophonous, isolating, and socially disastrous.
He never used a computer, and in 2009, he described the Internet as
largely “a waste of time.”

Bradbury never lost his childlike sense of play, fun, and


expressiveness. His grandchildren remember him as having more
toys than they did: toy ray guns, robots, stuffed dinosaurs, oversized
stuffed animals of Rocky and Bullwinkle lounging in cushioned chairs,
and even a head floating in a glass jar—courtesy of Alfred Hitchcock.
His final home had wall-to-wall shelves filled with books, as well as
art, movies, TV props, and trinkets from his travels to Mexico. Each
Christmas, Bradbury asked his wife to give him toys instead of any
other gifts.

As a boy, Bradbury attended several performances by Blackstone the


Magician and, in 1931, was given a book on magic for his eleventh
birthday. He was soon performing his own magic act for various
service clubs and lodges, and was invited to appear at the Veterans
of Foreign Wars Hall on Christmas Eve. Later in life, Bradbury
enjoyed doing magic tricks with cards and coins for his
grandchildren.

Despite his amazing visionary qualities, Bradbury never learned to


drive a car. This was because he had very poor eyesight and once
witnessed a serious road accident that deeply affected him. This
made him stand out in Los Angeles, as he rode his bicycle or flagged
down taxis.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
5 facts about Fahrenheit 451

It is the only pure science fiction novel Ray Bradbury


ever wrote.

From science fiction to science fact: In the novel,


Bradbury described the wall-to-wall interactive TV
and the Walkman (precursor to the iPod), the latter in
the form of a “seashell radio.” Now, both are science
fact.

Bradbury only found out after the fact that


“Montag” is also the name of a paper company that
puts out all kinds of stationery and “Faber”
(professor and philosopher in the novel) is also the
name of a pencil manufacturer.

In a 1974 interview with James Day, Bradbury


stated, “My character, Montag, is myself, discovering
me.”

Bradbury received the 2,193rd star on the


Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 1, 2002 in
recognition of his anti-censorship classic.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Questions for discussion

1. Explain how the titles to the three parts of the book are significant to the general action that occurs
within each part.

2. Discuss the idea of conformity versus individuality as presented in Fahrenheit 451.

3. What does “antisocial” mean? What does it mean in the society of Fahrenheit 451. To whom is the
term applied?

4. What messages or themes is Ray Bradbury trying to impart on his audience? What things in society
is he commenting on? Could this type of society really exist? Why or why not?

5. What assumptions about human character are the basis for the book?

6. What is the real effect of rules on the people?

7. Discuss the dual image of fire in the novel.

8. Trace the steps that lead to Montag's decision to preserve books rather than destroy them.

9. Choose one important character in the novel. Why is this character important to the novel? How
well does this character fit into a utopian and dystopian society?

10. Compare and contrast the characters of Mildred and Clarisse. How is one a threat to the stability of
the ideas presented in Fahrenheit 451 and the other an ideal example of a Fahrenheit 451 character?
How have each of these characters been influenced?

11. What roles do Clarisse, the Unidentified Old Woman, Faber, and Beatty play in reeducating Guy
Montag? How does each character influence Montag's change? How do these characters question his
beliefs? How does he answer their questions?

12. Clarisse causes Montag to recall a childhood memory in which a wish was embedded. What was
the significance of the memory and the wish?

13. What event occurs that night which provides Montag with an impression of the state of society?
What is that impression?

14. What is the significance of the refrain repeated by the woman whose house was burned? What did
it mean? What is its effect on Montag?

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Questions for discussion

15. What are the three things which Faber says are missing from society?

16. Why does Montag read “Dover Beach” aloud to the ladies?

17. Examine the psychological complexity of Captain Beatty. Account for his knowledge of books,
while also accounting for his desire to burn them.

18. What was Granger’s philosophy on life, taught to him by his grandfather, and handed on to
Montag?

19. What is the promise at the end of the novel?

20. In comparing and contrasting the film and book of Fahrenheit 451, point out three similarities and
three differences between the book and film. Then explain why, you believe, changes were made in
the film.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Fahrenheit 451: Quotes

1.“Stuff your eyes with wonder, he said, live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more
fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.”

2. “Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting
or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some
way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you
planted, you're there."

3. "It doesn't matter what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before you
touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away. The difference between the man
who just cuts lawns and a real gardener is in the touching, he said. The lawn-cutter might just as well not
have been there at all; the gardener will be there a lifetime.”

4. “We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were
really bothered? About something important, about something real?”

5. “There must be something in books, something we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning
house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing.”

“6. "If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you and you'll never learn.”

7. “We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is
at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindnesses there is at last one which makes the heart
run over.”

8. “Don't ask for guarantees. And don't look to be saved in any one thing, person, machine, or library. Do your
own bit of saving, and if you drown, at least die knowing you were heading for shore.”

9. “The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one
garment for us.”

10. “It was a pleasure to burn.”

11. “I don't talk things, sir. I talk the meaning of things.”

12. “Oh God, the terrible tyranny of the majority. We all have our harps to play. And it's up to you to know
with which ear you'll listen.”

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Fahrenheit 451: Quotes

“13. “See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories. Ask for no guarantees,
ask for no security.”

14. “I'll hold on to the world tight some day. I've got one finger on it now; that's a beginning.”

15. “That's the good part of dying; when you've nothing to lose, you run any risk you want.”

16. “Our civilization is flinging itself to pieces. Stand back from the centrifuge.”

17. “We're going to meet a lot of lonely people in the next week and the next month and the next year. And
when they ask us what we're doing, you can say, We're remembering. That's where we'll win out in the long
run. And someday we'll remember so much that we'll build the biggest goddamn steamshovel in history and
dig the biggest grave of all time and shove war in it and cover it up.”

18. “That's the wonderful thing about man; he never gets so discouraged or disgusted that he gives up doing
it all over again, because he knows very well it is important and WORTH the doing.”

19. “A book is a loaded gun.”

20. “There was always a minority afraid of something, and a great majority afraid of the dark, afraid of the
future, afraid of the past, afraid of the present, afraid of themselves and shadows of themselves”

21. “Are you happy?”

22. “Stand at the top of a cliff and jump off and build your wings on the way down.”

23. “I feel I'm doing what I should've done a lifetime ago.


For a little while I'm not afraid.
Maybe it's because I'm doing the right thing at last."

24. “To everything there is a season. Yes. A time to break down, and a time to build up. Yes. A time to keep
silence and a time to speak. Yes.”

25. “I like to watch people. Sometimes I ride the subway all day and look at them and listen to them. I just
want to figure out who they are and what they want and where they're going.”

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Fahrenheit 451: Summary
https://youtu.be/fbVzEHDOj6s

“Fahrenheit 451, dystopian novel, first published in 1953, that is regarded as perhaps the greatest work by
American author Ray Bradbury and has been praised for its stance against censorship and its defense of
literature as necessary both to the humanity of individuals and to civilization.

Guy Montag is a fireman who burns books in a


futuristic American city. In Montag’s world,
firemen start fires rather than putting them out.

The people in this society do not read books,


enjoy nature, spend time by themselves, think
independently, or have meaningful
conversations. Instead, they drive very fast,
watch excessive amounts of television on wall-
size sets, and listen to the radio on “Seashell
Radio” sets attached to their ears.

Montag encounters a gentle seventeen-year-


old girl named Clarisse McClellan, who opens
his eyes to the emptiness of his life with her
innocently penetrating questions and her
unusual love of people and nature.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Fahrenheit 451: Summary

Over the next few days, Montag experiences a


series of disturbing events. First, his wife, Mildred,
attempts suicide by swallowing a bottle of sleeping
pills.

Then, when he responds to an alarm that an


old woman has a stash of hidden literature, the
woman shocks him by choosing to be burned
alive along with her books.

A few days later, he hears that Clarisse has


been killed by a speeding car.

Montag’s dissatisfaction with his life increases,


and he begins to search for a solution in a
stash of books that he has stolen from his own
fires and hidden inside an air-conditioning
vent.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Fahrenheit 451: Summary

When Montag fails to show up for work, his fire


chief, Beatty, pays a visit to his house. Beatty
explains that it’s normal for a fireman to go
through a phase of wondering what books have to
offer, and he delivers a dizzying monologue
explaining how books came to be banned in the
first place.

Beatty tells Montag to take twenty-four hours


or so to see if his stolen books contain
anything worthwhile and then turn them in for
incineration. Montag begins a long and
frenzied night of reading.

Overwhelmed by the task of reading, Montag


looks to his wife for help and support, but she
prefers television to her husband’s company
and cannot understand why he would want to
take the terrible risk of reading books.

He remembers that he once met a retired


English professor named Faber sitting in a
park, and he decides that this man might be
able to help him understand what he reads.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Fahrenheit 451: Summary

Faber says that Montag needs not only books but


also the leisure to read them and the freedom to
act upon their ideas.

Faber agrees to help Montag with his reading,


and they concoct a risky scheme to overthrow
the status quo. Faber gives him a two-way
radio earpiece (the “green bullet”) so that he
can hear what Montag hears and talk to him
secretly.

Montag goes home, and soon two of his wife’s


friends arrive to watch television. The women
discuss their families and the war that is about
to be declared in an extremely frivolous
manner.

Their superficiality angers him, and he takes


out a book of poetry and reads “Dover Beach”
by Matthew Arnold.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Fahrenheit 451: Summary

Montag goes to the fire station and hands over


one of his books to Beatty. Beatty confuses
Montag by barraging him with contradictory
quotations from great books.

Suddenly, the alarm sounds, and they rush off


to answer the call, only to find that the alarm is
at Montag’s own house. Mildred gets into a
cab with her suitcase, and Montag realizes that
his own wife has betrayed him.

Beatty forces Montag to burn the house


himself; when he is done, Beatty places him
under arrest. Montag turns the flamethrower
on his superior and proceeds to burn him to
ashes. Montag knocks the other firemen
unconscious and runs.

Mechanical Hound, a monstrous machine that


Beatty has set to attack Montag, pounces and
injects Montag’s leg with a large dose of
anesthetic. Montag manages to destroy it with
his flamethrower.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Fahrenheit 451: Summary

Montag goes to Faber’s house, where he learns


that a new Hound has been put on his trail, along
with several helicopters and a television crew.

Montag then takes some of Faber’s old clothes


and runs off toward the river. The whole city
watches as the chase unfolds on TV, but
Montag manages to escape in the river.

He drifts downstream into the country and


follows a set of abandoned railroad tracks until
he finds a group of renegade intellectuals (“the
Book People”), led by a man named Granger,
who welcome him.

Enemy jets appear in the sky and completely


obliterate the city with bombs. Montag and his
new friends move on to search for survivors
and rebuild civilization.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
The Phoenix
LINKS TO THE BOOK
The Phoenix
After the bombing of the city, Granger compares mankind to a phoenix that burns itself up
and then rises out of its ashes over and over again. Man’s advantage is his ability to recognize
when he has made a mistake so that eventually he will learn not to make that mistake
anymore. Remembering the mistakes of the past is the task Granger and his group have set for
themselves. They believe that individuals are not as important as the collective mass of culture
and history. The symbol of the phoenix’s rebirth refers not only to the cyclical nature of history
and the collective rebirth of humankind but also to Montag’s spiritual resurrection.

DESIGN A PHOENIX

Learn about meaning and symbolism of the phoenix.


Objectives Design and make DIY symbol of the phoenix.

The image of a magnificent bird that bursts into flames periodically, only
Overview
to rise from the ashes, has captured human imagination for thousands of
years. What is it about the phoenix that continues to endure? There are
many variations of the phoenix across the globe, such as the simurgh of
ancient Persia and the feng huang of China. These birds were of great
significance to their cultures, just as the phoenix was to the Ancient
Greeks. The phoenix was believed to be a colorful bird that stood out
from all others. However, the numerous accounts of the phoenix don’t
agree on its appearance. Some general points relating to the phoenix
appearance include:
The phoenix was a colorful bird and stood out from other birds
because of its coloration
It may have had the colors of a peacock
Herodetus states that the phoenix has the colors of fire – red and
yellow
Some sources state that the phoenix had sapphire-blue eyes, while
others mention them to be yellow
The phoenix had yellow gold scales on its legs
Its talons were pink in color
Some say it was similar in size to an eagle while other accounts
mention the size of an ostrich.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
The Phoenix
DESIGN A PHOENIX

The life and death of the phoenix make for an excellent metaphor for the
following concepts:
Overview The Sun – The symbolism of the phoenix is often associated with that
of the sun. Like the sun, the phoenix is born, lives a set period of time
and then dies, only to repeat the whole process. In some ancient
depictions of the phoenix, it’s portrayed with a halo as a reminder of
its connection to the sun.
Death and Resurrection – The symbol of the phoenix was adopted by
early Christians as a metaphor for the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Many early Christian tombstones display phoenixes.
Healing – Recent additions to the legend of the phoenix claim that it’s
tears have the ability to heal people. The simurgh, the Persian version
of the phoenix, could also heal mortals, with some claiming that it
should be adopted as the symbol of medicine in Iran.
Creation – Within its decline and death is embedded the seed of the
new. Thus, the phoenix represents creation and eternal life.
Fresh Beginnings – The phoenix dies, only to be reborn, rejuvenated
and young. This holds the concept that the end is just another
beginning. It’s a symbol of fresh beginnings, positivity and hope.
Strength – In modern use, the phrase ‘rise like a phoenix’ is used to
denote overcoming adversity, emerging from a crisis stronger and
more powerful than before.
The phoenix is an enduring metaphor that continues to appear in modern
popular culture, including in books and movies like Harry Potter,
Fahrenheit 451, Chronicles of Narnia, Star Trek and also in music. In terms
of fashion and jewelry, the phoenix is often worn on lapel pins, in
pendants, earrings and charms. It’s also popular as a motif on clothing and
decorative wall art.

“Hope rises like a phoenix from the ashes of shattered dreams.” – S.A. Sachs
“The phoenix must burn to emerge.” — Janet Fitch, White Oleander
“Stars are phoenixes, rising from their own ashes.” – Carl Sagan
“Our passions are the true phoenixes; when the old one is burnt out, a new
one rises from its ashes.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
The Phoenix
DESIGN A PHOENIX

phoenix: in classical mythology) a unique bird that lived for five or six centuries
Vocabulary in the Arabian desert, after this time burning itself on a funeral pyre and rising
from the ashes with renewed youth to live through another cycle.

Thin floral wire


Materials Wired ribbon
Polymer clay
Acrylic paints (red, black, etc)
Feathers (i.e., Red turkey feathers)
Gold pigment
Aluminum foil
Pencil and graph paper
Scissors
Embossing clay tool
Exacto knife
Toaster oven
Tacky glue
Super glue
Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
or any other materias depending on your vision and imagination.

Start the project with a sketch. It helps to choose materials and to be sure
Background the project sculpts to scale.
information

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
The Phoenix
DESIGN A PHOENIX

Background Make the base of the bird using wire:


bend a piece of wire in half, twist it around itself, then bend it so when you
information
place it on your sketch the wire begins in the middle of the phoenix's head,
goes through it's neck, body, and where it's tail feathers will be.

Then, take a second piece of wire, bend it in half, and twist where the second
wire bends with the place on the first wire which is directly below the phoenix's
wings. Bend the second wire so it follows the right-hand edge of the closer
wing on your sketch, and cut it at the top of the wing. Bend the two halves of
the second wire so they curve away from each other.

Crumple a small ball of aluminum foil around the wire where the phoenix's
head will be, and another one for it's body. (This is a way to save polymer clay
in the next steps and will not change the finished product.)

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
The Phoenix
DESIGN A PHOENIX

Background
information

Make a head:
take a small ball of polymer clay and stick it on the end of the twisted wire
where the head will go. (If you used aluminum foil in the last step, take a flat
piece of polymer clay and smooth it around the aluminum where the head will
be - make sure to cover the aluminum completely and make the clay a sphere.)
Using an embossing tool, press two small eye holes on either side of the head.
Roll two similarly sized balls from black polymer clay and press them into the
eye holes.
Use your fingers to form a cone out of clay and attach it to the head where the
beak will be. Smooth the crack so the to pieces merge seamlessly and then
bend the cone so it curves downwards. Flatten another piece of clay and cut it
into a triangle with an exacto knife. Put this on the top of the beak, press it
down so the tip of the triangle touches the tip of the beak, and smooth out the
side of the triangle that is closer to the head.
Bake the head in a toaster oven at the temperature you are told on the
packaging of your clay for 3-5 minutes.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
The Phoenix
DESIGN A PHOENIX

Make the body:


Background take a ball of polymer clay and press it onto the wires where the body of the
phoenix will go and smooth any bumps or cracks in the clay. Repeat this step
information
with a cylinder of clay for the neck. (If you used aluminum foil when you were
making the armature, take a flat piece of polymer clay and smooth it around
the aluminum where the body will be - make sure to cover the aluminum
completely and make the clay into a oblong sphere.)
Find some wired ribbon, and scrunch it so some of the wire is exposed. Cut off
the wire, then it into three pieces and bend a small hook into the end of each
one.
Press the ends of the wires into the place where the phoenix's tail will be and
press a small ball of polymer clay around the wires to keep them in place.
Smooth this into the body so it merges seamlessly.
Cut another piece of wire and bend it in half. Press this piece into the place
where the phoenix's legs will be. Press a small ball of clay where each leg meets
the phoenix's body and smooth it out.
Bake the head in a toaster oven for 8-10 minutes at the temperature required.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
The Phoenix
DESIGN A PHOENIX

Make the wings and colour the body:


roll a large piece of white or off-white polymer clay flat and about 3
millimeters thick. Cut two identical wings from the clay using your sketch as
Background reference. Press these into the wires where the wings will go and smooth the
information clay so there is no crack between the wing and the body.
Bake the phoenix for 5-6 minutes.
Then paint everything but the beak, legs, and eyes red using acrylic paint.

Feather the bird


take the fluffy part of one of your red feathers and cut off a small clump. Paint
some tacky glue on to your bird, near the tail, and press your clump of feathers
on it. Continue doing this, starting near the tail and moving up to the neck,
until the entire body of your phoenix is covered. Then, trim off any feathers
that are sticking up at weird angles.
Cut off part of the non-fluffy section of your feather, then trim it so it has the
shape of a willow leaf. Glue it to the bottom of the wing of your bird. Repeat
this until the entire wing it covered. Find a very small, entirely fluffy feather
Cut off all of the fluff from one side, and glue the remaining feather to the wing
of your phoenix. Do this again, but this time make sure that the non-fluffy side
of the feather is right against the edge of your wing.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
The Phoenix
DESIGN A PHOENIX

Feather the bird


make about five more non-fluffy feathers using the same process as you did when
you were making the wings, and glue them together. Using super glue or hot glue,
Background
glue the group of feathers where the tail should be.
information Glue more fluffy feathers around the tail to hide any visible glue, or just to make
your phoenix more fluffy!
Cut three non-fluffy feathers into a raindrop shape. Mix gold pigment and tacky
glue to make a sort of paint, and paint this mixture onto your three raindrop
feathers, starting in the middle, and slowly fading outwards. Super glue the three
feathers to the three wires that come out of the bird's tail.

Make feet
for the feet, roll out a very thin cylinder of polymer clay. Use an exacto knife to cut
four pieces from it and arrange them in the shape of a birds foot, with three pieces
sticking out at angles in the front, and one sticking straight out behind. Gently press
the pieces together where they touch. Use the same process to create a second
foot, and bake them both in a toaster oven for 1-2 minutes.
Use super glue to attach the feet to your bird's legs.
Once the glue has dried, paint your phoenix's beak and legs black.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
The Phoenix
In this activity students will design and make a bird - phoenix.".

1 Students work individually. At first the students decide the sizes of their
birds and make the sketches of the birdes they would like to make.

Students choose the materials they need to make the birds.


2

3 Using their sketches and chosen materials the students design their birds.

4 The students present and display their birds.

Reflection:
What is the real meaning of phoenix? What are the powers of the
phoenix?
What kind of difficulties did you encounter designing the bird?
Would you like to improve your design? Why? How?

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
The Phoenix: Origami
Fold to make a crease and fold back. Fold both left corners meet
to the center point.

Turn over. Fold along the dotted line.

Turn over.
Open

Fold along the dotted line. Fold both side meet to


the center line again.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
The Phoenix: Origami
Fold the left side backward along Fold in half.
the dotted line.

Fold to make a crease and fold back Open the arrow part and flatten

Open the arrow part and flatten along


Fold to make a crease and fold back.
the creases made in previous step.

Fold along the dotted line. Turn over.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
The Phoenix: Origami
Folds as much as step11 to step16. Make an Inside Reverse Fold along
the dotted line.

Make an Inside Reverse Turn around


Fold along the dotted line.

Fold the wings downward.


Make an Inside Reverse
Fold on the bottom side to form the tail.

Finished.

Open the tail as shown below.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Fire Snake
LINKS TO THE BOOK
Animal and Nature Imagery
Animal and nature imagery pervades the novel. Nature is presented as a force of innocence
and truth, beginning with Clarisse’s adolescent, reverent love for nature. She convinces
Montag to taste the rain, and the experience changes him irrevocably. His escape from the
city into the country is a revelation to him, showing him the enlightening power of unspoiled
nature. Much of the novel’s animal imagery is ironic. Although this society is obsessed with
technology and ignores nature, many frightening mechanical devices are modeled after or
named for animals, such as the Electric-Eyed Snake machine and the Mechanical Hound.

MAKE A FIRE SNAKE

Learn about chemical reactions of sucrose and sodium bicarbonate.


Objectives Create a "fire snake".

With a few simple ingredients, you can create a "fire snake" that appears
Overview
to grow out of nowhere in this fun experiment! Although it looks magical,
no magic is involved—it is all because of a chemical reaction.
Table sugar, also called sucrose, is a chemical compound that contains lots
of carbon. Its chemical formula is C12H22O11. Sugar can be oxidized,
which means that it can react with oxygen to form other products. When
you expose sugar to an open flame, it will burn quickly and react with the
oxygen in the air. This is called a combustion reaction. The end products
are carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). A different reaction happens if
there is not enough oxygen present during the combustion to form CO2.
In this case, the sugar decomposes, resulting in elemental black carbon (C),
or charcoal.
The baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO3) decomposes at high
temperatures and releases lots of CO2. The production of high amounts of
CO2 causes a lack of oxygen. This means that there is not enough oxygen
for all the sugar to be converted into CO2 and water via a combustion
reaction. Instead, some of the sugar decomposes into elemental carbon
and starts forming the solid black snake-like structure. The carbon dioxide
gas and water vapor push the sugar and baking soda mixture upwards. At
the same time, these gases get trapped in the solid carbon, creating the
lightweight foam snake that you see emerging from the sand.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Fire Snake
MAKE A FIRE SNAKE

Combustion reaction: a kind of chemical reaction in which a reaction


Vocabulary between any combustible substance and an oxidiser takes place in order
to form an oxidised product. Combustion reactions are often
accompanied by fires and the release of energy in the form of heat.

Sand
Materials Baking soda
Sugar
Small ceramic plate or bowl
Small cup
Measuring spoons
Lighter fluid
Long lighter or matches
Bucket of water or hose

This experiment requires dry sand. Your sand might be damp if you get it
Background from somewhere that is in contact with the ground, like a sandbox. If needed,
spread your sand out on a baking tray and place it in direct sunlight or in the
information oven until it is completely dry.
1. Fill your plate or bowl with sand.
2. Soak the sand in lighter fluid.
3. Mix 1 tbsp baking soda with 4 tbsp sugar.
4. Pour the sugar/baking soda mixture into a pile on top of the sand.
5. Use matches or a lighter to ignite the lighter fluid.
6. Watch closely, and be patient. The reaction may be slow to start.
7. Wait at least 10 minutes after the flames stop for your fire snake to cool.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Fire Snake
MAKE A FIRE SNAKE

When you set the lighter fluid on fire, the sugar and baking soda mixture also
Background started to burn. As it burned, it created gas bubbles that got trapped, resulting
information in the black "snake" structure that rose out of the flames. The snake grows
slowly, and may take 10–20 minutes to reach full size. It might be surprising
that the snake is so big and seemingly comes out of nowhere, but if you wait
until it cools and then poke it or pick it up, you will see that it is extremely
lightweight, like foam.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Fire Snake
In this activity students will experiment using sugar (sucrose) and baking soda (sodium
bicarbonate) and create "a fire snake".

1 Students work individually. Foolowing the instructions they create "a fire
snake".

Students experiment with different variables and see if they affect the
2 size of the fire snake.

Reflection:
What happens if you use powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar?
What if you change the size/shape of the container that holds the sand (e.g.
a bowl vs. a plate), or the size/shape of the sugar and baking soda mixture (a
tall cone-shaped pile vs. a flat, spread out pile)?

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Fire Hydrant
LINKS TO THE BOOK
Burning bright
"Burning Bright," serves a dual function: It summarizes the situation at the conclusion of the
book. Even while the city burns brightly from the war's destruction, the spirit of the commune
also brightly burns, signifying a future of hope and optimism.

EXPERIMENT WITH THE PLACING AND NUMBER OF FIRE HYDRANTS

Find a minimum number of hydrants required for a chosen grid


Objectives Organise investigation so that several different factors are analysed
efficiently.

A fire hydrant is a visible connection point placed in defined locations for


Overview
firefighters to tap into a water supply. All buildings, parking areas,
roadsides, mines, industrial areas, etc. must have fire hydrants with a
connection to a water service network. They are designed to provide the
water required by firefighters instantly to fight and extinguish a fire. Till
the 18th century, underground fire hydrants were used. However, from
the 19th century onwards, above-ground pillar-type fire hydrants become
popular and mostly used. A fire hydrant is basically a pipe with the control
of a valve through which water flows from a water main in order to put
out a fire.
Fire hydrants with a variety of valves and connection points are seen in
many places. In the event of a fire breakout, firefighters locate the fire
hydrants, connect their hoses and then pump a large volume of
pressurized water to put out the fire. A special pentagonal wrench is used
to remove the valve cover of the hydrant. Then after attaching the hoses,
the firefighters open the valve for the water to flow.
They usually have a connection point to hook up a fire hose and a nut or
bolt to turn on which will start the flow. Every fire hydrant is essentially
just an attachment to the main water line. Underneath that connects the
hydrant valve through a pipe called a riser. However, normal hydrants
don’t change the water pressure or flow in any way. They function as
valves so firefighters can utilize the already present pressure in the water
pipes. While all of this may sound simple the internal mechanics of a fire
hydrant are a little more complex and can vary by region.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Fire Hydrant
EXPERIMENT WITH THE PLACING AND NUMBER OF FIRE HYDRANTS

There are two types of Fire Hydrants: Wet hydrants and Dry hydrants.
Wet hydrants are widely used in places where there is no problem of
freezing. In such types of fire hydrant systems, the water in the main
supplies the hydrant close to the surface. So, in cold weather conditions, it
Overview
is susceptible to freezing.
A dry hydrant system stores the water below the ground. The Earth’s
temperature is usually higher than the cold environment temperature in
cold regions. So, the possibility of freezing can be prevented by this
arrangement. When the dry hydrant system is required to be used,
firefighters open a valve on top of the hydrant and engage their hose in it.
This causes the drain valve to open inside the hydrant. This allows the
water to come through which the firefighters use against the fire.

Fire Hose: a broad hosepipe used in extinguishing fires.


Vocabulary Fire Hydrant: a connection point by which firefighters can tap into a
water supply.

Square grid (or dotty) paper


Materials Mini-whiteboards
Counters or multilink cubes or square tiles
Straws or pipe cleaners

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Fire Hydrant
EXPERIMENT WITH THE PLACING AND NUMBER OF FIRE HYDRANTS

Modelling is a way of exploring the overarching problem and finding


possible solutions. Any solutions must be checked against the initial
Background problem. When applying solutions to a ‘real context’, specific issues also
information need to be taken into account. For example, in the case of the particular
downtown there could be some extra streets not part of a rectangular
grid, some blocks could appear to be larger than others, and so on.

Imagine a city where all the streets are laid out on a rectangular grid and
all the blocks are 100m square. The fire department has hoses that are
100m long, so they don’t need a hydrant on every street corner.

For a 4x2 grid, the fire department could arrange their hydrants like this, so
that every part of the grid could be reached.
This arrangement uses 8 hydrants.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Fire Hydrant
EXPERIMENT WITH THE PLACING AND NUMBER OF FIRE HYDRANTS

Could you find an arrangement that uses fewer hydrants?


Investigate the minimum number of hydrants required for this and for
Background other grids.
information
Here are 8 blocks arranged in a 4 x 2 grid.
One hydrant has been placed at the corner of one block.

Discuss where you might place other hydrants What is the minimum
number you need?

Extensions
Using fire hoses of different lengths, such as 200m or 50m.
Using city blocks of different shapes, such as rectangles, regular hexagons,
equilateral triangles.
Exploring different arrangements of a fixed number of blocks, say 100, to
determine which arrangement will need the smallest number of hydrants.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Fire Hydrant
In this activity students will investigate the placing and number of fire hydrants required
in a city with square blocks that form a rectangular grid.

1 Students work individually or in pairs. They learn the context for their
investigation: a city built to a grid plan is updating its fire fighting provision.
Fire hydrants are to be placed so that that every block can be reached in
the event of a fire, and a simplified mathematical model and constraints:
the blocks are 100m square, fire hoses extend to 100m and need only
stay at ground level, hydrants have to be placed at street corners.

Students have to find out the minimum number of hydrants and how
2 they should be arranged. They start with a small section of the town,
such as a 4 x 2 grid.

Students can use the mini-whiteboards, multilink cubes or square tiles


3 and pipe cleaners to investigate the problem. They have to record their
results.

Reflection:
How do you know you have found the minimum number of fire hydrants
needed for your grid? How do you decide if your prediction is correct? You
have found a rule. Why do you think your rule will always work? What does
your rule tell you about the original problem?

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Dystopian World
LINKS TO THE BOOK
Censorship
The novel implies that the most important factor leading to censorship is the objections
of special-interest groups and “minorities” to things in books that offend them. Bradbury
is careful to refrain from referring specifically to racial minorities—Beatty mentions dog
lovers and cat lovers, for instance. The reader can only try to infer which special-interest
groups he really has in mind. As the Afterword to Fahrenheit 451 demonstrates,
Bradbury is extremely sensitive to any attempts to restrict his free speech; for instance,
he objects strongly to letters he has received suggesting that he revise his treatment of
female or black characters. He sees such interventions as essentially hostile and
intolerant—as the first step on the road to book burning.

CREATE YOUR OWN DYSTOPIA

Learn about propaganda and censorship.


Objectives Create an original dystopian society.

A Dystopia is a vision, of an often futuristic society, which has developed


Overview into a negative version of Utopia (perfect society). A Dystopia is often
characterized by an authoritarian or totalitarian form of government. It
features different kinds of repressive social control systems, a lack or total
absence of individual freedoms and expressions and a state of constant
warfare or violence.

Characteristics of a Dystopian Society:


Propaganda is used to control the citizens of society.
Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted.
A figurehead or concept is worshipped by the citizens of the society.
Citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance.
Citizens have a fear of the outside world.
Citizens live in a dehumanized state.
The natural world is banished and distrusted.
Citizens conform to uniform expectations. Individuality and dissent are
bad.
The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Dystopian World
CREATE YOUR OWN DYSTOPIA

Censorship: the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films,


Vocabulary news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a
threat to security.
Dystopia: an imagined state or society in which there is great suffering
or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic.
Propaganda: information, especially of a biased or misleading nature,
used to promote a political cause or point of view.
Utopia: an imagined place or state of things in which everything is
perfect.

A few sheets of paper (A4 and A2).


Materials Markers and pencils.
Scissors.
Glue.

Backstory: A dystopian society has a back-story: a war, natural disaster, or


other terrifying event is introduced early in the story to set the stage.
Background
information Setting: Place where your citizens live: the buildings, homes, cars, etc.

Map: A map (colored/illustrated) of your community/town/city.

Rights: The rules that the people in the society must live by.

Propaganda: An information from the government to the society.

Government: Kind of the government in the society.

Citizen: The average citizens in the dystopia: apperance, job, daily routine,
etc.

Infractions: What happens to citizens who do not obey the government?

Education: education system and ideas.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Dystopian World
In this activity students will be able to use their creativity to create their own dystopian
world. They will also introduce a character that fights against the rules that the society
that they designed has put in place

1 Students work in groups. They discuss and elaborate such elements of the
society as
the back-story of how their dystopian society came to exist;
setting of their society;
at least 10 rules that the people in their society must live by;
an informational text from the government of your society (a letter, memo,
brochure, etc. );
what kind of government exists, who is in charge;
the average citizens in their dystopia (What do they wear? What do they
do for a living? Do they have children? How do they behave on a daily
basis? What do they do for fun? How do they respond to the
government?);
what happens to citizens who do not obey the government;
what do students learn,what do they do at school, and how do they
behave.

Students prepare a colored/illustrated map of their


2 community/country/town/city.

Students create a citizen of this society that will be the Protagonist or


3 hero of your project. This protagonist will at some point recognize that
there is something wrong with the society and risk his or her life to do
whatever he or she can to improve it. Students describe their hero. Give
him or her a name; indicate what he or she does for a profession. How
old is he or she? What is his or her concern with society and what will he
or she do to save the society from itself?

Students create other characters. Typically, in a dystopian story, the hero


4 meets characters like him or herself and works with them to meet their
goals. There also should be some antagonists or characters who work
against the hero. Students describe these characters, give them names,
explain why they are important.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Dystopian World

Students present the society they created and play out a few short
5 scenes.

Reflection:
What makes this person different? What causes them to take a stand? Are
they fighting for selfish reasons, for family, for answers? What skill sets does
this character have that will help determine his or her fate? How has he or
she learned these traits?
Which elements of society do you think need to be changed?

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Dystopian World
Questions:
1.The Physical World:
What is the landscape of your world?
What is the climate of your world?
What do people (if applicable) look like?
What do animals (if applicable) look like?
What types of clothes do people wear?
What do houses or living quarters look like?
What do houses or living quarters look like?
Where? On the earth we know, a distant planet, or an alternate reality?
2. Culture and Society:
What are some commonly held beliefs in this society?
What type of government do they have?
Who is in power?
How did they become powerful?
How intrusive is government in daily lives?
What form of propaganda is used (if any)?
What is the history of this society?
What is the society’s biggest fear?
What is the society’s most positive feature?
What are the values of this society?
What are the social classes?
Why are there social classes?
What is the ethnic diversity, if any?
What are the gender roles?
What, if any, religion do they practice?
What language do they speak?
Is the entire world affected and how?
How do people get food?
Is there money? What type?
3. Character Development:
Is your character alone?
Why is he alone?
Does your character have friends?
What motivates your character?
How do the characters interact with the dystopian society?
How do they interact with each other?

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Paper Speaker
LINKS TO THE BOOK
Technology
Technological innovation represents the central source of society’s problems in
Fahrenheit 451. Throughout the book, Bradbury treats technology as inherently
anesthetizing and destructive. In the prehistory of the novel, technology played an
important role in the social decline of reading. As technology improved, it gave rise to
new forms of media, like television and in-ear radios. The televisions in Bradbury’s future
are the size of whole walls, and when installed to form three-dimensional entertainment
spaces called “parlors,” they have a mesmerizing, immersive effect. Despite being more
immersive than books, television programs feature simplified content meant primarily to
entertain.

BUILD A PAPER SPEAKER

Explore the science of sound.


Objectives Make a speaker out of paper.
Speakers are used to connect to a computer to generate sound, which are
one of the most common output devices. Some speakers are designed to
connect with any kind of sound system, while some can be hooked up only
with computers. With the computer speaker, the computer's sound card
Overview
creates a signal that is used to produce sound. The primary objective of
speakers is to offer audio output for the listener. The electromagnetic waves
are converted into sound waves through the speaker as they are
transducers. The devices, like an audio receiver or computer, give audio
input to speakers, which may be in the form of analog or digital. The
function of the analog speaker is simply to magnify the analog
electromagnetic waves into sound waves.
The sound waves are produced in analog form, but first, the digital input is
converted into an analog signal by digital speakers then the sound waves are
generated. The amplitude and frequency define the sound produced by
speakers. The frequency determines the pitch of the sound of how high or
low it is. For case, a bass guitar or kick drum generates low sounds waves,
while a soprano singer's voice produces sounds in the high-frequency range.
The sound quality, how clear it will be, depends upon the speaker system's
ability; if it is able to accurately reproduce sound frequencies, it can be the
best indicator to determine audio quality.
There are numerous speakers that consist of different speaker cones, which
make them capable of offering more accurate sounds for different ranges.
The three-way speakers generally contain a subwoofer, mid-range speaker,
and a tweeter, whereas the two-way speakers have a mid-range speaker and
a tweeter. The air pressure created by the speakers' sound waves
determines the loudness or amplitude.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Paper Speaker
BUILD A PAPER SPEAKER

Like a sound card of computer and some other audio sources produce the
signal low, which may need to be augmented by the speakers. This is the
reason, to amplify the signal, most of the external computer speakers use
Overview electricity; hence, they are amplified. Speakers that have the ability to
increase the sound input are commonly known as active speakers. If a
speaker can be plugged into an electrical outlet or consists of volume
control, you can easily determine if the speaker is active. The passive
speakers are those that do not have any internal amplification; these
speakers need a high level of audio input as they do not increase the audio
signal.
Usually, speakers come in pairs that led to producing stereo sound. It
means, on two separate channels, the left and right speakers produce
audio. Music sounds much more natural when you use two speakers, as in
this condition, our ears hear sounds from the left and right at one time,
which makes sounds much more natural. Furthermore, surround systems
can produce more realistic sound as they may include four to seven
speakers, including a subwoofer.
Speakers are rated in distortion, watts, frequency response, and total
harmonic.
Frequency response: It is produced by speakers, which is the rate of
the lows and highs of the sound.
Watts: For the speakers, it is the amount of amplification.
Total harmonic distortion (THD): It is the amount of distortion created
with the help of amplifying the signal.
How do speakers work?
The housing, a cone, a magnet, iron is used to make speakers; they
work with the help of converting electrical energy into mechanical
energy. The mechanical energy functions for compressing air and
converting the motion into sound pressure level or sound energy.
When a device gives electrical input to the speakers, an electric
current is sent through a coil of wire, which produces an electric field.
And it interacts with the magnetic field that is attached to the
speakers. When the speaker receives electrical input from a device,
the voice coil is attached to move back and forth. The back and forth
motion vibrates the outer cone that we perceive as sound.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Paper Speaker
BUILD A PAPER SPEAKER

Vocabulary Audio cables: transmit audible signals such as voice and music. They are
designed to minimize noise and interference that can impair sound quality.
Audio cables connect an audio source such as a stereo or microphone to an
audio mixer or output such as speakers.
Electric field: the physical field that surrounds electrically charged particles
and exerts force on all other charged particles in the field, either attracting or
repelling them. It also refers to the physical field for a system of charged
particles.
Magnet: an object which is capable of producing magnetic field and attracting
unlike poles and repelling like poles.
Speaker in music: loudspeaker, also called speaker, in sound reproduction,
device for converting electrical energy into acoustical signal energy that is
radiated into a room or open air.
Voice coil: the coil of wire attached to the apex of a loudspeaker cone.

Paper speaker template, printed on cardstock or paper plate


Materials Paper speaker cones, printed on cardstock or cardboard roughly the size of
the plate you use
12 mm x 3 mm circular neodymium magnet (6 pieces)
28 AWG enameled magnet wire
2-position spring wire connector or aligator clips
3.5 mm audio cable with bare wire ends or an old pair of headphones
Fine-grit sandpaper
Paper
Glue
Scissors
Tape

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Paper Speaker
BUILD A PAPER SPEAKER

Backgroun 1.Cut two strips of paper roughly as wide as the stack of magnets you are
using is tall, and about 28 cm long.
information
2. Wrap one strip of paper tightly around your stack of magnets, securing it
with a piece of tape. This paper strip is used to create a gap between the
magnets and a second strip of paper.
3. Wrap the second strip of paper around the first layer and secure it in the
same manner.
4. begin carefully winding the magnet wire around it, leaving about 30 cm of
wire loose to connect a signal to later.
The number of times to wrap the wire around the paper tube depends upon
the thickness of wire used. Refer to the table below for a few common sizes
of magnet wire.
When wrapping the wire try to keep the coil neat and any spacing between
the wires even. You want the wires to lay against the paper tube, and not to
pile on top of each other

OR
You can use Paper speaker template printed on cardstock. Then cut all the
pieces of the template out along the solid lines. Wrap the long, narrow strips of
paper tightly around the magnet. Then tightly wrap 50 turns of wire from the
spool around the paper tube to create a coil. The measured 30 cm of wire should
be left free at the beginning of the coil.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Paper Speaker
BUILD A PAPER SPEAKER

5. Once the wire has been sufficiently coiled, secure the wire in place
with tape or hot glue, leaving another foot of wire loose at this end.
Backgroun
information 6. Next, carefully remove the stack of magnets from the center as well as
the inner strip of paper. The inner layer of paper can be discarded.

7. With the voice coil completed, secure it to the center of the bottom of
the paper plate using glue. The paper plate will be the diaphragm of your
speaker.
8. The paper plate will be kept in place using springs fashioned from two
of the three business cards. First, bend the cards into an “M” shape. Do
not crease the corners too tightly as you want the springs to support the
paper plate.
If you use template fold the large rectangular piece from the template along
the dashed lines. Begin by folding the edges of the paper inwards and
continue back and forth to form an accordion shape.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Paper Speaker
BUILD A PAPER SPEAKER

9. Secure one of the legs of each M to the paper plate on either side of
the voice coil using glue.
10. Finally, attach the whole assembly to a cardboard base by gluing the
Backgroun remaining leg of the M’s to the cardboard. The cardboard will hold the
information speaker together and will dampen any unwanted vibrations emanating
from the bottom of the speaker.

If you use template glue the coil to the dashed circle on the accordion piece.
Allow the glue to dry.
Flip the accordion piece upside down. Using the small rectangle from the
template as a base, glue the two accordion legs to the shaded areas of the
rectangle. This completed piece will be the main body of the speaker.
Bend the cone slightly to glue the angled tab onto the shaded area. Allow the
glue to dry.
Glue the bottom, smaller opening of the cone to the top of the speaker.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Paper Speaker
BUILD A PAPER SPEAKER

11. The last step is to place the neodymium magnets in the center of the
voice coil. Begin by gluing a small piece of cardboard to the middle of the
remaining business card. The permanent magnets will sit on top of this
Backgroun piece of cardboard in order to decrease the distance between the voice
information coil and the magnets. You may need more than one piece of cardboard for
this purpose. Ideally the wire of the voice coil will completely wrap around
the permanent magnets when everything is assembled.
12. With your cardboard glued in place tape one of the permanent
magnets to the top of the cardboard pieces. The remaining magnets can
then be placed on top of the first; the magnetic force should be sufficient
to hold them in place in a neat stack.
13. Lifting the paper plate diaphragm up slightly, slide the permanent
magnets in place beneath the voice coil, taping the supporting business
card to the cardboard base to keep everything in place.

If you use template gently pull the top and bottom parts of the speaker apart,
far enough that you can slide the magnet inside the coil, then let go and put
the speaker down. The coil should sit over the magnet with the magnet
resting on the base of the speaker. You do not need to glue the magnet in
place—it is heavy enough that it will be held in place by its own weight. This
allows you to easily remove it if you decide to test another speaker.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Paper Speaker
BUILD A PAPER SPEAKER

14. To play a signal through the speaker you must be able to connect the
wires from the voice coil to a signal source. Magnet wire is coated with an
insulative layer to prevent magnet coils from shorting. This layer of
Backgroun
insolation must be removed from the ends of the wire in order to make a
information connection. Sand paper works well to remove the insulation. Remove
about an inch of the insulation from each end of the wire connected to
the voice coil.
Use sandpaper to strip the insulation from about 1 cm of each end of the
wire. Fold the sandpaper in half, pinch the wire between the sides of the
sandpaper with your fingers, and pull along the wire. Repeat this multiple
times while you rotate the wire. It can be difficult to tell when the insulation
is removed, but if you look very closely, you should see that the underlying
wire is a different color than the insulation.
15. Connect your speaker to a pair of headphones/audio cable. In order to
connect your speaker to a pair of headphones/audio cable, you must get
access to the wires that carry the signal from the 3.5mm audio jack at one
end of the headphones/audio cable, and one of the small speakers at the
other end. This can be achieved by cutting one of the headphone’s/audio
cable wires. This will give access to the left, right, and ground wires, of
which you will need the ground, and either the left or the right audio
channel, but not both.

16. Once you have access to two of the signal wires from the
headphones/audio cable, use your alligator clips/spring clips to connect
one of the stripped, loose wires from your speaker to the ground wire of
the headphones/audio cable, and the other speaker wire to the exposed
audio channel of the headphones. These connections can be broken very
easily, so it may take a few attempts to get sound from your speaker when
connecting to it in this way.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Paper Speaker
BUILD A PAPER SPEAKER

Backgroun
information

17. With your speaker all wired up, connect the 3.5mm audio jack of the
headphones to your phone or other device and play any audio.

Plug the 3.5 mm cable into the headphone jack of your phone, tablet, or computer.
Make sure the volume on your device is all the way up, and try playing some music!

It might not be as loud as the speakers on your phone or computer, but you should
hear sound coming from your paper speaker!

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Paper Speaker
BUILD A PAPER SPEAKER

Your speaker should reproduce the audio, but it may be faint. If you cannot hear
anything your wire connections may need to be adjusted, or you may need to increase
the volume of the audio signal.
Backgroun If you do not hear any music, try these troubleshooting steps and follow along with
information the video:
1. Make sure you have the correct sound source selected on your phone or
computer. For example, make sure you are not connected to a Bluetooth
headset or speakers.
2. Check that the volume on your device is turned all the way up.
3. Check that the 3.5 mm cable is firmly plugged into the headphone jack.
4. Make sure the spring clips are gripping the exposed metal parts of the 3.5
mm cable, not the insulated parts.
5. Make sure you fully stripped the insulation off of the ends of the magnet
wire.
6. Make sure the exposed parts of the two magnet wires are not touching each
other. This will create a short circuit.
7. Make sure the magnet is not rubbing against the inside of the paper tube, as
this will add friction and decrease the speaker's vibrations.
8. Align the wire coil so it is around the top of the magnet. Magnetic fields
quickly get much weaker with distance. If the coil and the magnet are too far
away from each other, your speaker will not work.
In order to better understand the role that the magnetic field has in making sound
emanate from your speaker you will change the strength of the magnetic field by
adding and removing permanent magnets. Volume data will be collected using
Science Journal. For consistency perform your experiments in a quiet room using a 1
kHz sound source. A sound with a frequency of 1 kHz is well suited to a paper plate
speaker due to the physical properties of the paper plate. You may choose to use a
different sound for your tests, but you should use the same sound for all of your trials
in order to accurately compare your data. It is not recommended to use music for your
tests as the volume will not remain consistent in a song the way it will in a test tone

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Paper Speaker
BUILD A PAPER SPEAKER

You can use the tool at http://onlinetonegenerator.com to generate test tones.


During all of your tests your speaker and the device you use to collect your data
should remain a fixed distance apart. No objects or barriers should be placed
Backgroun between your speaker and the device you use to take measurements. If you are
information performing the experiment with your speaker connected to an amplifier, you
should not adjust the volume settings in between trials. While collecting data you
should be careful not to make any noise as this will affect the data.

1.Before beginning the experiment record what you hypothesize will happen as the
number of permanent magnets in your speaker changes.
2.Record data in the silent room you will be taking your measurements in. This data
will represent the background noise level of the room. The background noise may
create some level of error in your data. Try to reduce the background noise as much
as possible. Record the background noise level.
3. Place the recording device a fixed distance away from your speaker. The greater
the distance between the speaker and recording device the lower the volume the
recording device will detect.
4. Play the test tone on your speaker while recording the data with Science Journal.
Record the result under ‘Trial One’ in the row for the six magnet data in the table
above.
5. Repeat step four two more times, filling out row six of the table, then average your
three trials and record the average in the indicated column of row six.
6. Now remove one of the permanent magnets from your speaker and repeat steps
four and five for the next row of the table.
7. Repeat step six until the table is complete. As you remove magnets from the stack,
it will be necessary to add additional cardboard spacers to keep the remaining
magnets in the center of the voice coil.
8. Record your data in the graph on the next page. Draw a horizontal line
representing the background noise level

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Paper Speaker
In this activity students will build and test a paper speaker.

1 Students work in groups. Following the instructions they build up a paper


speaker.

Students experiment by adding and removing permanent magnets. They


2 collect volume data using Science Journal.

Reflection:
How does the average volume change with number of magnets?  Does the
data match your hypothesis?  Why do you believe the volume changes the
way that it does?  What effect do you think using an alternative to the paper
plate (such as a foam plate, cup, or bowl) will have on the sound quality of
your speaker?  How do you believe changing the number of turns of wire on
the voice coil will affect the volume of the speaker?  How do you think
changing the length of the voice coil will affect the speaker?  How do you
believe the sound will change if you use a larger paper plate? What about a
smaller plate?  What do you believe will happen if you use different sizes or
shapes of magnets?

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Paper Speaker

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Paper Speaker

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
A Paper Speaker

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Handmade Paper and Blackout Poetry
LINKS TO THE BOOK
Dissatisfaction
In Fahrenheit 451, the theme of dissatisfaction has close connections to the themes of
technology and censorship. The dystopian society Bradbury represents in the novel
arose in its present form because of technological innovation. Technological innovation
led to the ascendency of television, which in turn led to the devaluing and, eventually,
the censoring of books. As Captain Beatty explains to Montag, the social history that led
to the present state of affairs had everything to do with ensuring people’s peace of mind
by keeping them entertained. As long as everyone remains entertained, they’ll be happy.
However, Montag realizes early in the novel that constant entertainment has bred deep
dissatisfaction.

MAKE HANDMADE PAPER AND CREATE BLACKOUT POEM.

Learn how to make handmade paper of recyc


Objectives Use pages of text and blocks out some of the words to form a new
poem.

Handmade paper is just that: paper made by hand. People create handmade
paper by sifting pulp onto a screen and letting each individual sheet of paper
Overview dry. This time-consuming, creative process has been used in Nepal, Japan,
China, and Thailand for centuries to produce exceptionally beautiful paper.
Experienced and novice crafters alike can make their own customized paper
at home, with just a few pieces of specialized equipment.
Back when Egyptians were writing on papyrus, all paper was handmade.
Eventually, this process became automated, especially for paper that would
end up going through a letterpress or printer. Now, handmade paper is a
delicate, customized, specialty product. Commercially available products
often use non-tree materials, such as onion skins, cotton, banana leaves,
hemp, or other plants to protect forests from getting eradicated.
Making paper by hand at home can be a pretty simple process. It’s also a
fantastic way to use up your old receipts, scrap papers, junk mail, and copy
paper that you were about to throw in the recycling bin, and instead create a
thing of glorious handmade beauty.
Blackout poetry
Like most things in literature, blackout poetry—also known as erasure
poetry, redacted poetry, and a form of found poetry—has a complex history.
In fact, the earliest known blackout poetry examples hail from Benjamin
Franklin’s days. Ben’s neighbor, Caleb Whiteford, would publish redacted
versions of the paper, using puns flowing across the text to create new
meaning in the pages.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Handmade Paper and Blackout Poetry
MAKE HANDMADE PAPER AND CREATE BLACKOUT POEM.

Now, Whiteford was ahead of his time. This creative play with physical text
Overview would not resurface until the Dada movement (1915-1925), in which artists
expressed surreal, absurd, and existential thoughts through the interplay of
words and images. This interplay, commonly known as collaging, reignited a
love for the physical play with language, encouraging poets to experiment
with form and language simultaneously.
The Dadaists, the Beat Poets, and other 20th century movements continued
to explore and expand the form, but blackout poetry earned its greatest
support from Austin Kleon at The New York Times. In 2010, Austin Kleon
published his collection Newspaper Blackout; an instant bestseller,
Newspaper Blackout (alongside Kleon’s Tumblr and Instagram presence) put
blackout poetry pages in front of every writer’s screen.
From the New York Times’ interactive generator to Outrun the Stigma’s
erasure poetry community project, blackout poetry continues to enjoy its
digital popularity.
Great blackout poetry can be short or long, abstract or concrete, linear or
lateral. There’s only one rule of the form: have fun making it!
Well-crafted blackout poetry pages give new meanings to old texts, and the
interplay of those texts often creates new and surprising meanings. Here are
three poems that accomplish that goal.

Blackout poetry: when you take a written piece of text from a book, newspaper,
or magazine and redact words, in order to come up with your very own poetry!
Vocabulary Handmade paper: the manual process of paper making typically carried out by.
an individual. Handmade paper is a single layer of fibres that have been.
entwined. These are held together by cellulose fibres through natural bonding.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Handmade Paper and Blackout Poetry
MAKE HANDMADE PAPER AND CREATE BLACKOUT POEM.

Scrap Papers
Materials Plastic storage tub or vat
Kitchen blender
Wood boards OR sponge & rolling pin
Cloth, towels, blankets or other absorbent material
Mould & deckle (a screen attached to a frame)
Optional: clothesline & pins, drying material or surface
Copies of the pages of the book "Fahrenheit 451"

Handmade paper:
Background 1.CUT UP PAPER
information Cut or rip up paper into 2 - 2 cm squares. Soak your paper for a few hours or
overnight.
Drawing, printmaking, and watercolor papers are best because they are made
from stronger fibers. Your fiber/scrap choice and its characteristics dictate the
quality of the final sheet. Newspaper and magazine paper make weak and
brittle paper.
Experiment with junk mail, office paper, paper grocery bags, the yellow pages,
rejection letters, and more.

2. BLEND IT & MAKE A VAT OF PULP


Fill up a kitchen blender with water. Throw in a good handful of the cut up
scrap papers. Blend until it’s a pulp. Fill your tub or vat with the pulp, about
1/3 to 1/2 way. Add more water to the vat.
The more pulp to water, the thicker your paper will be.

3. PULL SOME SHEETS


For this, you’ll need a mould and deckle. It’s basically two frames that are
the same size, one with screen attached.
Stir your vat of pulp.
Hold the mould screen side up, and place the deckle evenly on top.
Holding them together at a 45 degree angle, dip the mould and deckle to
the bottom of the vat and scoop up, holding the mould and deckle
horizontally.
As you lift it out of the slurry, give it a quick shake back and forth, and
left to right to align the fibers and make a more uniform sheet. Stop
shaking before the sheet is fully drained.
Let the water drain to a drip.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Handmade Paper and Blackout Poetry
MAKE HANDMADE PAPER AND CREATE BLACKOUT POEM.

Background Handmade paper:


4. COUCHING
information
‘Couching’ means to transfer the wet sheet from the mould to a flat,
absorbent surface. Wool felts are ideal, but there are many other options:
wool blankets, smoother towels, thick paper towels, non-fusible interfacing
or pellon, sham-wows, or bed sheets. Set up your felt with a board
underneath and soak your couching materials.
Remove the deckle from the mould.
Place a long edge of the mould on the felt.
In one smooth motion, place the mold face down, press down, and lift
from that initial edge. Think of this like a close the door, open the door,
motion.

5. PRESSING
Hand Pressing
Place pellon or paper towel on top of your freshly couched sheet. With a
sponge, press gently at first, then press firmly with as much pressure as
possible. Have a rolling pin or old paint roller? Use that to press your paper
even more.
Board Pressing
Place another felt on top of your freshly couched sheet. Continue to couch
another sheet, layer another felt, and repeat. Layer one final felt and another
wood board when you’ve made a stack. Take the post outside to a concrete
or stone surface. Stand on it!

6. DRYING
Surface Drying
Find a flat, non-porous surface. Smooth wood boards, plexiglass,
windows, and formica surfaces work well.
Take your wet sheet and gently press onto the flat surface. Make sure
the edges are pressed down well.
Let the paper dry (1-3 days depending on humidity levels and thickness
of the paper).
Peel it off.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Handmade Paper and Blackout Poetry
MAKE HANDMADE PAPER AND CREATE BLACKOUT POEM.

Background Exchange Drying


Get some blotters, towels, or other absorbent, dry, flat material.
information
Layer the material and then your wet handmade paper on top.
Repeat. Create a stack.
When you’re done, place a wood board or a book on top. Weigh it down
with more books or something heavy.
Check it once every day and exchange the damp material with dry
material until your handmade paper is dry.
motion.

Blackout poetry
Funny or poignant, carefree or politically charged, any text can be turned
into a blackout poem. All you need for blackout poetry is a marker.
Armed with your writing utensil of choice, you can make blackout poetry
pages in four steps:
1. Identify the text you want to blackout.
2. Draw boxes over meaningful words, images, phrases, and ideas.
3. Draw an image outline or arrows for reading the text, if necessary.
4. Color it in!

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Handmade Paper and Blackout Poetry
MAKE HANDMADE PAPER AND CREATE BLACKOUT POEM.

Background 1.IDENTIFYING A SOURCE TEXT


Not all blackout poems have a relationship to their source text, but the best
information
blackout poetry often carries a dialogue with its source. As the author Annie
Dillard notes, the meaning of a text “now swings between two poles” in the
making of blackout poems, creating a kind of visual dialectic.
Many blackout poetry examples use literary sources—the three examples we
chose were from a book, newspaper, and letter, respectively. You might also
find inspiration from books, poems, essays, news stories, or letters that
deeply impact you.
At the same time, most texts are valid options for blackout poems. Be as
conventional or esoteric as you’d like: you can blackout recipes, driving
manuals, national constitutions, cereal box ingredient lists, toaster oven
instructions, wikipedia pages, etc.
Have students scan the text, looking for anchor words. These are the impactful
words that jump off the page. These will be used to “anchor” their poems and
their themes. They’ll want to circle these words lightly with a pencil. It’s helpful
to remind students to not focus profoundly on reading the text, but rather just
focus on the words, phrases, or general themes that jump out to them.
2. BOXING KEY WORDS AND PHRASES
Blackout poetry is a process of narrowing down the words you don’t want,
then selecting and arranging the words that are left. As such, the first thing
you should do with your marker is draw boxes around the words you want
to keep.
Of course, you can box a word in the beginning and cross it out later. The
important part is to narrow your source text into a few key images and
ideas.
Take Tyler Knott Gregson’s poem, the first of our blackout poetry examples.
About half of the boxed words are nouns and verbs, many of which develop
concrete images. “Solitude” and “romance” are the only conceptual nouns,
and they’re sprinkled between images of starlight, sleeping cities, and black
hours.
It’s also important to identify comparison words. “Like” and “as” will help
compare different ideas in the text, so don’t black them out until you’re sure
you don’t need them.
Finally, if a word or phrase jumps out as striking, beautiful, or meaningful,
save it. You may decide it doesn’t fit into the poem later, but oftentimes,
blackout poetry is built around language that was already beautiful in the
source text.

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Handmade Paper and Blackout Poetry
MAKE HANDMADE PAPER AND CREATE BLACKOUT POEM.

Background Sudents should write out the words and phrases on a separate paper in the
order they appear on the page. This is an important step because the rest of the
information
words can be a big distraction when students are trying to decipher the
meaning and finalize their word choice.
3. MAKE CONNECTIONS (OPTIONAL)
Once you’ve blacked out the words you want your poem to use, take a
moment to consider how the poem is read. Can the poem be read linearly,
from left to right? Or do you want certain words to connect in different
If the words should be read out of order, consider leaving white space to
demonstrate reading order. This is not a requirement of blackout poetry, but
it is something to consider.
Next, students will read through their list and circle their favorite words and
cross out the rest. Remind them that the words should flow together to express
an idea, create an image, or develop a theme. (If needed, they can rescan the
text for “missing” or “connecting” words that might help solidify their idea or
increase the flow.) Before moving on to the next step, encourage students to
read the selected words aloud and consult their peers if they wish.
4. COLOR IT IN!
Once you’ve chosen the words you need, cross out the rest. There’s no
wrong way to color, so channel your inner five year old and get scribbling!
Students will solidify their poem by going back to the page of text and
finalizing their word choice and, therefore, poem. They will carefully outline
their final selection of words with a black marker. Be sure to remind them not
to rush through this part. Afterall, you cant erase marker! Use the marker to
blackout all of the unused words. “In my solitude
I became aware of
lack.
Lie near me
in the starlight, quiet
and free.
A faint noise
of people passing in
sleeping cities
after hours of stillness.
There is romance
in the black
hours.”
Source Text: Travels with
a Donkey in the
Cevénnes by Robert
Louis Stevenson
(Chapter 10).

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Handmade Paper and Blackout Poetry

In this activity students will make a handmade paper. After that they will choose a page
from "Fahrenheit 451" and create a blackout poem.

1 Students work in groups. Following the instructions they bmzke handmade


paper. Each group produces as many sheets of paper as there are members
in the group.

Students work individually. They choose pages from "Fahrenheit 451"


2 and create a blackout poem.

Using handmade paper students create visual presentations of their


3 poems.

Reflection:
Is there a clear and well-developed theme in the poem? Is the theme
supported by appropriate tone and diction? Does the word choice create
powerful images and elicit emotion for the reader? How do the artistic
elements complement, highlight, or develop the poem? Consider the impact of
changing the blackout to whiteout. Would the impact be significant? Do you
think blackout poetry counts as original work? Do you think there is anything
that is truly original?Do you think blackout poetry is a positive contribution to
art and writing or not? Why? Consider the relationship between the original
text and the new poem. Is it more impactful if the original theme or intent is
still found in the poem or if they are totally different? Why? Is making
blackout poems easier or more difficult for you? What are some of the
difficulties with it? What are some of the advantages? If you had all of the
resources in the world, what kind of blackout poetry art would you make?
How might blackout poetry be more effective than other poetry? Is it
possible to combine blackout poetry with other styles of poetry? How is
blackout poetry similar to other styles of poetry

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Handmade Paper and Blackout Poetry

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Handmade Paper and Blackout Poetry

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
Resources:
https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/f/fahrenheit-
451/study-help/essay-questions
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1272463-
fahrenheit-451?page=3 https://galaxypress.com/story-
behind-fahrenheit-451/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13079982-
fahrenheit-451 https://www.javatpoint.com/what-is-a-
speaker https://www.instructables.com/DIY-Miniature-
Phoenix/ https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Make-
Paper-Speakers-From-Scratch/ https://www.origami-
tutorial.com/origami-phoenix.html
https://www.paperslurry.com/2014/05/19/how-to-
make-handmade-paper-from-recycled-materials/
https://raybradbury.com/
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/make-
a-fire-snake https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-
fair-projects/project-ideas/Phys_p101/physics/paper-
speaker-frequency-response
https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/451
https://www.stem.org.uk/rxu3n
https://www.thoughtco.com/biography-of-ray-
bradbury-4797153 https://whatispiping.com/fire-
hydrant/#google_vignette https://writers.com/what-is-
blackout-poetry-examples-and-inspiration

"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"


2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054
"READING THROUGH THE LENS OF STEAM"
2020-1-LT01-KA229-078054

You might also like