VERSION B · Bac pro · B1 (lighter version)

Session 4: A warning from a book: Fahrenheit 451

Part 4. What does Ray Bradbury's book say about screens and books?

Objectives

Warm-up

In the book, 451 degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature when paper burns. Why burn books?

Documents

The story. Guy Montag is a fireman. He burns books. People watch giant screens all day. A girl, Clarisse, asks him questions.
"It was a pleasure to burn."
Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 (1953), first sentence of Part One, Guy Montag
"Are you happy?"
Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451, Clarisse McClellan to Montag
Easy to find on YouTube: "Fahrenheit 451" (2018) official trailer, HBO; or the 1966 film by François Truffaut.

Activities

  1. Who says it? Match the quotation and the character.
  2. Then and now: screens in the book, screens in our life.
  3. Answer Clarisse: three sentences.

Sentence starters

Role play

Pairs: Clarisse and Montag. Clarisse asks: Do you read? Do you look at the sky? Montag answers.

Gap-fill worksheet

QR code to this worksheet
Word bank: fireman, burns, screens, books, questions, girl
  1. Montag is a ______.
  2. He ______ books.
  3. People watch giant ______.
  4. Clarisse is a young ______.
  5. She asks a lot of ______.
  6. The state is afraid of ______.
Answer key
  1. fireman
  2. burns
  3. screens
  4. girl
  5. questions
  6. books

Homework

Write four sentences: what you like about books or stories, and why they matter.

Assessment grid

CriteriaLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4
UnderstandingNoA littleGoodVery good
ComparisonNoneOne ideaTwo ideasClear comparison

Links reminder